By Philip L. Milgrom, CSYT

In conversations with folks unfamiliar with yoga, we often hear their hesitation expressed as: “I can’t do yoga; I am not flexible enough.” They might be thinking of a magazine photo they saw, in which a petite model was contorting like a pretzel. That is not the yoga you will experience at The Centered Place, where yoga is for every body.

At the Centered Place, we teach Svaroopa® yoga, a style that is comfortable, deep, and respectful of individual differences. Flexibility is not a prerequisite for the practice but rather a result — one of many benefits made possible by a gentle, compassionate, supportive approach.

To promote inner opening, we emphasize precise alignment and support. This creates safety and enables release of deeply-held tension that inhibits your body’s natural grace and healing capacity.

We tailor yoga poses to fit the unique needs of each student instead of forcing everybody to assume the same position. For a seated pose, one student might need to sit on two folded blankets to ensure proper support of his back, while another might need three or four. Both students can then safely and comfortably achieve the benefits of the pose. This is why we feature Svaroopa® yoga as a style that is for every body.

Though you might turn to yoga for reasons most people do — to relieve back, neck, or shoulder pain and other physical problems — you are likely to get more than you bargained for. Svaroopa® yoga enhances the quality of your inner experience. Along with physical fitness, you develop mental fitness and self-awareness that are both empowering and healing. Deep release of physical tension inevitably releases anxiety and even fear. In times laden with stress and uncertainty, you gain the certainty of your own inner peace and strength.