Svaroopa Yoga
Developed by Rama Berch, Svaroopa Yoga teaches significantly different
ways of doing familiar poses, emphasizing the opening of the spine by
beginning at 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, which is called svaroopa by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras. This
is a consciousness-oriented yoga that also promotes healing and
transformation. Svaroopa is not an athletic endeavor, but a development of
consciousness using the body as a tool. In this style of hatha yoga, we approach the body with precision and
compassion, moving into postures at a comfortable pace and settling gently
into a comfortable place within them, with the help of props such as
blankets to support us and promote release. The result is a relaxing and
rejuvenating experience. The primary purpose of yoga for the physical body
is to release tension and improve our posture, which in turn improves our
health, balance, and strength. On the mental level, yoga helps to quiet
the mind so as to bring greater clarity, creativity, composure, and
stability. On the emotional level, yoga can bring greater peace and
self-esteem, and improve the quality of our relationships, to self and
others. On the spiritual level, yoga can improve our relationship to the
depth of our being (our essential self), God, or whatever is the focus of
one’s belief system. Yoga is not a religion. It is a science — a science
that has been practiced and proven for thousands of years worldwide. As a
science, we can use it with certainty to improve the quality of our life
on all levels.
