Category Archives: Yoga Miracles

Never Underestimate the Power of the Tailbone

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Lissa (Yogyananda) Fountain, Yogaratna

Arthur came to see me after Gurudevi Nirmalananda recommended an Embodyment® Overlap Healing series.

He had been diagnosed with a condition called Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR), an inflammatory rheumatoid disease.

He was in constant pain. Gurudevi said that because medicine can cite no cause, at least 80% was tailbone tightening. He would really benefit from the daily release a five-session series provides.

Arthur, an otherwise dynamo of an octogenarian, was definitively not feeling like himself. We began by building a bond of trust. I asked him to share some of his life story, as he described his physical pain. For him, this facilitated an understanding of the body-mind connection.

We took it very slowly in the beginning, as is the protocol for a high-risk client. In the first session, even the slightest tailbone opening would flare up his shoulder pain. So I improvised with extra pillows and higher blankets for his head. We inched our way, step by step, and the unraveling began.

By the second session, Arthur was breathing easier, and letting his body relax more into the process. When he got up to stand, he felt two inches taller. His skin and eyes were brighter. There was more of a spring to his step as he walked out my door.

After our first five sessions, his wife was amazed! Arthur started feeling more like his energetic self. It only got better as the series progressed.

He already had a daily Shavasana and Ujjayi Pranayama practice. Now he could get up and down from the floor more easily. He was climbing stairs with greater ease. His sinuses were draining and even his sleep improved.

With his lower spine decompressing, his spirits lifted. He felt happier. It wasn’t long before the shoulder pillows were gone, and his head needed only one blanket. The best was, he could drop into Consciousness, no longer interrupted with painful flare-ups. Arthur’s healing continues. Never underestimate the power of the tailbone!

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Miracles for My Dad

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By Evy (Kalyani) Zavolas

Interviewed by Agnes (Aikya) Hetherington

I began teaching Svaroopa® yoga in 2000 and begged my family to try my classes. For years their response was always,“No thanks.” 

Twelve years ago, my dad developed severe neck pain, probably from his work as a mechanic. It was so bad he had to close his business for a month. A doctor examined him and said, “Come back tomorrow for a shot of pain relief.”

I happened to drop by that evening and saw how much he was suffering. With no arguments, I put him into Slow Motion Dive, Stage 1. After a few minutes he came out saying, “Oh, the pain is gone, it must be a miracle!” An hour later he told my mom to “call the doctor and cancel that appointment!”

The neck pain never came back, but Dad continued to have lower grade pain. Three herniated discs left him unable to stand or walk for too long. He could “live with it” by sitting down every 10–15 minutes. A doctor told him he would eventually need surgery. 

A few months ago, it worsened after a long trip overseas. Again, I begged him to try yoga, but he had forgotten the miracle 12 years before. For 6 years, he had done physical therapy, had 15–20 epidurals, and ended up taking steroids. The side effects were terrible, especially the inability to sleep. He was waiting to see a surgeon with the results of an MRI.

Finally, in desperation he agreed to try a yoga class. He felt better immediately. The next day he told me “the pain is 90% gone,” and asked for another class. He still went to see the surgeon, who told Dad, “You don’t need surgery, just keep doing what you’re doing.” 

Now he comes to classes once or twice a month and has given up the steroids. Twelve years ago, he thought the miracle was a coincidence, but now he believes. This stuff works!

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Clarity & Strength for Healing

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By Amanda (Purna) Schmidt

Interviewed by Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna

Last June, I moved from NC to PA, near the Ashram’s Downingtown Yoga & Meditation Center. I have easy access to Svaroopa® Yoga Therapy as well as a new Functional Medicine practitioner.

Fortunately, she ordered lab tests that clearly diagnosed conditions I’ve had for two years or more: long COVID-19, chronic inflammatory response syndrome and adrenal fatigue.

I’ve undertaken her prescribed lifestyle changes: regular meal times, a diet to support stable insulin levels and nutritional supplements. More tests may indicate additional treatment.

To complement the medical approach, I’m now on board with yoga therapy as well. Yoga sees a depleted prana (life force) as the source of fatigue and illness. Filling one’s reservoir of prana alleviates fatigue and promotes healing. So, three months ago, I began an Overlap Healing series of Embodyment® sessions at DYMC.

