Yonnie Fung
Hi!
With so many offerings around, it can be hard to find a good fit.
What I do
I offer classes that draw from my background and education in yoga, natural movement, yoga therapy, trauma theory, attachment theory, neuroscience, somatics, human rights and social work.
I want to get away from the idea that looking after our bodies needs to be another chore or more work, or painful or anything to be endured. I believe movement should be interesting, pleasurable, maybe even fun.
What to expect
I set out to create an atmosphere where everyone can feel included and valued regardless of colour, culture, identity, expression, size or ability.
There’s no touching without consent. Ever.
I won’t assume you can’t because your hair is grey. My hair is grey too.
You want to do handstands? Great! You want to lie down? Also great! Neither is better, stronger, more advanced than the other.
I value the rigours of science. I trust public health experts. I also value enduring healing practices handed to us by our ancestors and other ways of knowing and being.
I’d love for our time together to be collaborative. I’m no authority figure. I don’t claim to be a healer either. I’ll offer what I have in my toolkit and guide you towards what you need to feel well and whole. When I don’t know, I’ll tell you so.
My experience
Training and experience matter to me when I’m looking for professionals in other fields, so I’ll be clear about my own.
I founded Yoga with Yonnie, an award winning yoga and movement space in Beijing in 2011, dedicated to small classes, non-commercialism, integrity and cultivating real human connections. I have more than a decade of guiding people of all shapes, cultures, ages, sizes and abilities in private and small group settings.
Outside of the classroom, I have advocated for introducing yoga therapy into medical contexts and had a close working relationship with the physiotherapy team at Beijing’s Raffles Medical, integrating yoga practices to patients recovering from injuries and chronic pain.
I pioneered trauma sensitive yoga classes in Beijing where I held classes for complex trauma survivors. I have continued this work in Canberra where I provide trauma sensitive yoga classes to victims of crime as a member of Victims Support ACT’s panel of providers.
Training
Yoga teaching and training is unregulated. Anyone can call themselves a yoga teacher. The industry standard is 200hrs of training but that’s unregulated too.
Transparency matters to me. My training includes:
Three years collaborating with the physiotherapy department at Raffles International Hospital Beijing, led by Head of Physiotherapy Sheilagh Anderson.
Graduate Diploma, Yoga Therapy, Vaidyayogasala with Dr Natesan Chandrasekaran in Chennai, India (2 years, including multiple periods assisting him during patient consultations)
300hrs Trauma Center, Trauma Sensitive Yoga, Center for Trauma and Embodiment, Brookline, Massachusetts
500hrs in Ashtanga Yoga, Brahmani Yoga, Goa, India
200hrs Yoga Therapy, Krishnamacharya Healing and Yoga Foundation, Chennai, India
Anatomy and physiology, Yoga Synergy (16 weeks), Sydney, Australia
MovNat certified trainer L1, Shanghai, China
I have also learned from world renowned teachers of the Ashtanga lineage. In recent years, it has come to light that Patthabi Jois, the guru of this lineage systematically abused many of his students in plain sight. While a small handful of teachers spoke up against this abuse, many chose to stay quiet and in doing so, enabled the abuse to continue. Out of solidarity with abuse survivors and a commitment to social justice, I want to be transparent about this history. Silence hurts survivors.
My approach as a facilitator is also influenced by fields outside of yoga and movement. I have a Bachelor of Laws, majoring in human rights law, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the Australian National University, and have practiced law internationally. I am currently studying a master’s degree in social work at Griffith University, Queensland, with the goal of combining the worlds of yoga, movement and social justice.
