This Stuff Works!!!
TESTIMONIALS
I would like to Thank Sarvataa Christie for such a great therapy session called Embodyment® Yoga Therapy .........When she was finished I felt like I have never felt before......I was able to just let go of everything!!!!!!! When I left I felt like a different person. Sarvataa is a yoga teacher and the type of yoga she teaches is called Svaroopa® Yoga. This type of yoga is like no other. In the past, I have practiced different types of yoga, but nothing like Svaroopa® Yoga. ....I love it!!!!!! Very rewarding and it makes you feel GREAT. I will continue to practice Svaroopa® Yoga and continue sessions with Embodyment® Yoga Therapy with Sarvataa. I suggest everyone to give it a try.....it will change your thoughts from negative to positive I am sure. If you would like more info about this I highly suggest you get in touch with Sarvataa at bangoryogatherapy@gmail.com also her phone number is 862-354-3704. Sarvataa is very unique person with a loving heart she has so much experience and knowledge with Svaroopa® Yoga I just can't say enough about her.
You will just have to experience it yourself!!!!!!
Thanks Sarvataa, Tom Moore [ Namaste ]
$50 - Early Registration
Four Week Series at Suitable for all levels.(Two weeks before start date). No make up and no refunds.
$55 - Early Registration
Four Week Series at Suitable for all levels.(One week before start date). No make up and no refunds.
$30 - Second, Concurrent Four Week Series at
Suitable for all levels. No make up and no refunds.
"I enjoy practicing Svaroopa yoga under Sarvataa's instruction!"- May Dudding
Svaroopa® Yoga is a wonderful experience. I would recommend it for anyone. You can feel your spine release. At the end of a session you're walking taller and feeling lighter. I have a difficult time doing certain positions with other forms of yoga, yet through the gentle guidance and use of blankets to hold positions I am able to experience the benefits and "blissfulness" of this form of yoga. It is truly for anyone.
Everyone should try an Embodyment® Yoga at least once. While lying still, Sarvataa does a light touch which helps you go into a meditative state. When the session is over the feeling of "bliss" is overwhelming. You have the relaxation of a massage yet the calmness of just being. I have had many sessions and I am able to carry that feeling of "calm" for days afterwards.
Thank you for Svaroopa® Yoga and Embodyment® Yoga. It has changed my life. ~ Robin P.
Svaroopa® Yoga in the MediaYoga International says: “Svaroopa® yoga is not exercise. You don't need exercise. You need a scientific maximization of your body's capacity, dissolving the tensions that inhibit your body's natural functioning and inherent healing capacity. The release of the inner blocks allows you to live in an inner ease, in your body and in your self, that is your birthright."When your body is contracted, it shuts down and you lose the ability to feel it. Svaroopa® yoga uses precise alignments in carefully selected poses, along with meticulous placement of props, to open up the deepest tensions of your body. As soon as you experience this physical opening, you realize that something has opened all the way through your whole being. "The physical changes are profound and reliable, but they become less significant to you as the practice provides an inner transformation that gives you new eyes through which to see. Your life and the whole world begin to look perfect, even though it is the same world that used to drive you to despair. The most profound shift is the inner one."
Yoga Journal says:“This style of yoga teaches different ways of doing familiar poses, emphasizing the opening of the spine by beginning at the tailbone and progressing through each spinal area. Every pose integrates the foundational principles of asana, anatomy, and yoga philosophy, and emphasizes the development of transcendent inner experience, which is called svaroopa by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra. This is a consciousness-oriented yoga that also promotes healing and transformation.”
Amrit Ayurveda describes Svaroopa® yoga as: “...one of the few styles that considers the yoga practice itself to be a transformative experience in itself. Beginning level classes focus on deep, supported poses for spinal release. Continuing level as well as advanced classes add to this an exploration of how to use the body and yet still keep the spine open.”
$50 - Early Registration
Four Week Series at Suitable for all levels.(Two weeks before start date). No make up and no refunds.
$55 - Early Registration
Four Week Series at Suitable for all levels.(One week before start date). No make up and no refunds.
$30 - Second, Concurrent Four Week Series at
Suitable for all levels. No make up and no refunds.