By employing a combination of additional Svaroopa® yoga tools, I’m noticing a gradual reduction in symptoms. I have more energy, a better outlook and greater mental resilience.

I do the home practices prescribed by my Svaroopa® Yoga Therapist: lots of Ujjayi and long rests in Shavasana. My total Ujjayi time is an hour daily. For Shavasana, I immerse myself in 30 minutes of Guided Awareness on Gurudevi’s “Experience Shavasana” CD. Then I soak in silent Shavasana for another 15 minutes.

With a replenished pranic reservoir, I feel stronger. My yoga therapist let me know a certain level of prana is needed for meditation. I’ve now built up enough for a daily half-hour meditation.

Some days the physical symptoms of my condition are still prominent. Yet my outlook is less fearful. On those days, I accept that my physical body is doing what it’s doing. But that doesn’t mean I won’t get through these times. I can manage symptoms more effectively. I am headed into healing.

My miracle is having found Svaroopa® yoga. These practices and therapies are propelling my healing journey forward.

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What a Difference!

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By Agnes (Aikyaa) Hetherington

I’m astonished at the impact of Gurudevi’s 2023 New Year’s Retreat on my life.  

I was almost too ill to participate. A severe coughing spasm with pneumonia had caused a hard fall onto my back. Extreme pain and difficulty breathing left me lying on the couch watching the retreat online. 

I felt more like an observer than a participant. Yet reading my journal notes, I clearly see the seeds of change were sown. 

The illness was no coincidence. In the “old year,” I had suddenly lost two very dear loved ones and faced other challenges. The future looked vague and blurry at best. I dreaded the thought of making a New Year’s resolution.

Spending those pivotal retreat days with Gurudevi ignited a profound inner shift. After the closing meditation on New Year’s Day, I wrote two words: “Resolution! Tapas!”  Tapas means doing the hard stuff.

I chose “Gumption” as my word ― a beacon of light ― for the year ahead.

While my illness dragged on, I sought help from wonderful Ashram programs. A six-class Therapeutic Yoga series eased the tightness and pain in my back. Then I took a series of ten Vichara sessions, which helped with my mind. 

As I journaled, I often reminded myself about Gumption, especially when feeling overwhelmed. Guru’s Grace propelled me into action.

Within a few months I was teaching Svaroopa® yoga again after a seven-year hiatus. I also increased my community seva, lovingly performing mundane tasks at our local Hospice. My energy and zest for life returned. 

I know I didn’t accomplish these changes by myself. It was the Grace flowing from Gurudevi during the New Year’s Retreat that made it possible. I am so grateful.

2024 New Year’s Retreat

Tired of Living with Pain

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By Kelly (Kushala) Sharp

Tired of living with pain, Jen started a Yoga Therapy healing series with me.  

Before her first session, she reported pain in her right shoulder at 8 (out of 10), with her right wrist at 6, and her right ribs at 7.  After her first session, her shoulder pain was down to 4, with her wrist pain at 0, and her rib pain at 5.

Jen reported, “After three days in a row of my Embodyment® sessions, I played golf.  I found that I hit the ball 20 yards farther.  I had to slow my swing down, and I could let my club do the work.  Usually when I swing the ball, I grip my toes.  I didn’t do that, so I didn’t have any cramping in my feet.  After the game, I didn’t experience any of my usual stiffness.”  These improvements supported Jen’s resolve to do her 20-minute Ujjayi practice twice daily.

By the time Jen was on session 13 of 30, she was free from pain.  She consistently reported having more energy and better sleep.  On session 30, Jen couldn’t recall what the chronic pain areas were when she started her series.  Her daily practices had become more consistent.  

Now two months into her weekly maintenance sessions, Jen continues to see improvements.  In Shavasana she feels her heels leaning more heavily into their support.  She sits in Baddha Konasana (Cobbler’s Pose) with her feet together, without efforting to hold them together.  Having done Svaroopa® yoga for many years, Jen is very excited to feel these changes in her body.  She continues to experience reduced pain and more energy.  And she’s still doing her home practice regularly!

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Saved Her Life

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By Rebecca (Rasa) Rivers

Interviewed by Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna

From her yoga classes and yoga therapy sessions with me, Clair credits yoga with “saving her life.” She describes it in these ways:

I mean that Svaroopa® yoga has enabled me to live the life that I want.  Both of my parents and my older sister suffered from genetic-based osteoarthritis.  At an early age, I was warned that I could look forward to serious physical issues.

