I've been teaching Svaroopa® Yoga for over 7 years now. Started YTT (Yoga Teacher Training) down in San Diego (my home town) in 1999. My first exposure to yoga was with Lillias Folan, who had her own show on PBS long, long ago - I was 14 years old.

I drifted away from yoga, so I could get in the groove with the whole Southern Cal vibe/hard-body, fast-paced, bikini clad, party animal mode. Did many years of Gold's gym, cycling, running, and weight training. All of which I absolutely LOVED!

Then life shifted - kids, corporate job, etc.

I found that I needed a way to slow down. Actually, I was slowing down a bit & found my life was getting faster and faster and more full, to the point of overload. SO....long story short - I found my way back to yoga

I tried many styles of yoga - but I kept drifting back to Svaroopa® classes. The teachers seemed to be very well trained. They were well versed in anatomy, there was a weaving of yoga philosophy into the class and poses were modified when nessesary. There was something beyond the poses and the breathing that would stay with me after class & that may have been the most compelling reason I kept returning to class over and over again.

I've done over 1000 hours of YTT (Yoga Teacher Training) and Yoga Therapy training with Rama Berch. I continue to do trainings and stay involved in learning about yoga, yoga therapy, ayurveda, meditation and consider it to be a life long learning process.

Classes are generally small in size, which is great for students both new and at the continuing level.

About Svaroopa -

If you are interested in yoga as exercise then Svaroopa® Yoga may not suite you. If you are looking for more compassionate approach then read on...Svaroopa may be 'gentle' and "easy" but it is also very effective & powerful. If you've done other styles and are looking for a deeper experience then Svaroopa may appeal to you. If you are new to yoga and are not sure what to expect, please feel free to contact me with any questions/concerns. If you are worried that yoga is too hard, or you need to be in shape or flexible, that's simply not true. Although if you look at yoga magazine's, I can see why you may be a little intimidated.

We use the term "Core Opening" with respect to what the physical practice of Svaroopa does, which is very different than "Core Strengthening" popularized by Pilates & many workout routines. "Core Opening" is more than just physical & I think it's best explained the person who developed Svaroopa.....

Here's a passage from an article by the originator of Svaroopa® Yoga, Rama Berch.

The phrase "core opening" has multiple meanings. First, it means you are doing poses to release tension in the deepest muscle layers in your body, your spinal muscles. This decompresses your spine beginning at your tailbone, creating space for your vertebrae, discs and nerve roots, as well as taking pressure off your internal organs & glands. Along with relieving pain, it is incredibly health-giving. If this were the only benefit of core opening, this practice would be a miraculous way of working with the body. But it wouldn't actually be yoga, because yoga is about the "something more".

"Core opening" also means that you are opening to the experience of your own essence. The opening is both physical and more than physical. Each time you open your spine, you also open yourself to your own core essence, which is the real reason that Svaroopa® yoga works so well. Not only do you get health-giving physical benefits, but consciousness heals you, transforms you, and illumines you from the inside out. The radiance of your own being can shine through when you dissolve the layers that have been blocking its light.

I'm a (RYT) Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Allance @ the 500 hour level. CSYT - Certified Svaroopa Yoga Teacher.

See my web site for more information on classes, Yoga Therapy and workshops:

www.jayayoga.net