"Just to share with you my reason for teaching Svaroopa® Yoga. I was introduced to Svaroopa® Yoga about 4 years ago through a friend. At that time I had a number of physical issues going on in my body, nothing serious, just very painful. In addition, I had gained about 15 extra pounds.
"I started taking Svaroopa® Yoga classes, and within a few weeks I started feeling the differences in my body. Most of the physical pain subsided; I felt balanced in both my mind and body. As I continued with the yoga, things in my life that had previously stressed me out no longer bothered me. It wasn't that these things disappeared, they didn't, but I felt calmer and more at peace with myself so I was able to handle them better without stressing myself out. My life changed a lot. I also lost the 15 lbs plus more. About a year and half after I started the yoga, I decided to pursue teaching instructions with Master Yoga Foundation so I could share this yoga with others, so they would also have the same opportunity I experienced. I completed the Yoga Foundation course through which I can teach the basic yoga poses. I am now working towards more advanced certification."
Loretta Forsythe
“I have a student in her mid to late 70s who has been coming to me at least once per week for 15+ years. Several years ago, she was diagnosed with arthritis in her body. She reported to me about 3 years ago that her doctors couldn't believe that she had no pain based upon her condition. Last year she took off from doing yoga with me and when she came back, she was aching and this was hurting, that was hurting. So I reminded her of what she told me. She's now back twice a week and feeling much better!” –Ann K.
“I'd like to share my Svaroopa® yoga story. I was x-rayed and diagnosed by an orthopedist as having a frozen shoulder. I could barely raise my hand above my shoulder, it was very painful. The orthopedist suggested two options. Option #1, I could go to the hospital and get put to sleep. Then he would crank the arm to give me more motion, I'd follow that up with physical therapy every day for 2 weeks. Option #2, I could go twice a week for 6 weeks to physical therapy, do daily exercises, and see how the shoulder progresses. Honestly, neither option was appealing.
I've practiced different kinds of yoga over several years. So I decided to try yoga before agreeing to either of the doctor's options. Honestly, my shoulder was so painful I was nervous to go to any yoga class. But I gathered my courage and went to a Svaroopa®class taught by Maureen Shortt. Maureen said (in a surprisingly confident way) that Svaroopa® yoga could help my frozen shoulder. She assisted me into my Shavasana pose at the start of class and I took the class. She didn't do anything extra or special, it was a typical Svaroopa® yoga class. By the time I came back for my next Svaroopa® class, I had FULL RANGE of motion in my arm! It healed with ONE class. If it didn't happen to me, I might not have believed it. I'm still amazed.
That is my Svaroopa® story.
Namaste, Gwen J.”
Share your experience with us HERE . We'll only share it with your permission and always receive your comments graciously.
“I am writing about a client. He has had Lymes, has herniated discs in his back and neck and demylenation. He has been experiencing progressive numbing starting in from his feet all the way to his back and through his arms to his hands for 9 months and has been needing a cane and to lean on furniture to walk. They are not sure what is causing that or the demylenation. He called me out of desperation.
He began ujjayi, twice daily for twenty minutes, on 3/5/12. He began Embodyment®3/8 , came for two session then started a 3 day overlap series 3/15.
The changes are remarkable already! He is forgetting to use his cane and not needing the walker in the morning. He is getting up and down from the floor during sessions much easier and quicker. He is starting to feel my hands on his sacrum as well as internal sensations in that area. The progression of numbing has stop spreading and his back is not hurting as much. His attitude is noticeably different as well! Instead of trying to entice me into discussions or arguments about religions he is cheerful and loving Swamiji's cd. It's truly amazing! He has reported that the people in his life are noticing he is stronger, which was an issue for him.
When he arrived for the fourth session, he was early, so I wasn't outside to meet and help him in from the driveway to the house, and I all of a sudden heard the cane on the sidewalk. He made it all on his own without needing to lean on anyone or anything! He attributes the improvement to the sense of calm he feels during the Embodyment® and at home ujjayi sessions.” - Sarvataa C.
"My experience with Svaroopa® yoga is only for about two months. As a result I have no pains in my lower back even after stooping down to cut fire logs with a chain saw and stacking the wood. My eyesight has improved to the point that I needed new glasses and I now have a general feeling of well being." Ron A.
