What students are saying about The Centered Place yoga studio and yoga classes
“Felt so many new things and learned more about myself [in meditation class]. Very inspiring. I have an opening into my body and mind that I have not had with other meditation or yoga. Thank you.” ~ Barb C.
“I have tried a lot of different approaches to reducing my pain but nothing has helped my body feel better… The releases and recalibration I experience after a class is better than anything else I have done… including chiropractic, massage therapy, physical therapy and medications.
I was looking for more flexibility when I first came to The Centered Place, but found a place of physical, emotional and spiritual release! It is my happy place! ” ~ Karen M.
I look forward to that lovely 1.5 hours, and feel so wonderfully open and soft afterward! It’s possibly the best part of my week! ~ Patricia O., Oakham, MA
“Thank you for all the calm your classes bring to my life.” ~ Rita, N. Brookfield MA
“Thank you for a year full of peace.” ~ Carol, W. Brookfield MA
“We come to Phil’s & Nancy’s yoga sessions whenever we are up visiting Audrey’s mother in Warren. Their practice has been a place of restoration for us for over a decade. (We have even hosted group sessions for two wedding parties for our daughters the mornings of their weddings at Salem Cross over the years.)
Their sessions are like luxurious, creative, multi-course meals, prepared by two gifted chefs. With each course, we feel that we have experienced the pinnacle of physical and spiritual enjoyment only to then move to the second course…and the third…and on until the “dessert” of the final shavasana. Like any masterfully prepared meal, we leave restored but not listless—more joyful, more capable, more eager for new learning.”
Eric & Audrey Schoomaker
Silver Spring, MD
“Thank you so much for your never ending support and knowledge. I don’t know and don”t want to find out what I would do without my yoga practice with you…” ~ Kathy B., West Brookfield
“For years I’ve talked about how great yoga makes you feel, and how nice you are! So my husband Jack had time and wanted to join me Monday. He enjoyed it!” ~ Ellen C., West Brookfield
“Thanks for the great class today. I feel so good when I leave and really have a lot of fun, too (really important these days!). ~ Rita B., North Brookfield
“You both came to my rescue for balance, breathing and stretching in your own gentle ways. The studio felt to be perhaps a risk as I entered earlier this year (2021) but now is vital and safe.” ~ Robert “Paj” P. of Hardwick, MA, who has been faithfully attending classes at the studio twice a week ever since
“Thanks for your Zoom yoga and meditation classes! I’d be lost without them” ~ Faye A., who attends classes from Westford MA via Zoom
“Thank you for all your help in class. It always helps with my leg cramps, sciatica and sore knee. I am thankful for all the benefits, always feeling much calmer and happier after class.” ~ Maureen B., who attends from Minnesota
“The class was great, and after class I was able to be aware of my breath and letting go in my body all day and even in the night. I carry quite a bit of pain in my body and I am feeling empowered to let it go.” ~ Julia B., who joins classes via Zoom from New York
“Thank you for today. I have a long, long list of things to be grateful for and finding this class is at the top of that list.” ~ Leslie H., West Brookfield
“Thank you for creating such a safe and caring place for all of us where we can grow Spiritually.” ~ Diane C., Emeritus Professor of Education, Westford, Massachusetts
“Your yoga, meditation class and kindness helped me through a particularly difficult time in life. I have meant to say thank you for so long- Thank you! The mantra you taught me has brought much peace, both on and off the meditation cushion. Thank you again!”
~ Tara L, formerly of Warren, MA
“I am convinced that yoga saved me from a life of back pain. I wrenched my back years ago and would literally have to crawl out of bed some mornings. Physical therapy helped somewhat but I suffered a number of years with the problem. A friend started attending yoga classes at The Centered Place, and I gave it a try, too. After about a month, I realized my back didn’t hurt anymore… and it’s been fine ever since — over 15 years now.”
~ John Devanski, Graphics and Web Designer, Ware, MA
Guy With Glasses Design
“Thanks for the great class…My husband has really been noticing how limber my body is from the yoga and how critical the yoga is for me. He said he didn’t realize before how much it does for me. He regrets now not being able to do things that I can do. He respects my yoga time at home and now insists that I do the yoga!” ~ Kathy B., Warren, MA
“Thank you for the remarkable meditation class. I found myself reflecting on different aspects of your talks all throughout the weeks. I am so glad to find new inspiration and a little sad I didn’t start a meditation practice in my twenties. I have it with me now and am grateful for your help.” ~ Leslie H., West Brookfield
“I feel like a spiritual awareness and connection has become more important to me since I started doing Svaroopa® yoga. At the end of class, I always feel more relaxed and aware… To benefit myself, I have been spending 45 minutes in the early morning, first becoming aware of my breath, then feeling (being aware of) my body, part by part, both inside and outside, as we do in classes. I give myself 20 minutes of meditation, too… Overall, taking this time to consciously be with myself has become the favorite part of my day. It’s easier now to stop during the day to breathe and feel my body….Thanks. I enjoy your teaching style so much.” ~ Barb C., Carlisle ,MA
“The class was lovely, truly one of the best classes I’ve ever taken. I appreciate your teaching approach, energy and humor.” ~ Maureen B, Minneapolis, Minnesota
“The Centered Place is a very special place. It is a wonderful place to learn Svaroopa yoga — truly a rewarding style of yoga.
