Awakened Warrior Yoga, founded by Michael Baez, is more than just a traditional yoga studio; it’s a transformative journey designed to help individuals reach their full potential.
In his interview with MysticMag, Michael shared how his own experiences in yoga and personal development inspired him to create this unique program in 2011, blending the physical strength of martial arts with the spiritual enlightenment of yoga. The core mission is to inspire balance and inner strength, empowering students to face life’s challenges head-on.
With a focus on both traditional practices and modern personal development techniques, Awakened Warrior Yoga offers a holistic approach to personal growth.
What inspired the creation of Awakened Warrior Yoga and what is its core mission?
I opened a yoga school in New York in 2009, after going through yoga training myself. I loved the training—it was wonderful—but as I began running the yoga school, I realized there was more I wanted to offer. Initially, we focused mostly on yoga classes with a few workshops. However, I had a background in personal development, human psychology, and martial arts, which I wasn’t fully incorporating into my teaching.
In 2011, I decided to create my own yoga training program, Awakened Warrior Yoga, with the intention of offering more of the knowledge that I felt could truly help others, just as it had helped me. The core mission of Awakened Warrior Yoga is to inspire people to live their fullest potential and find balance in their lives. Our logo, which incorporates the Yin and Yang symbol, serves as a reminder of the importance of balance—the masculine and feminine, hot and cold—all of these dualities are part of the same circle.
The training draws from my martial arts experience, emphasizing the importance of balance and strength. The “Awakened” part of the name reflects the enlightenment aspect of yoga and meditation, with a focus on self-realization and self-actualization, as my teacher would say. The “Warrior” aspect doesn’t necessarily refer to fighting or being combative; rather, it’s about finding your inner strength, courage, and purpose, having the faith to pursue your dreams, and facing challenges head-on. That was the initial spark that led to the creation of this training.
How does Awakened Warrior Yoga blend traditional practices with modern approaches?
My teacher, Dharma Mitra, is 85 years old and has been teaching yoga for more than 50 years. I incorporate a lot of his philosophy and teachings into Awakened Warrior Yoga. He has a very fun and playful approach, but his practice is also extremely challenging, especially with poses like inversions and headstands. This reflects the traditional aspect of our practice, as it comes directly from the lineage he received from his teacher.
As for the modern approach, I integrate a lot of personal development techniques. I’ve studied extensively with Tony Robbins, a well-known success coach, and I bring a lot of his philosophy into our teachings. I’m always on the lookout for new philosophies, techniques, and strategies that can help people achieve their dreams and goals, not just in their yoga practice but in life as a whole.
People come to yoga for various reasons—some want to excel at yoga, some aspire to teach, and others want to open a yoga school. We aim to offer something that resonates with everyone, which is how we blend the traditional with the modern.
Additionally, technology plays a significant role in our modern approach. We now offer online training, which has allowed us to reach students globally. Initially, I was a bit resistant to the idea, thinking it would be difficult to connect with someone over the Internet. However, once we launched the online program, we realized how successful it could be. If a student is present and dedicated, online training works just as well as in-person sessions. This is how we’ve embraced modern philosophies, technologies, and techniques in our practice.
What unique features or programs set Awakened Warrior Yoga apart from other yoga studios?
What sets Awakened Warrior Yoga apart is our balanced approach to teaching both the physical and spiritual aspects of yoga. We focus equally on yoga philosophy, history, pranayama (breathing techniques), meditation, and strong physical practice. I’ve found that in many studios, there’s often a gap—either the physical practice is advanced, but the spiritual aspect is lacking, or the spiritual side is strong, but the physical practice is not as developed. My teacher, Dharma Mitra, emphasized an even balance between these elements, and I’ve incorporated that balance into our training.
One of the most unique features of Awakened Warrior Yoga is the integration of martial arts into the program. This is something you won’t find in many other yoga trainings. We actually teach self-defense techniques as part of the curriculum. Most of my students are women, and I believe everyone, especially women and children, should have a basic understanding of how to defend themselves.
Additionally, during our graduation ceremony, we have a special exercise designed to help students face their fears. Fear often stops people from pursuing their dreams, whether it’s a new job, moving to another country, starting a business, or beginning a new relationship. To address this, we have our students break wooden boards. They write their fear on one side of the board and their goal on the other. We then teach them the proper technique to strike or kick the board, and when they break it, it’s a powerful moment. Initially, many students are intimidated by the task, but once they break the board, they feel a great sense of accomplishment. This exercise serves as a metaphor for overcoming fears in life, and it’s something very unique to our training. I don’t know of any other yoga training that incorporates martial arts and board breaking in this way.
Can you share a success story where Awakened Warrior Yoga significantly impacted a student’s life?