'I would add a bit to this. Ron has been doing a home practice since the start - Shavasana, UP, and some of the Magic 4, a couple of times a week. When he arrived for his second class, he said that this was the first time in years that his back was pain free for 6 days. When I asked what he was doing on the 6th day, he said "digging postholes for a fence!" After only three weeks he told me that his vision in his right eye (with glaucoma) had gotten so good that it was better than his left eye, and he couldn't see out of his glasses. And I can see the release in his body as we do poses. For example he can hold his knees together in Supta Garbhasana. He used to grimace as we moved from pose to pose until I would say "soften your shoulders" (or similar) but now he is less tight.' - Dharma A.
Photo used courtesy of Master Yoga Foundation © Master Yoga Foundation 2009. All rights reserved.
"I used to have really bad allergies in the Spring, mostly June. I took Swami up on her word to practice Ujjayi Pranayama everyday for 40 minutes. I began in January and by June my allergies were much improved. By the following June, they were gone! I do not practice 40 minutes everyday any more and it's been about 5 years now that I have been allergy free!
I had a young man, 40s, come to me suffering from severe anxiety. He was going through an ugly divorce, children were involved, he was not working. I did a series of private sessions with him using Shavasana and Ujjayi Pranayama. I propped him in yoga therapy positions. He began coming less frequently and he called me this month February 2012, to tell me how how he thinks of me everyday because of how much I helped him.
Several years ago, I had a woman who had high blood pressure. It was even difficult for it to be controlled with medication. I told her to practice Ujjayi Pranayama 40 minutes everyday and it would lower her blood pressure. Three months later she went to her doctor and her blood pressure had dropped 10 points!"– Ann K.
"My name is Jane and I have Parkinson’s Disease. My symptoms started about 2 years ago with tremors in my right foot. Over time these tremors increased to include the entire right leg. I was told by my neurologist to practice yoga to stretch my muscles and keep me from stiffening up. It’s wonderful how God (fate) puts people in your path. My yoga instructor actually works in the same building with me. After talking to her, I decided to try ‘gentle yoga’. After taking the class I can feel my muscles relax. I had also heard about Embodyment® and was curious if it would work. After my first Embodyment® I was able to walk with no tremors. The effect lasts for two days." - Jane Jepson
Share your
Svaroopa® Yoga Story HERE.
"I have a 98 year old yoga student. She has been studying with me for about 10 years. In the last year I have been going to her apartment. She lives on her own with support from family & an care giver who helps her out with shopping & appointments. I go to her once a week & I get her to get get down on a carpeted floor with an extra blanket. She can do SSS sitting on blankets but she has a bad shoulder which I try & lift gently. The other side she does like a pro. She does not want to do Embodyment® for her shoulder as I believe my once a week visit is all she wants to do yoga wise. However she does a good lunge on the floor & she can do the Magic 4 fairly easily. She always feels more relaxed afterwards.
Right now she is away on vacation with her family in Florida.” - Andrea T.
"My husband and I look forward to our Svaroopa® yoga class with Andrea. We appreciate her guidance and attention. Svaroopa® yoga is our favorite yoga." – Elizabeth A.
$65 / session$240 / 4 sessions
Expiration Dates Apply.
"I used to have bad allergies. I would invariably waken to a stuffed nose. I had allergies to mold, dust, pollen and certain breeds of dogs. I used to sneeze a lot, often 3-5 times at once, due to the allergies. This may sound strange, but particularly after YTT3 I was noticing my skull bones moving around. Certainly a strange sensation. I have become aware recently that my sinus cavity seems empty. My nose is clear most mornings. I rarely sneeze anymore. If I do have an allergic reaction, the reaction is milder. Without being as congested, I am also finding it is easier to breathe!
The second story is perhaps more of a work in progress, or even an example of what not to do. I have psioratic arthritis, which attacks the joints, spine and tendons. This disease has clearly been in progression for some years, though I first became able to name it about two years ago, when it began to affect my middle left hand finger. Before then, I was just "tight".
After taking the Breath Course in my first year of yoga with Vidyadevi, I started doing an hour of Ujjayi Pranayama a day. During my Embodyment® course last February, I experienced a lot of kundalini. I made the unconscious decision to do less Ujjayi, as I thought kundalini would clear my physical and energy blockages. She did that, but I also started to experience pain. By November, a blood test indicated that I had triple the upper limit for humans for inflammation! With the pain, I did less yoga as I was hurt and tired. I looked at my practice, wondering why I was experiencing this pain. I realized I had dropped off my Ujjayi practice, which I started up again. Within a few weeks, the extreme pain ceased. I still experience some discomfort, but it is manageable and within reason. Along with the Ujjayi comes a bliss, which also prevents the discomfort from being an issue. And with bliss, doing more yoga is easeful." - Charles B.