In 1972, in my early 30s, I had my first surgery to address complications of osteoarthritis.  Given my family’s health history, I was not surprised.  In the early 2000s, I had knee replacement surgery.  In 2011, when my physician suggested a hip replacement, I said, “Let me think on that.”

I’d taken yoga classes from Rebecca (Rasa) Rivers in a nearby town.  By 2011, she was teaching Svaroopa®yoga in my town, so I got in touch with her.  After an assessment, she suggested that I join her classes.  I also availed myself of her private sessions.  I received yoga therapy and private instruction on specific poses for my condition. 

When I saw my surgeon a year later, he said, “I don’t know what you did, but you no longer need hip surgery.”

Indeed, I was able to climb mountains again, walk three miles a day, and return to swimming.  Given the therapeutic effects of Svaroopa® yoga, I am so grateful and so happy to be alive.  

Since 10-years-old, I’ve been doing things that are positive for my body, including diet and exercise.  When I’ve walked through forests, their scent and vibrations have uplifted me.  I’m conscious now of the same sense of fulfillment from Svaroopa® yoga poses.

I have also become interested in learning more about yoga philosophy.  My original interest was focused on yoga’s physical benefits only.  Having recently completed a Learn to Mediate course, I am expanding my interests to yoga’s spiritual teachings as well as Svaroopa® Vidya meditation.

Seeing clients experience such profound change is one of the joys of my serving as a Svaroopa® yoga therapist.

Breakthrough in Perspective

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By Margie (Maitreyi) Wilsman

Beginning yoga in 2018, Kathy kept her right hand at her waist in Seated Side Stretch.  She needed to sit on the highest possible blanket stack.  In Alternate Leg Diagonal, her right leg couldn’t move to the diagonal angle.  In a yoga therapy session, she reported high pain levels in her right leg, knee and shoulder.

During Covid, Kathy’s lifestyle and mobility became restricted.  No more riding bikes or playing four-square with her granddaughters.  She could no longer even walk to the end of her driveway safely unless she used walking sticks.  

When I reopened my studio, Kathy immediately requested Overlap Healing, a series of yoga therapy sessions.  For the first time, I learned about her 2013 low back injury from doing a flip.  I asked to see her MRI report and used it to guide subsequent discussions and sessions.

In one session, I moved her slowly into the diagonal angle in Alternate Leg on her right side.  She felt tingling and pulsations in her hip crease and buzzing on the outside of her right knee.  She told me about losing bowel control.  I urged Kathy to see her primary physician and request a new MRI.  It revealed the need for a right hip replacement.  I supported her in pre-surgery toning per her physician’s handouts as well as Ujjayi Pranayama along with a few “safe” poses.

After hip replacement and PT, Kathy arrived at yoga without walking sticks.  She said, in addition to her new hip, she had gained new perspectives on her body and mind.  She’d thought exercise could correct any pains.  She could not believe how she’d denied and rejected her pain.  She had wanted to look strong to her family and friends.  She credits Svaroopa® yoga for teaching her effective body awareness.

In a conversation after class recently, she said she no longer pushes herself through injuries and pain.  She first does Ujjayi Pranayama, or comes to class or a therapy session.  Then she decides what to do next.

Trained as a Svaroopa® yoga therapist, I move clients through their own healing process as well as empower them to keep it moving.  To do this, I engage deeply in the Svaroopa® Sciences practices to stay based inside in the One Self Being All.  I know that all breakthroughs come from this inner source.  Hearing Kathy speak of her miraculous changes I said, “Thank you, Self.”

This Stuff Works Miracles

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By Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna

Sherry began weekly Svaroopa® yoga classes with me due to mild, occasional sciatica. During the Covid 19 lockdown, she continued with online yoga classes and wasn’t bothered by sciatica.  

In March 2020, however, Sherry was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL).  To complement her medical treatment, she continued online classes and dedicated time to home practice. 

In October 2021, Sherry began in-person yoga therapy to address stiffness and ache in her neck and shoulders.  She believed the tightening of those muscles was a side effect of her medical treatment for CLL.

Though she was asking for help with her neck and shoulders, I planned her sessions for lower spinal opening, following our “it starts at the tailbone” sutra.  And it worked.  Sherry noticed sweet relief in her neck and shoulders.  