Certainly. We’ve had many students come to us for various reasons. While most come because they want to become yoga teachers, others join simply to deepen their understanding of yoga without any desire to teach. They want to learn proper alignment and delve into philosophy, meditation, pranayama, and chanting. But one of the most profound reasons people come to us is for healing.
We’ve had students dealing with severe trauma—whether it’s the loss of a family member through suicide murder, or other tragic events. These are the harsh realities of life, and for some, they come to our training deeply vulnerable, looking for answers. Our program isn’t just about physical practice; we also engage in deep conversations about life, death, reincarnation, the spirit world, and the divine. These discussions are incredibly important for those who are trying to make sense of their pain. We explore concepts like karma and past lives, which can provide a different perspective and help them understand that, perhaps, these tragic events have a higher purpose. The key is to learn from these experiences, grow, and find ways to help others who might be going through similar traumas.
One particular story comes to mind—a student who had lost a very close family member. She had been in therapy for years, but it wasn’t helping her heal. She joined our yoga training in the Bronx, New York, and found tremendous healing through the practice. She not only became a yoga teacher but also continued to heal through her journey and is now helping others as well.
There are many such stories. Even those who aren’t dealing with something as severe as death have found solace. We’ve had students going through divorces or breakups who found a supportive community in our studio. Yogis are a unique group of people who genuinely want to make a positive impact in the world. They want to share their light and help others do the same. We always say “Namaste” at the end of every class, which means “the light in me sees the light in you.” This connection, this recognition of the divine within each of us, is incredibly special and powerful, and it’s something we strive to share with everyone who walks through our doors.
How do you ensure the authenticity and effectiveness of the yoga practices taught at Awakened Warrior Yoga?
The most important thing is to be authentic—to be yourself. We often see people adopting a “yoga voice” when they teach, where they sound like someone else entirely. But we encourage our instructors to be genuine. If you’re true to yourself, your students will feel that and appreciate it. On the other hand, if you’re putting on a persona or trying to be someone you’re not, students will sense the inauthenticity and may not connect with you.
Coming from New York, where authenticity is highly valued, we emphasize the importance of keeping it real. Let your personality shine through in your teaching. If you’re naturally funny, make jokes in class. If you’re more serious, embrace that. Some people are poetic or love philosophy—so we encourage them to share wisdom at the beginning of class or during Shavasana. Being authentic is the first step to ensuring effective teaching.
Secondly, we stress the importance of truly appreciating and understanding the power of yoga teachings. We encourage our students to study foundational texts like the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras. These books have preserved thousands of years of wisdom, and their teachings are still incredibly relevant today. We also have our students watch yoga documentaries like “What is Yoga?” by the creators of the Jivamukti style, and “Yoga Unveiled,” a comprehensive three-and-a-half-hour documentary that delves deep into yoga philosophy and history.
By immersing our students in these authentic teachings and passing on the knowledge as it was taught to me by my teacher, we maintain the purity of our practice. Unfortunately, in the U.S., yoga has become so popular that it’s often commercialized and taught in a fast, almost superficial way—like fast food. There’s more to yoga than just the physical practice of asana. While power yoga and hot yoga are popular, there’s also restorative yoga, yin yoga, and many other aspects that are equally important.
For example, I recently taught at a corporate studio that has its own structured approach to yoga, which is great for getting people into the studio. However, when I introduced elements like pranayama, meditation, and chakra work, the students were excited and appreciative. They felt like they were finally experiencing the full depth of yoga, beyond just the asana practice. This is what we aim to provide at Awakened Warrior Yoga—an authentic and holistic experience that honors the true essence of yoga.
What new classes or initiatives is Awakened Warrior Yoga planning to introduce?
Recently, in collaboration with my partner Breanna and her sister Brittany, we introduced sound healing to our offerings. In addition to our 200-hour and 300-hour teacher training programs, we now offer sound healing training, where participants can learn how to use crystal bowls, gongs, chimes, and other instruments. Sound healing is an incredibly powerful experience. Just last night, I participated in a sound bath with them. It lasted an hour, but it felt like only 15 minutes because it was so immersive. The energy and vibrations from the instruments create profound healing, and even after being around this practice for a while, I still find it incredibly special.
We also provide training for those interested in becoming sound healers. Additionally, we offer restorative yoga training, which focuses on a more relaxed, gentle approach to yoga. Some even refer to it as “lazy yoga” because it involves lying on bolsters for extended periods—often around an hour or so.
Another unique offering is our psychic development course, where we teach students how to enhance their psychic abilities and intuition. We’re excited about these new initiatives, and anyone interested in exploring these opportunities is welcome to reach out to us.
Find out more at: www.AwakenedWarrior.Yoga
