Welcome to Episode #67 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! This week, I welcome Michel Uranga Briñas onto the show. My conversation with Michel Uranga Briñas, a yoga teacher from Cuba, was so vibrant as we took a deep dive into what Kundalini yoga is, and the history behind it. I hope that this conversation made you also curious about shiatsu massage and Thai massage, and how they are different and similar.

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about yoga in Cuba then this is the conversation for you.

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Tell me more about Michel Uranga Briñas

Michel Uranga Briñas is a yoga teacher from Cuba who mainly teaches Kundalini yoga, though he occasionally does teach haha yoga. He used to own a yoga studio in Havana, though since the pandemic, his work has been directed towards spiritual retreats on mountain beaches. He has been teaching yoga in Cuba for nine years.

Michel began his studies in East Asian therapies and fell in love with Thai massage. He began studying yoga to understand the origin and nature of yogic massage. A short time later, Michel joined a Kundalini Yoga Teach Training in Mexico and then a Hatha yoga teacher training course. In Cuba, as Michel obtained a university degree in Therapeutic Physical Culture. He has also studied Japanese medicine, the Matsunaga shiatsu method, for three years. He then founded AgataYoga, which involves some yoga teachers and therapists who work alongside Michel and offer spiritual retreats.

What to expect in the Yoga In Cuba episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast

On the podcast, we talked about what is Kundalini yoga, and why out of all the types of yoga out there, he chose to study Kundalini. Michel feels that Kundalini yoga offers the maximum amount of benefits in the shortest amount of time. Personally, Michel shared that he only practices 5-10 minutes of Kundalini yoga a day, and that is enough to provide the benefits he needs. As he said, “Yoga teachers have more secrets than yoga students— more knowledge.” These secrets help him to get the benefits he needs in mere minutes, just as he finds that his students need an hour or more to really soak up the magic of the practice.

I was also grateful that Michel shared with us what it is like to live in Cuba, and the difficulties that creates for him, as a yoga teacher, and for his country as a whole. He was very transparent about what the reality in Cuba is like, and he expressed excitement that yoga in Cuba has been slowly and steadily growing as more and more people are coming to the practice.

Ready to learn more about yoga in Cuba? Let’s go!

For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Cuba episode?

• What are Thai massage and Shiatsu massage?
• What is kundalini yoga?
• Yoga is just a word that describes the art of living
• Cuba is a difficult place to have yoga studio
• Yoga in Cuba is growing, but still very small

Connect with Michel Uranga Briñas

https://www.instagram.com/agatayogaretreat/

https://www.facebook.com/agatayogaretreat

https://www.agatayoga.com/

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