Yoga: Svaroopa Yoga

Founded: Rama Berch

Rama Birch has been teaching since 1976. She experienced all areas of her training, including meditation, healing, massage and Eastern Traditions. This prepared her for her next step in fully understanding of the body and expanding her awareness. After visiting a meditation center, she received a powerful initiation from a living Master. This MahaKundalini initiation moved her body into spontaneous yoga poses, enlivening her knowledge and understanding of the body. Her unique and powerful way of teaching comes from these experiences.

From her experience, Rama went on a three week retreat to India with her Master. From this trip, she moved into the ashram with her three children to study, practice, and live yoga with her Guru in the US and in India for seven years.

Rama Berch, developed Svaroopa Yoga which teaches modified ways of doing familiar poses. Svaroopa Yoga emphasizes on 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 addition, Rama communicates clearly, with great insight and compassion, incorporating the ancient wisdom of the sages into working with the body, breath, & mind.