The style name of our yoga, Svaroopa, was chosen very carefully by its founder Rama Berch.
Patanjali was a yoga scholar who wrote the seminal work on yoga, “The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.” Svaroopa derives its name from the third sutra, “Tada drastuh svarupe vasthanam” which is the culmination of sutras one and two. In the first sutra Patanjali introduces the objective of his work, “and now we begin to speak about yoga” and in the second sutra he defines yoga as the dissolution of (or freedom from) the fluctuations of the mind. Like an individual wave merging back into the ocean, our thoughts merge into the greater ocean of consciousness from which our individual consciousness and minds were born. In the third sutra we learn the fruits of yoga, “Tada drastuh svarupe vasthanam,” “then the seer abides in his own true splendor.” Or, “the seer is established in his own true nature.” Our own true nature is bliss. Bliss is the most subtle form of the Self or consciousness, beyond which is formlessness. In Svaroopa yoga we use our body as a doorway to the formless. We use our bodies to step into this subtle essence which is our deepest and truest nature.
That’s the whole point. And you have probably felt this bliss at the
end of class when you lie down in final Shavasana. This bliss doesn’t
end on the yoga mat. This bliss is the foundation of our lives.
Svaroopa yoga, experience the bliss!!
A typical Svaroopa class begins with Shavasana, Yoga’s relaxation pose, with a guided body awareness and breathing practice. This gives the student a chance to “shake off the day” and become fully present for their yoga practice. The ujjayi breathing practice then warms the body up.
The bulk of the class focuses on different themes. During the course of one year 12 themes are covered, one for each month. We approach the poses related to each theme from the Svaroopa point of view. One theme example is “daily practice”. As we explore this theme we focus on learning short vinyasas (or flows) of poses that can easily be practiced at home. We also learn how to sit comfortably. Originally all yoga poses came about so people could sit comfortably for long periods of time in meditation. We learn different sitting poses and how to prop ourselves to be comfortable in the “daily practice” theme. Other themes include hip openers, balance and inversions, neck and shoulders, forward bending and backbending.
A word about propping. We use many props in Svaroopa yoga. Blocks, blankets, bolsters, chairs and straps. Many people mistakenly take this to mean that Svaroopa yoga is a gentle practice. Svaroopa yoga is a continuing and intermediate practice. It will take you through years of practice. We use the props to teach people how to relax and soften in the poses. Yoga is all about the inner experience. We are always looking in the poses to reconnect with our inner essence. We have to relax and soften to perceive this. The props help you do that. The props actually deepen the experience. Most of us are unaware of the deeper layers of our own being, both physically and mentally. The props help us to become aware of these deeper layers and release the tensions that lie there. These deep tensions are at the root of our physical and mental pains and as such are very important to address.
The class then ends with Shavasana, the rest pose, just as we started. We again do a guided awareness, more briefly, and then have a chance to lie quietly and digest the benefits of the yoga experience.