From working the rat race to survivor and sharing, meet Saori Soga—a Yoga Tune Up® Licensed Coach who took management of her life and ache.
Over the previous decade, Saori Soga has used Tune Up Health strategies to assist athletes and health lovers in addition to to help these with continual ache and medical situations like her personal. She brings her personal expertise of discovering the Coregeous® Ball, and utilizing it as her lifeline, serving to her handle ache from a 15-pound tumor till she was in a position to safe the care she wanted whereas nonetheless persevering with to encourage her college students.
From Artwork Director to Directing and Sharing Wholesome Way of life Habits
After spending over 16 years as a Graphic Designer and Artwork Director within the music and leisure business, Saori’s sedentary life-style led to weight problems, continual ache, and sleep struggles. In her late 30s, after years of poor well being and hitting all-time low, she acknowledged the pressing want for a balanced, wholesome life-style. Decided to reclaim her well-being, she misplaced over 30 kilos and transitioned right into a profession devoted to health and wellness.
At present Saori has spent over a decade empowering athletes, health lovers, and people managing continual ache and medical situations—together with her personal. Her journey is marked by private triumphs and a deep dedication to serving to others. Saori’s story isn’t just about overcoming adversity; it’s about inspiring others to reclaim their well being and reside a lifetime of goal.
Now as health skilled who helps practice and coach for marathons and triathlons, Saori enjoys serving to others obtain their finest and teaches a variety of lessons: from Yoga Tune Up®, HIIT Bootcamp, Operating, Biking, Swimming, Pilates, Yoga, and Sound Meditation, at firms resembling Equinox, Heart For Yoga, YogaWorks, Artha, Valley Sizzling Yoga, Hollywood studios (Disney, Paramount Photos, NBC Common), and plenty of different company firms, in addition to non-public purchasers throughout Los Angeles.
Moreover, Saori enjoys collaborating in group applications such because the Excessive Faculty Weight problems Prevention/Vitamin Program, SOS Mentor Form Up, and Mission Angel Meals Vitamin Division in addition to instructing group health lessons for Most cancers Help Teams.
Interview led by Meg, Tune Up Health’s Model Engagement Supervisor, with over 25 years of dance expertise, beginning in Dallas, Texas, and has now traveled the nation performing and instructing. After years of repetitive dance actions, Meg’s ache in her shoulders, arms, and toes was relieved by the Roll Mannequin® Technique. This new information impressed Meg to finish extra Tune Up Health programs; she continued to take Physique by Breath and Yoga Tune Up® Trainer Certification to share it along with her college students and reawaken her love for anatomy.
Be taught extra about Saori on this month’s Trainer Spotlight interview under.
Meg: What number of years have you ever been instructing?
Saori Soga: Health 20 years, Yoga Tune Up® 10 years
Meg: What’s your No 1 tip for lecturers?
Saori: All the time observe your coronary heart, your calling, and your ardour. Irrespective of your background, expertise, historical past, there are such a lot of “puppies” to be saved on the earth, and there are individuals on the market who want you. Be obtainable, seen, and prepared so your tribe can discover you. And be 100% authentically YOU and never be like anybody/everybody else. There are at all times 1% haters on the market however don’t let that dim your gentle, ever! Each expertise we’ve got, good or dangerous, makes us distinctive and may help others who is perhaps going via related struggles.
Meg: What’s your favourite rollout?
Saori: Toes! I’ve been a runner all my life, and that is my first go-to. Each single day!
Meg: What’s your favourite transfer?
Saori: Tubular Core/Diaphragmatic Respiratory. Jill’s “Physique By Breath” e book saved me so many instances… from working marathons, swimming, surgical procedures, and navigating via LA site visitors to on a regular basis self-care.
Meg: How has the Yoga Tune Up® coaching impacted your choices?
Saori: I stumbled upon my very first Yoga Tune Up® class at Equinox Santa Monica, a day after my very first LA Marathon. I didn’t know what YTU precisely was, nevertheless it was within the yoga room, so I figured it’d assist alleviate my insane soreness and agonizing ache. I used to be limping, couldn’t stroll straight, and couldn’t even rise up from my chair, automobile, and bathroom seat! When a trainer requested the category for any requests, I raised my hand and defined my state of affairs, and he or she kindly catered to the category to assist me. I couldn’t imagine my eyes when the category was over, I used to be strolling out of the studio like a traditional particular person! And all I used to be pondering was how excited I used to be for the subsequent Marathon!
I knew throughout my top quality that this was precisely what I wanted to proceed pursuing health, train a number of lessons every day, and do all of it safely as I get older. I needed to be taught all the things about Yoga Tune Up® trainer coaching. I’ve been following Jill Miller ever since!
