Reported by Matrika Gast

Madeleine Adams took Kusuma Sach’s Half Day Workshop in Salisbury MD, hosted by Linda Hardman.  Three hours on walking was “practical, showcasing Svaroopa^® yoga benefits.”

Madeleine learned how to slightly modify her gait, a change that rippled into relieving pressure on her arthritic hip. A longtime Svaroopa^® yoga student and Foundations grad, she says, “Now it does not collapse when I walk, and walking doesn’t tighten my spine. When you change your gait, it certainly helps to relieve tension in your spine. That creates huge mental and spiritual transformation. Walking with ease and less pain means I’m a lot less constricted in physical life, which in turn produces positive mental changes.”

“A walking workshop is a great introduction to this yoga,” notes Madeleine. “Walking is universally important to people. In just a couple of hours, even those new to Svaroopa® yoga were learning biodynamic alignments for easy, healthful walking.”

Dasi Trautlein hosted Rukmini Abbruzzi near Portland ME, for a Half-Day Workshop and Free Pain Clinic . To attend, Margot Garritt drove the 200 miles from Cape Cod. The workshop was a great gift to both Margot and a Portland friend, who attended for a day off from a set of life challenges. She got that, and more. The half-day workshop was so powerful that she stayed for the Free Pain Clinic. Margot says, “It really helped with her stresses.”

Margot was delayed in getting to ME and got lost near her destination. She called Dasi’s cell, and is thankful that she answered even though the workshop had started. Dasi gave Margot directions and assured her that arriving late was fine. Just in time for the ribcage release, Margot couldn’t do the Seated Side Stretch being taught because of a shoulder issue. So Rukmini eased her into a Rotated Stomach Pose instead. And the rest of the day unfolded with more sweet openings.

The workshop was designed to be deep for experienced yogis yet accessible for newcomers. The second half repeated the first spinal release sequence. Margot says, “The repetition was really nice. Although I am trained to lead Half-Day Workshops, I had forgotten that you can repeat sequences. I saw how everyone settled into themselves with this approach. It was simple and powerful.”

Margot also got a boost for her Lunge experience, especially welcome because now she is the only Svaroopa® yoga teacher in her area. “With a hip issue, I’d been holding myself back in Lunge, keeping myself for going very far forward” she describes,. Rukmini noticed, and supported me in going forward to my full extension, then all the way back. Doing so let me find my true midpoint in between. So I was able to get more of the beneficial Lunge effects in my back leg. ‘Yeah, I can do this,’ I thought. It was great to get unstuck and move beyond my mind set.”

To prepare for chanting, Rukmini took time to customize everyone’s seated propping for maximum comfort. Margot says, “It was wonderful to see Rukmini prop everyone individually, to support the deep changes that meditation can make in your body as well as your mind. Rukmini’s caring preparations ensured that our sitting was a sweet closing of the day.”

With Mandali Travels, Svaroopa^® Vidya Ashram generates powerful bliss ripples. They are spreading transformation and strengthening Svaroopa^® yoga communities far and wide.  See our calendar for all our programs.