"Ten years ago, when I was 42 years old, I went through a emergency hysterectomy. And needless to say went through serious menopausal symptoms. After 2 years of HRT I was told I could not continue due to the effects it was having on my internal organs. While I was experiencing extreme menopausal symptoms after coming of the HRT, I found a brochure in a heath food store about Svaroopa® yoga. At the same time I was diagnosed with severe osteopenia and at such a young age was on my way to osteoporosis. (I was also in a lot of neck pain.) After short 2 years of Svaroopa® yoga practice, the results of my bone density came back negative for any bone depreciation. My medical doctor said whatever it is you are doing, keep doing it... And so I am... and I decided to bring this miracle into practice. I am an Introductory Svaroopa® Yoga Teacher at this time and intend on continuing to bring this miracle onto others. I would also love to thank my yoga teachers, Pooja, Erica and Micky, because they have stuck with me and encouraged me through a long path.
Bone density test results: on 7/22/2008 T score - 1.1 for left femoral neck, impression report states that places is in a classification for osteopenia. Increased fracture risk.
on 6/24/2011 - 0.9 which fall with the normal range (less - 1.0) Impression reports states that bone density falls within the normal range.
I began practicing Svaroopa® Yoga about 8 years ago. That is why the stats [above] are so important. I have not had any neck pain in years. Ujjayi Pranayama and just laying in Shavasana are a life style for me. I do not go through a day without those 2x a day and then some!!!! I also do the poses to keep releases open but the sense of stillness and peace are beyond words that Ujjayi and Shavasana bring to me. This practice is bringing me to a place of getting to know my SELF and the love and light I have for mySELF. (Something I always struggled with)." - Marjane V.
"I'm quite new to Svaroopa® yoga but I can testify that it is a truly 'bliss'ful experience! My yoga journey started in India in the mid 90's with a wonderful 3 month hatha intro course in Varanasi. Although I've never managed an ongoing home practice, I've enrolled in many classes over the years including hatha, bikram, ashtanga and pre-natal yoga. I can definitely say that Svaroopa® is perfect for me at this point in my life. I'm a busy mom, music teacher and musician but once a week I can completely decompress and relax at my class. I was very impressed with the consistency between classes (I had to change instructors recently because my schedule changed), the high level of instruction and the practice itself. Every part of the class is organized, intentional and I feel completely supported in every pose physically, mentally and more." - Natasha P.
"I work for a pediatric private practice in Georgia as an occupational therapist. We treat children with all types of developmental disabilities including cerebral palsy, autism, developmental delay, neurological and learning disorders. I have taken Foundations twice and have taught one to two beginning yoga classes for 2 years. Recently several of the therapists at the practice asked if I would teach a class for them. Because of the physical work we do and the children we see, our jobs can be physically and emotionally demanding. I have just finished up teaching a 6 week class to a group of OTs and PTs in this practice. The responses from the class members filled me with tremendous joy. Perhaps the greatest response echoed was the space choice. I teach in the clinic in the main gym on a Friday morning when there is no treatment scheduled. The therapists said 'receiving such a wonderful gift for ourselves in the same space that we give to the children we treat makes it so powerful'.
I have so enjoyed teaching this group of physical and occupational therapists. They understand core opening versus core strengthening and have particularly embraced the breathing practice. We have ordered blankets for their home practice. They regularly do the Magic Four to relieve back pain, stress, and to energize. The other favoriteSvaroopa® yoga poses are alternate leg, alternate leg diagonal, and lunge. The great response from this group has empowered me to continue with my yoga training and practice. I know that Svaroopa® yoga has helped me tremendously in my life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I have found greater calm and ease in my daily living. I am grateful to be able to share those gifts with friends and co-workers." - Jane S.