YTU really modified my life over a decade in the past. And I knew then that this was my life’s calling!
Jill and the opposite superb Tune Up Health lecturers have been a real reward, profoundly impacting my instructing on so many ranges.
Meg: What’s your favourite Roll Mannequin® Technique Remedy Ball to make use of?
Saori: It’s between the ALPHA Ball and the Coregeous Ball®.
In 2020, one other flip of occasions occurred after I was already a “wholesome” coach. I needed to take away 15 lbs of tumor from my uterus. It was the most important surgical procedure of my life, and due to the pandemic and problems with insurance coverage, I needed to postpone my surgical procedure and carry that ache for 4+ years together with anemia. Throughout that point, I hid this situation from nearly everybody, to not be seen as a “weak/incapable” marathon coach or knowledgeable coach.
The Coregeous Ball® was my savior, and it helped me maintain myself till I lastly obtained the surgical procedure day set. This expertise propelled me to pursue Yoga Tune Up® even additional. Not just for runners, athletes, and other people solely with sore muscle tissues but in addition for individuals with completely different medical situations.
Meg: I see you’re employed with Sound Baths and Reiki. Have you ever included Sound Baths into Yoga Tune Up®?
Saori: I’m so grateful to deliver Yoga Tune Up® in addition to Sound Baths in every single place! I’ve new studios throughout LA, resembling Heart For Yoga, YogaWorks, Valley Sizzling Yoga, Artha, and Equinox Palisades who’re excited to deliver again the format after 15+ years together with Equinox Sports activities Membership LA, Santa Monica, Westwood, Beverly Hills, and Encino.
All the time observe your coronary heart, your calling, and your ardour. And be 100% authentically YOU and never be like anybody/everybody else. Each expertise we’ve got, good or dangerous, makes us distinctive and may help others who is perhaps going via related struggles. – Saori
Meg: What have you ever taken away out of your coaching with Tune Up Health?
Saori: Having gone via all of the trainings with Jill and different wonderful YTU lecturers has been a real reward and has impacted my instructing on so many ranges. Having gone via a number of items of coaching, together with the Nationwide Academy of Sports activities Drugs and RYT500, and so forth. I like Jill’s distinctive method to physique mechanics and her modality that includes respiratory and fascial facets.
YTU was the lacking piece of the puzzle in my wellness teaching. I can now mix all of them collectively and give you one thing lovely. Moreover, I assisted Jill at her final in-person coaching at Heart For Yoga. The expertise assured me that I used to be on the appropriate path.
The dream is beginning to occur, and I now train a back-to-back YTU class adopted by Soundbath. That is such a yummy combo, and it’s been an enormous hit!
Meg: How are you tuning up your self-care in 2025?
Saori: That is my calling—I reside and breathe this work. I’m continually partaking with individuals about ache and physique consciousness. I like introducing them to Yoga Tune Up® strategies and Roll Mannequin® Remedy Balls. I at all times carry a set in my purse, and I often reward them to buddies, household, and purchasers. The optimistic suggestions and “thanks’s” I obtain remind me of how transformative it may be to alleviate ache. I actually carry the balls EVERYWHERE I GO and assist unfold the love for YTU. Individuals even name me the “Ball Woman” as a result of I at all times have Roll Mannequin® Remedy Balls in my bag or as presents to others.
Meg: I noticed you probably did a yoga fundraiser for Minnie, your canine. How did that incorporate your two passions, yoga and your pup?
Saori: Sure, my expensive rescue canine Minnie has stage 4 most cancers and is present process chemotherapy. I don’t have children, so I’m doing all the things and actively doing fundraiser lessons to assist pay her medical payments. Minnie has her personal Coregeous® Ball that provides consolation and help as it really works for people.
Saori turns 52 in March and is within the healthiest form of her life! She’s eternally grateful. She strives to assist her purchasers to breathe higher, stroll higher, get stronger, and ease any ache by prevention.
You possibly can take her lessons within the LA space under:
Saturdays: Equinox Sports activities Membership LA 12:30pm / 1:20pm / Equinox Studio Metropolis 5pm
Sundays: Equinox Westwood 11:30am / Equinox Beverly Hills 1:45pm / Equinox Encino
Mondays: Equinox Pacific Palisades 6:45pm (TBD)
Tuesdays: Valley Sizzling Yoga 11:15am / 8pm
Wednesdays: Artha 1:30pm
Fridays: Equinox Sports activities Membership LA 11am / Equinox Woodland Hills 5:45pm
Discover Saori On-line at:
IG: Saorifitness
FB: Saori Soga