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Katya Saturday is all up in arms.
But the no-nonsense New Yorker isn’t angry — she’s empowered through sword yoga.
And a steel, 30-inch, double-edged blade, named Golden Hour, is her preferred instrument of independence.
“It’s a tool of self-expression and freedom,” Saturday, 25, exclusively told The Post. “The sword is like a magic wand that gives me a sense of graceful power.”
“When I hold it, I feel like a force of femininity, beauty and strength,” added the force-to-be-reckoned-with, one in the rising army of everyday dynamos leading the sword yoga fitness charge.
It’s a girl-powered movement aimed at getting in shape while getting their slice of the action.
Sword yoga is a fusion of tai chi and kung fu with a touch of intuitive movement, slow breathing, paired with vinyasa yoga and sculpting movements. With the help of a kung fu jian, an ancient Chinese straight sword, this noncombative workout helps women build strength and confidence.
Saturday, who suffers from chronic panic attacks, lauds sword yoga as her firm foundation during trying times, such as the recent death of her grandfather.
“When I feel an attack coming on, I rely on the training and breathing techniques,” she said, boasting a mixed collection of 10 swords, daggers and light sabers.
Before amassing her heap, the sword yoga enthusiast of two years trained with a soup ladle, but “now, if I’m feeling anxious, I’ll grab Golden Hour or a light saber and get into a sword yoga pose,” she said. “It forces me to get out of that negative space and get present in my body.”
“… I’m proud of how far I’ve come, physically and mentally,” gushed Saturday. “My confidence gets dangerously high at times because I possess the power of the sword.”
“I walk around the city feeling like the cool princess in a tower — but, in reality, I’m the dragon.”
Saturday is one of many women proving that swordplay is no longer just for the boys.
From the fearless heroines of fantasy novels to the never-say-die divas of Disney, such as animated battle-angel “Mulan,” the notion that women can be weapon-wielding warriors, too, has captivated audiences for decades.
However, the inclusive idea has struggled to move beyond the movie screen and into the real world.
Women often remain severely underrepresented in the sport of swordsmanship, as less than 10% of global tournaments in recent years featured women’s events, per reports. And they’re only slightly more visible in the martial arts world, according to February 2026 data, which found that just 25% of US practitioners are female.
But Sabina Storberg, founder of WeaponUp, a sword yoga fitness platform, the first of its kind, is cutting a new path.
“Female martial artists aren’t widely portrayed as dainty, graceful women or Pilates princesses — they’re often portrayed as hardcore, tough girls,” Storberg, 34, a married mother of one, based in South Florida, told The Post. “We offer sword yoga classes on drills and basic, sculpt, balance, flexibility and grace that help women feel fierce, confident and beautiful.”
An alumna of Qufu Shaolin Kung Fu school in China, where she spent four years under the strict tutelage of martial arts instructors, learning lessons in dignity and discipline, Storberg officially launched WeaponUp in May 2024, swapping a position with UNICEF in women and children’s health for a full-time sword yoga career.
To learn Storberg’s pearls of principled wisdom, sword-swinging subscribers pay $24.99 per month for the 30 to 60-minute on-demand virtual sessions. While WeaponUp currently does not offer in-person studio services, Storberg routinely hosts live sword yoga events in major cities nationwide.
And for a one-time fee of $64.99, her wannabe girl-gladiators can purchase a 1-1.5-pound, 27.5-inch tai chi blade that’s mailed to their homes exclusively for training purposes.
“You’re dancing with your sword while getting a great workout,” said Storberg, noting that students can burn roughly 200 to 500 calories per class. “And you feel it. We do a lot of lunges, squats and arm work. It builds your strength, flexibility, balance and improves posture.”
“It gives women a chance to channel that main character energy,” she chimed, “to be the heroines of their own stories.”
From a safety standpoint, the sword is semi-flexible sans a rigid blade, which allows it to move smoothly in addition to being quieter, safer and more forgiving, especially for sword newbies.
Exercise escapism is a practice teeming with mental and emotional health advantages, according to Staci Sycoff, a NYC-area therapist and life coach.
“Yoga already promotes present-moment awareness. Adding a sword requires even greater concentration, which can deepen mindfulness and help quiet anxious or racing thoughts,” Sycoff told The Post. “Blending the calm focus of yoga with the symbolic strength of a sword, that practice encourages confidence and emotional resilience.”
“Strength isn’t just force,” the expert added, “it’s balance, clarity and the courage to stand firmly in your own power.”
Shreya Singhvi agrees.
“I was at a low point when I first started sword yoga this year,” Singhvi, 25, a financial analyst, living in Hell’s Kitchen, told The Post. She joined Storberg’s WeaponUp in January, hoping swordplay would serve as a welcome distraction from the woes of the dating world.
“Going through these movements helped me feel like a badass again,” said the avid motorcyclist and snowboarder, from New Jersey. “Sword yoga became a time when I could just turn my mind off and really focus on my health and wellness rather than the things that were happening [in my personal life].”
Since nailing the basics of blade fitness, Singhvi routinely does 30- to 45-minute sweat sessions with her steel at least twice a week. But the burn schedule hasn’t been a breeze for the newbie.
“I took a leg sculpt class and it kicked my a–,” she laughed. “But it definitely worked my thigh muscles to the max.”
“My arms and core feel stronger. It’s really been amazing.”
But the most amazing perk of the sword work is a renewed sense of pride in her womanhood.
“Gender rules aren’t a factor at all. There’s nothing holding me back,” said Singhvi. “I’m doing things I never realized I was capable of doing as a woman.”
“And I’m proud of that.”
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