"Svaroopa® yoga is truly a gift you give to yourself. At the beginning of class Andrea's calming voice guides you into a deeper sense of being present now. The yoga poses gently open, lengthen, and strengthen your body as they release built-up tension up and down your spine. Before you know it an hour and a half wanes and you start feeling something called bliss and then you float home. Bliss should be on everyone's list. Treat yourself. I couldn't recommend a greater experience to share with a friend or to enjoy solo." - Linda O.
"I am grateful that I have found Svaroopa® yoga and that I have such a skilled teacher. Before attending classes I experienced chronic pain and achiness every day. I had become accustomed to the pain and thought it was just part of getting older. Because I have a job that requires sitting all day I would become more and more stiff as the day progressed. While I tried to walk daily I knew I needed a new plan when the pain in my legs and hips kept me up at night. I was also prone to pulling my back muscles with the slightest wrong move.
"Since attending yoga I am pain free and I feel stronger and much more flexible. After just one class I began to sleep more soundly. I didn’t even know the degree of discomfort I was experiencing until I was free of it. My posture is much better and I have more stamina. Every night I do a few of the Magic Four before turning in and I sleep deeply." – Chris N.
"This is my time to tune out the chaos in my daily life and tune into how my body is feeling. I am able to clear my mind for a little while and leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated." - Julie S.
"I have had lower back pain, often severe, throughout my adult life. Taking Andrea's class has helped ease this problem more than anything else ever has--truly amazing! I can't believe how much looser and flexible I have become." - Barbara B.
"I came to Svaroopa® yoga after an injury doing a different type of yoga. Svaroopa®yoga and Embodyment® yoga therapy have been so helpful in releasing spinal muscles that my physical therapist is a believer, too! The added benefits of awareness and calm are terrific. Andrea is very knowledgeable and passionate about what she does; she helps each student experience svaroopa individually, and with the level of support needed." - Kathleen
"I always feel physically better after taking a Svaroopa® yoga class with Andrea. By noticing where I am tense and how my muscles move during a certain pose at the beginning of class (with Andrea's guidance), it is easy to determine by the end of class how my muscles have relaxed and stretched, and how my mind and breathing have quieted as well, when I move into the same pose again. My hips, back, brain and soul look forward to the next class!" - Barbara C.
"Just wanted to let you know that I was walking down the hallway at my job today, after sitting for hours in a deposition, and realized I was walking a little taller and with my shoulders more squared. What a great feeling. I felt kind of royal! I have always been the tall girl with a rounded posture. I know it is through your teaching ofSvaroopa® that I am feeling this happy spine erectness. I am really inspired to get cracking at those home exercises and to incorporate the Magic Four into my daily life." - Linda O.
EMBODYMENT® YOGA THERAPY:
"I believe the Embodyment® work is helping me release a lot of stuck, life-depleting energy - enabling me to foster a more life-enhancing way of being human in this world." - M.R.
"With Andrea's gentle and calming touch, I drop into a state of feeling blissful and soft, like she turned out the light and wrapped me in a cloud. When she finishes, I just want to smile and say thanks. But instead, I just float and say nothing." - Leonard
"I had the experience of being diagnosed with beginning osteoporosis. I spoke with Swamaji and my herbalist. Swamaji told me to do 2 passes up the spine everyday and my herbalist had me increase my Vit. D. The next scan, the numbers were reversing themselves!" - Ann K.
"I have suffered for years from a cervical herniated disc...basically bone on bone. I not only had diminished movement abilities and debilitating pain, I also suffered from numbness in my hands. I did physical therapy, chiropractic care, two separate rounds of cervical steroid injections, ate 800 mgs of ibuprofen + advil pm every night just to sleep (not to mention various muscle relaxers, etc. the doctor put me on). Nothing really helped. I also began suffering from constant hip pain in 2009....doctors could not determine a cause. Last spring I discovered Svaroopa® yoga via a Groupon at Harmony Yoga here in Tucker GA. I had previously done Iyengar, Body Flow, etc. but none of the other styles really did much for me. I liked Svaroopa® initially cuz it was easy and I loved the Shavasana! But after about 8 weeks of only going once a week (and no home practice) I realized that I was no longer hurting all the time. My mind was calm and I felt much less stressed. I eliminated my chiropractor and was able to eliminate all the meds I was taking. People were asking me 'What are you doing? You look so fresh and calm!'
