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.”

"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'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.” 

"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. 

“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.

 "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 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.

"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.

"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.

"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.