At the end of her sessions she reported, “Tension throughout my body is diminished, relaxed … Openings in waist and shoulder area.  Openness through back and shoulders and neck … Zero pain; more relaxed, less tension throughout body.  Neck and shoulders feel normal.” 

With a deep remission in September 2022, Sherry stopped medical treatment for CLL due to side effects.  By October, her pain level was only 1 at her session’s beginning and 0 at the end.

However, six months later, Sherry reported extreme pain from sciatica in an online class.  I hadn’t seen that coming.  She was using a walker when I arrived at her house to give her a session.  At the end, she could put a bit of weight into the affected leg.  Fortunately, she agreed to Embodyment® Overlap Healing (a series of private sessions). 

After the first four sessions, she no longer needed the walker.  As the “overlap” concluded, she was walking without discomfort of any kind.  Her neck and shoulders were pain-free too.

In her last session, I could hear her miracle.  Her voice had a tone of deep peace as she said she felt calm and normal.  “It’s like all the cancer medication is gone from my body.”  Her long-term goal is to stay pain free and in deep remission.

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Experiencing Timelessness through Yoga Therapy

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By Rebecca (Jyoti) Yacobi

Interviewed by Marlene (Matrikaa) Gast, Yogaratna

At the end of 2022, I began treating a new client with yoga therapy.  She has a demanding, high intensity career.  Her home life as a wife and mother is very full.  The pressures of daily life have physically manifested as pain in her knees, shoulders and low back.  

Yoga therapy with poses and Embodyment® sessions have been highly effective in reducing her pain levels.  At a session’s end, her pain is down to one or two (on a scale of 0 to 10).  Often, it’s reduced to zero.  She has experienced silence, stillness, timelessness and opening to the deeper dimensions within.

In her first Embodyment® session, her mind stopped.  She exclaimed, “I thought I had to do days of meditation to feel this way.”  Cocooned under a blanket, she felt she could stay in that timeless space forever.  She loves being enfolded in “her own space” under the blanket.

We Svaroopa® Yoga Therapists learn to help clients open inward into the timelessness of their own Beingness.  It’s not solely about the effectiveness of the therapeutic angles and adjustments.  

The client softens and surrenders to Grace flowing through the Svaroopa® Sciences tradition.  The client’s own Divine Essence arises from within.  It is “That” which is the Source of Stillness and profound healing.

With a busy life, packed with responsibilities, my client continues to benefit from yoga therapy.  She is aware of her own healing power arising from within.  Calmer and clearer, she manages her demanding work more effectively. 

When she acknowledges the power of yoga for calming her mind, her eyes light up.  Through her sessions, she is being entrained into her Divine Essence.  This is her yoga miracle.

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Changing the World with Yoga

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By Lynn (Gurupremananda) Cattafi

I recently completed a Teacher Training — Yoga Classroom Therapeutics 1 (YCT1).  I learned how to help students with their own healing.  I now can use more advanced propping and adjustments for many poses.  This helps me tailor the poses to really help people get the pain relief that Svaroopa® yoga provides.

I have experienced this in my own body. Even more amazing is what it’s doing for one of my students.  I am getting to see first-hand the profound improvements she is enjoying. 

Part of our YCT1 homework is to track a student with a diagnosed medical condition. Before each class they document their current pain level.  We use the traditional scale of 1–10, with 10 being equivalent to childbirth or a broken bone.  After class, they document their current pain level, which shows if they have any improvement. 

This student suffers from psoriatic arthritis.  It causes intense pain and sometimes immobility in her hands and her hips.  Before class recently, she reported her hands were at pain level 9 with her hips at level 6.  I led a 90-minute Svaroopa® yoga class.  During class, I included a couple of the therapeutic adjustments I knew would help her. 

At the end of class, she documented her results.  Her hands had gone from a 9 on the pain scale to a 1.  Her hips went from pain level 6 down to 3.  She was amazed!  So was I. 

Over the next few days, I followed up with her often.  I made sure she was continuing her yogic breathing practice as well as poses to keep her opening.  She was still feeling great. 

She knows it’s a process.  She recognizes that living without pain all the time will take consistent practice — but it’s worth it!  What a great blessing it is for me to have these tools to help people in pain.  Svaroopa® yoga teachers can change the world one ache and pain at a time.

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