At 52, I knew I had found something that was truly do-able and affordable for all of us baby boomers! Frankly, with all the hoopla over healthcare, I had been fearful as to how people our age were going to fare as we got older...but a fire was lit in my heart about my discovery and I attended Foundations in Sept. 2011! Being immersed inSvaroopa® for five days was amazing...also while there, I had a session of Yoga Therapy with Kris that was phenomenal! I literally felt each muscle from my tailbone all the way up my spine releasing. That gift helped me to know without a doubt that I was being called to share this wonderful blessing.
My 15 year old son developed epilepsy last fall so that set me back a bit as far as teaching goes, but that is all under control now and I will be teaching a beginning level class starting March 2. I plan to attend YTT1 in April. I am so thrilled to be a part of what I know to be a profoundly healing yoga.
I would like to acknowledge my wonderful teach Patricia Kilpatrick for showing me the way!" - Kerry P.
9 sessions in 2.5 weeks ($510)15 session in 4 weeks ($840)30 sessions in 8 weeks ($1710)
"I was disabled from stress after going through an intense year of finishing my Masters in Social Work with two evening classes a week and a 24 hour internship on weekends working at an in-patient Hospice unit - all while I was Director for a Human Service Agency for 40+ hours. Despite massage, chiropractic, and acupuncture interventions monthly, every old injury such as tennis elbow, knee issues, and mental burnout prevailed by completion in May. A friend offered me a weekend 3-day Yoga Retreat to help me relax - and I found Svaroopa® yoga!! Many of my stress injuries disappeared after one blissful weekend and restored a sense of calmness that allowed me to function again in the world. I signed up immediately for weekly classes and continued healing.
Until I decided I was young a year later (I was 58 at the time) and took up hiking in Alaska. I injured both ankles and could hardly walk - tried Physical Therapy and Foot Doctor for next six months - as my yoga teacher kindly offered that when I was ready to try Embodyment® & Svaroopa® yoga therapy, she could assist me in healing to go hiking again. Finally in desperation as other methods only made the pain worse, I surrendered to a regular personal home practice and yoga therapy. Within three months, I was healed of all foot pain. Miracles do happen through this wonderful yoga! Whenever I am sick like this week with Flu, I do more yoga with Ujjayi to heal and it is the most reliable method I have found to preventing and intervening in health issues - I rarely am sick more than one day with anything!
I have also been privileged to assist other people in healing from Sciatica, back pain, and other chronic issues related to stress through Embodyment® and if appropriate, I will share with them to tell their own stories." - Linda H.
"I have a student who went to have her bone density checked a few months ago...as she was leaving the technician asked if she did yoga? The student replied "yes" and the receptionist noted that she has noticed that people who take "the yoga around here" get taller and their bone density improves. Svaroopa was the only game in town until recently.
On another note...I had a new student last week who was referred to me by her husband. I had no communication with this student before the class. On her own she decided to measure herself before her first class on the wall she uses to measure her children. She again measured herself after class and was amazed to see she had grown 3/4 of an inch after only one class. This new student is 28 years old and had no medical concerns or pain at the time of her first class.
Decompress the spine and find your own divinity!"
“I had a student who, when she started Svaroopa® yoga 6 months ago, was in a lot of pain through her neck and shoulders. She was getting severe headaches a few times a week and had a lot of inflammation, particularly along her spine. She has been coming to class every week, she's had 3 Embodyment® sessions and does the Magic 4 at home when she can. In 6 months she is feeling so much better! She has occasional headaches and she reported that her thermography report showed that her inflammation was down by more than 50%! This is one of the reasons I love Svaroopa® yoga - it works!” – Susan M.
"After beginning the practice of Svaroopa® yoga four months ago with Embodyment®sessions and classes with Rob Gold and starting my own daily practice, including Uijayi breathing, on several occasions I have had the sensation of intense internal heat that I call my internal furnace in a part of my body after release from a pose or throughout my entire body after an Embodyment® session, at the end of a class session, and now even at times when I am just sitting quietly. Even though the heat is intense, I do not perspire; all pain in my body is eliminated at that moment; I feel totally relaxed; my mind is quiet; and I am at peace." - J. Beaver, Sequim WA
Content copyright 2011 Bangor Yoga Therapy. All right reserved. Svaroopa® Embodyment® are registered service marks of S.T.C., used under license.