Meet Erna - Our local Yoga Instructor from Jogja

The second edition of Slow Food & Yoga Festival will take place on Gili Air, October 17th-20th, and we have already received applications from so many wonderful and inspiring yoga instructors, chefs and other amazing people. It is a true blessing to be introduced to so many new and talented people, that we haven’t even heard about before - and now we want to pass on the message and share our knowledge with the world.

Meet Erna - our local Yoga Instructor from Jogja, Indonesia. Erna Martiana Anggreta is a true inspiration - and we are here to tell you why! Talking about doing many things at once; Erna work at a Health Science College within Public Relations, she’s a yoga instructor in the weekends, she’s a part time guide at WithLocals.com, she’s the founder of Social Project Space, and she’s the Owner of Butterfly Yoga and Ayurveda Massage in Jogja. Wow, we are truly inspired by Erna and the many projects she has going on at the same time.

“I might say that I am a sports person in general; I have joined classes of Silat (Indonesian Martial Art), Karate, Basketball, Aerobic, Body language, and Zumba during my life. My journey of yoga started in 2015, when I was interested in doing the poses. Then I joined a class in Nepal, while I was backpacking there. I found yoga to be a complete exercise - physically and mentally - including the deeper cleansing through Kriya. After I joined the class in Nepal, I joined more classes and also special classes in Indonesia.”

”In June 2017, I decided to join Yoga Teacher training at Jogjakarta International School of Yoga in Jogja, and after my first 70 hrs TTC, I did several karma yoga classes to friends and small yoga communities. I joined a short course of Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore, India in December 2017, and then started to teach at Gadjah Mada University Faculty of Economic and Business. In April 2019, I completed the 200 hrs TTC.”

Mobirise

Sharing knowledge through Social Project Space

Erna is the founder of Social Project Space - a community, where people share their time, energy, knowledge and donations. Social Project Space was founded in 2012, when Erna and her friends used to go visit orphanage houses to put donations at least once a year. Erna gave us a list of the amazing projects that she’s been doing through her social project:

- 2016 - Movie screening at orphanage house for special kids
- 2016 - Zumba party for HIV kids
- 2016 - Sharing pens to students at one Mosque in Vientien, Laos
- 2017 - Sharing stationary to students on street in Agra, India
- 2018 - Karma Yoga inside Women's Correctional Institution (Female prison)
- 2018 - Yoga class to collect donations for the victims of the tsunami in Palu, Sulawesi
- 2019 - Sharing Eid Gift for the "garbage man" in Jogja

”I share my yoga knowledge through "Social Project Space". In August 2018, we did karma yoga inside a Women’s Correctional Institution (Female Prison) in Jogja, and the same year, we did a yoga class to collect donations for the victims of the tsunami in Palu, Sulawesi. Now I've been teaching yoga for 2 years.

Mobirise

Cleaning the digestive system with Kriya Yoga

Erna will join the second edition of Slow Food & Yoga Festival, where she will do a Pop Yoga Class (Yoga poses combined with pop-music) and a Kriya Yoga Class (Cleaning up your digestive system). Kriya Yoga might sound a bit strange to some yogis, which is why we asked Erna to explain a bit more about this practice:

”The process of performing Kriya Yoga is claimed to lead to a certain purification of the blood, which frees up the life force to withdraw into the spine. Wikipedia explains: Kriya Yoga is a simple, psycho-physiological method by which the human blood is decarbonized and recharged with oxygen.”

”In this session we will do cleansing vamana (middle) dhauti (purification) - also known as Kunjala or the gesture of elephant. It means filling your stomach with water and then getting it out without effort. The benefits are to 1) eliminate stress and tensions 2) mental purifications 3) enhanced self confidence 4) cleaning the skin 5) cures the diseases of gum and teeth 6) balances the excretion, and 7) eliminates constipation, indigestion, cough, rahitis, and insomnia.”

”Kriya Yoga is not recommended to people suffering from severe disorders of the stomach, ulcer, cancer, as well as people suffering from hypertension and cardiac pain.”

Mobirise

Travel experience sharing

Not only will Erna do yoga classes during the days of Slow Food & Yoga Festival, but she will also host a talk about Couchsurfing experience with a focus on backpacking and traveling. Erna have been traveling all over the world, and she wishes to share her experience with other people and fellow travelers:

”In traveling experience sharing, participants will get tips and information about the places that I've visited, and we will have a discussion about traveling. I want to share my knowledge about one local family in Jogja has been hosting more than 150 travelers, and how it is to share your house with travelers from all over the world - this is what we call couchsurfing.”

”I have been to Gili Air - but just stopped by to do snorkeling at the three Gilis back in 2013. My great expectation to join this festival is to share my energy, but I also want to learn from more experienced Yoga Instructors. Maybe I can also learn some cooking skills - which would be amazing, since I also do cooking classes for foreigners in Jogja.”

Mobirise

Gili Air Fest 2019 all rights reserved

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