"After the first session, I felt immediate relief not only for my back pain, but also for sciatica, pain in my hand due to "trigger finger," and knee pain." - Maggie Gibson
I am amazed at the results my clients get from Embodyment® Yoga Therapy, yet not surprised.  I see it time and time again; within an hour they tend to experience relief - often lasting relief. Read Maggie's full comments.
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“I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude to you for introducing me to Embodiment Yoga Therapy. I have suffered from fibromyalgia for 10 years and also recently have had severe back pain that ultimately resulted in surgery on my lumbar spine. The nagging, unending pain from both of these conditions was dragging me down. Although I was a bit skeptical that Embodiment Yoga Therapy could really help to ease this pain, I decided to give it a try. Thank goodness I did! After the first session, I felt immediate relief not only for my back pain, but also for sciatica, pain in my hand due to "trigger finger," and knee pain. As the sessions progressed, I found myself more energetic than I have been in years. I have even been able to cut back on some of my pain medication. Embodiment Yoga Therapy has truly given me a new lease on life! Going through daily activities with less pain has been a real blessing.
Thank you so much, Mary, for your encouragement and for your dedication to Svaroopa  Yoga and Embodiment Yoga Therapy!  Regards, Maggie Gibson”
​Click the button below for more information on Yoga Therapy.

Hammer Toe!  I don’t know if that is officially what happened, but last night as I was sitting on the couch, my second toe started leaning into and behind my big toe.  I watched in amazement.  My first inclination was to rub it and try to get it to go back to normal, but my Svaroopa® Yoga knowledge kicked in and I knew that it was not my foot causing the toe to cramp out of place, but rather tension in my spine.  Down on the floor, legs up on the couch, I did Alternate Leg Pose followed by Alternate Leg Diagonal.  Both are lower spinal release poses. After the second pose I watched my toe return to its normal position.  This is the power of Svaroopa® Yoga.  Tension in the spine radiates effects out to all parts of the body.  Svaroopa poses that release the spine, undo that tension and those far reaching effects.  Powerful and amazing and oh, so reliable.  You can experience an in depth Svaroopa® Yoga class November 9 through 13.  The Foundations of Svaroopa® Yoga class is for new yogis, experienced yogis and those who want to teach Svaroopa® Yoga.  It truly is a class for everyone.  The teachers are knowledgeable, well trained and compassionate.  The curriculum is thorough and you will be left with in depth written instructions for each pose. More info can be found at http://www.heartinsoulyoga.com/foundations.html.

I have taken the Foundations of Svaroopa® Yoga course twice. The first time, I did it for me.
I was having difficulty walking without pain.  Just a stroll down the block would result in my lower back cramping up.  Medical science diagnosed a degenerative disc between L4 and L5 of my lower spine. There was not enough room for the nerves that exit the spinal column at that spot, so they would get inflamed rubbing on the bone and ache really badly. Continued aggravation of the nerves would lead to pain whether walking or sitting.  What a lousy life to lead at the age of 52! Medical science could offer me muscle relaxants and pain killers that have unfavorable side effects.
So, off I went to 5 days of yoga. 
I found the teachers to be compassionate, understanding and oh, so knowledgeable. I found the poses to be amazingly helpful. There were challenges. In one pose, I thought my leg was going to snap off - really, my tight hips just would not allow my leg to pivot that way. The teachers propped me up on higher blankets, and then even higher blankets. Finally we decided that was just not a good pose for me at the time. (Over time, I have gotten enough release in my spine and hips, and now Seated Side Stretch is one of my favorite poses.)
With each session during the five day Foundations course, my lower back got relief. It would tighten up some over night and I would go back the next day and get more relief. Doing a daily practice since then has decompressed my spine so that now I can do the things I love, pain free. Foundations was one of the greatest gifts I have given myself.  I’m sure without Svaroopa® Yoga I would have faced back surgery - and from what I have heard from others who have had surgery, the results are not always as hoped for. Instead of the pain of surgery and huge medical bills I opted for some highly qualified instruction on decompressing my spine. The side effects were a quieter mind, more flexibility overall and a joyful outlook on life.
​Stay tuned for additional stories of my comeback from pain to freedom of movement.
Foundations of Svaroopa® Yoga will be taught here in Corpus Christ, TX, November 9 - 13, 2017. I highly recommend it for everyone. 

Celebrate with me.  I graduated from the challenging yoga teacher curriculum taught through the Svaroopa® Vidya Ashram.

What did that involve?  Intensive training programs consisting of multiple 15 hour days of immersion into all things yoga.

• All in all, I completed over 500 hours of on-site training with the premier teacher trainers of Svaroopa® Yoga.  That training covered yoga poses, anatomy, yoga sutras and more.
• In addition, I put in over 140 hours learning to craft lesson plans that meet the exacting standards of Swami Nirmalananda.  Lesson plans that help students get the full effect of this remarkable style of yoga.
• I learned the details and the nuances of 100 yoga poses.
• I worked with many different body types (flexible, not so flexible, large, small and everything in between).
• I learned the wisdom offered by yoga sages - ancient and modern.

All of this has given me an in-depth understanding of how Svaroopa® Yoga affects the body, mind and spirit.  It has shown me an innovative way of approaching yoga poses which uses levels of support to meet each student's body where it is. It has given me yoga therapy techniques to help students get relief from acute and chronic pain.  

If you have taken my classes, you are already familiar with the benefits of Svaroopa® Yoga. If you have not, come experience a new way of being in your body and celebrate with me the gift of Svaroopa® Yoga.

Recently, a new client came in with intense neck pain.  We did a series of Embodyment® Yoga Therapy sessions.  After the first session, he reported that he slept better that night.  "Oh," I said, "that is a side effect of yoga.  You may find that yoga helps you get a good nights sleep."  After the third session, he said his lower back had never felt better.  He has had multiple back surgeries and was still experiencing chronic pain.  "Oh," I said, "that is a side effect of yoga.  It might relieve long held pain."  After every session he noted a sense of great relaxation.  "Oh," I confessed, "feeling relaxed is definitely one side effect of yoga."
Be sure to read the fine print before you take up yoga.
Side effects may include:

• improved mood;
  
• increased flexibility;
  
• more fluid movement;
  
• improved balance;
  
• increased sense of self-worth; and
  
• an overall sense of joy.
  

If any of these side effects last more than 4 hours, tell your friends to try yoga too.
PS:  The new client's neck pain decreased significantly after the yoga therapy sessions.

To mark the International Day of Yoga (June 21) I want to take a moment to thank all of my yoga and meditation teachers for their compassion, wisdom, patience, knowledge, humor, intuition, understanding, love and perseverance.  
Each one of them has made a profound difference in my life.  For 18 years I have been nurtured by this rich tradition that acknowledges body, mind and soul as a whole.  It has helped move me from a place of physical, emotional and spiritual brokenness to contentment, joy and love.  So thank you Helen, Swami Nirmalananda, Vidyadevi, Kusuma, Devi, Polly, Kim, Janaki, Rev. Sandy, Carla and so many others.  Thank you BKS Iyengar, Swami Muktananda, Swami Nityananda and all the yogis of old. 

In Gratitude,
Mary Carpenter

What is the International Day of Yoga?
In an address to the United Nations General Assembly, Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi urged the world community to adopt an international Day of Yoga. "Yoga is an invaluable gift of ancient Indian tradition. It embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature and a holistic approach to health and well-being. Yoga is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with ourselves, the world and Nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us to deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day, "Shri Modi said.  June 21 was chosen because it is the Summer Solstice and has special significance in many parts of the world.  FMI: http://mea.gov.in/idy.htm