The
Centered Place
286 Bridge Street |
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How is Svaroopa Yoga different from the other forms of Yoga?  significantly different ways of doing familiar poses, emphasizing decompression of the spine by sequencing poses first to release tensions around the tailbone and progressing through each spinal area in turn. Every pose integrates the foundational principles of asana, anatomy and yoga philosophy, and emphasizes the development of transcendent inner experience and consciousness of one's true Self, called (in Sanskrit) "Svaroopa" by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. This is a consciousness-oriented yoga that also promotes healing and transformation. Svaroopa yoga is not an athletic endeavor but rather a development of consciousness using the body as a tool.
Working with the body, mind, and breath through yoga practice helps you release accumulated physical and mental tensions. Yoga improves the functioning of your whole body, from muscles and bones to digestion and circulation. It helps boost your immune system. It can offer relief from pain. Yoga increases physical stamina, lifts your mood, and brings clarity of mind, leading you to the experience of a deep, blissful state of tranquility. The true purpose of yoga is to quiet the mind, which enables you to experience the peace and bliss that lies within. From the very first class you can experience the difference yoga can make.
Wear loose, comfortable clothing. The yoga studio is fully equipped. We provide everything you will need to be comfortable and to help you benefit from your practice.
As noted, Svaroopa yoga was founded by Swami Nirmalananda, formerly known as Rama Berch. She was born in California in 1946 and started a traditional family life as a mother of three in the suburbs of Los Angeles. She began exploring psychology, yoga, meditation, healing, massage and Eastern traditions in the 1960s and eventually met, and was initiated by, her teacher, Swami Muktananda.
Swami literally means “master of oneself” and is a title given to one who has formally vowed to dedicate his or her life to Self-realization. The title Swami is bestowed on very few westerners. Swami Nirmalananda (Rama) has dedicated herself to yoga since the 1970s, living as a monk without having been through the formal ceremony (taking sannyasin). Some dedicated yogis take sannyasin vows at the beginning of their spiritual path. Others, like Nirmalananda, undergo the ceremony later when it reflects the inner reality that has been blossoming over time. At this ceremony in India in early 2009, she received her new name and began wearing orange clothing. In the Indian spiritual tradition, orange is the color of fire, which symbolizes renunciation and the burning away of impurities. Her new title gives us a way to recognize and honor that “something” that we have been seeing in her and getting from her for a long time. |
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