Hi, I’m Sophie, a Yoga and Ayurveda Educator.

I’ve been practicing Yoga for sixteen years, and Ayurveda for six.

Like many people, I first turned to yoga classes to release stress. I stayed for the exercise, and hoped it might also help me reconnect with my body. But I was trying too hard, constantly pushing myself to the limits.

Things began to shift when I started to practice Ayurveda too. It nourished me more deeply, it gave me permission to receive, soften, and rest, and it introduced me to cyclical living.

As my needs shifted, so did my Yoga and Ayurveda practices. I first needed strength and stability, later craved nourishment, and eventually found myself longing for deeper nurturing.

The longer I stayed on this path, the subtler my practices became: fewer asanas, held for longer; deeper pranayama; longer meditations; the introduction of mudras; and attention to marma points. What had once felt like a performative class workout gradually became a gentle practice at home.

Slowly but surely, I moved away from doing and performing, towards simply being and living.

And guess what? I started sleeping better. I had more vitality and felt stronger, healthier. My PMS symptoms disappeared, and I found it easier to stay calm and present throughout the day.

Little by little, Yoga and Ayurveda helped restore my sense of connection: with my environment, the rythms of nature, and ultimately, my own body. Not through words or concepts alone, but through consistent acts of self-care. By showing up for myself, paying attention, learning to respond to what I needed, and accepting change.

Over time, emerged the desire to share what I had been experiencing, practicing, and learning with others. And so Pranaya was born: a space to guide women in reclaiming their power and honouring their wisdom, through deep rest, cyclical living, and subtle practices rooted in Yoga and Ayurveda.

Pranaya brings together prana, the Sanskrit word for life force energy, with the first letters of Yoga and Ayurveda. In Sanskrit, pranaya also speaks of love and guidance.

© Ika Nurcahyani

The wisdom is already yours. 
I’m simply here to guide you in remembering it.

Deep gratitude to all the women who have helped me remember

These days, I feel more grounded, content, and at peace—grateful to be where I am.

I feel a deep gratitude towards Yoga and Ayurveda, and for the sages and teachers who have passed their wisdom down, generation after generation.

In particular, I am profoundly grateful to Myra Lewin whose guidance reshaped my life in lasting ways; to the wise and joyful Uma Dinsmore-Tuli whose teachings helped me reconnect with my Yoni Shakti (Source Power); and to Jeanie Jyanti, who opened the transformative portal of prenatal work for me.

Trainings and Continued Learning

    • 3-month Personal Immersion in Yoga and Ayurveda — with Myra Lewin, Hale Pule (Indonesia), January-March 2026

    • 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training — Akhanda Yoga (India), October 2025

    • 600-hour Ayurveda Health Counselor training — with Myra Lewin, Hale Pule (online), September 2024

    • Yoni Shakti Cycliterate Rematriation: An Un-Training Retreat — with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli (UK), September 2026

    • Yoni Shakti: Well Woman Yoga Therapy Immersion — with Uma Dinsmore-Tuli (online), August 2026

    • Yoga and Ayurveda for Menopause — with Indu Arora (online), July 2026

    • 100-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Pre-Natal Yoga — with Jeanie Jyanti, Alchemy School of Yoga (Ireland), April 2026