Class practice and instruction have brought so many positive changes to my body, mind, and heart. Nancy and Phil are devoted to yoga and they are caring and thorough teachers.
Every week I look forward to class and I always return home feeling restored and renewed. I count the yoga classes among the blessings in my life!”
~ Muriel Canterbury, Sturbridge, Massachusetts
“I look forward to doing Svaroopa yoga every week. I have been going for the past six years. This type of yoga is so adaptable to every single body with every conceivable restriction. I was able to continue attending classes safely even with a broken wrist and torn cartilage in my knee.
The name ‘The Centered Place’ is so appropriate because that is exactly what happens: I get centered. It brings my mental, emotional, and physical parts of my body into balance so that I can focus on my life and bring it into fullness. I am 70 years old and would not be as young, happy, and spry as I am without the invaluable sessions of yoga that I attend each week.”
~Mary Grace, Author, Reiki Master, Speaker, Eucharistic Minister,
Wales, Massachusetts; www.TheWoundedChalice.com
“I attended classes at The Centered place for 16 years and only stopped my weekly visits because I moved from the area. The foundation in yoga that I learned from Nancy and Phil has served as the foundation for my life ever since. And I have yet to find a teacher as competent and aware as those at the Centered Place. I only wish I could move closer.”
~ Mike Milligan, Worcester, Massachusetts
“I was terrified my first few months at Yoga class. After all, I’m deaf and must keep my eyes open to lip read as well as do the poses! At first, I wondered how on earth I would be able to do this stuff! Well, I’ve been attending the Centered Place for four or five years now, and it is truly a great place to learn how to relax. … It’s been a huge learning experience for me …. Nancy and Ellan have worked hard and sensitively to bypass the communication barriers of deafness in order to work effectively with me. I will continue to learn and practice yoga as long as I can!”
~ Sharon Carpenter
Ludlow, Massachusetts
“Ahhhhhhh . . . It really is amazing the way I feel ‘before’ and ‘after’ class. I can be tired, stiff, tense, down, whatever before class; but after: now that’s an entirely different me! I feel taller, looser, calmly energized, actually fluid. I’m at ease physically and mentally.
The more I attend classes, the more this wonderful state of being carries over into each day. You all are warm,
welcoming, and encouraging. I’m so glad I heard about The Centered Place. You’ve helped me begin to find the things that tend to get buried in all the busyness — peace, calm, my centered self. Many thanks.”
~ Susan Kinnin, 6th Grade Teacher in Wales, Massachusetts
“A delightful experience while getting to know body and mind and how to use both in the daily walk of life … Yoga comes into play every day of my life! … Yoga has helped during this time of my life on a daily basis. It helps me find a quiet place within to go to.”
~ Nancy Thibeault, Baldwinville, Massachusetts
“Yoga gives me a relaxation break in the middle of my busy week.”
~ Tony Fernandes, Attorney, West Brookfield, Massachusetts
“In a hectic household with two kids under the age of 3, yoga is my escape. I love the Centered Place, I love going to relax and take my mind off of everything going on in my world. The Centered Place is by far the best place for yoga around this area. The instructors are fabulous and they are very helpful. I went to yoga through my two pregnancies and all the moves were catered to my body and to all the changes it was going through.”
~ Jessica Swistak, West Brookfield, Massachusetts
“Yoga at the Centered Place has been the best thing I have ever done for myself. I am calmer all the time, free of back pain and headaches, and able to be active for long periods of time despite some arthritis in my hands, spine, and hips. My life changed for the better when I began practicing regularly at the Centered Place.”
~ Lynn Caulfield Lak, Special Education Teacher, Ware, Massachusetts
“I continued with yoga classes through my pregnancy with Jack. They kept me relaxed and rested.”
~ Jennifer Young, Mother and Librarian, Monson Massachusetts
“My yoga practice was immensely helpful during labor (especially the breathing) and delivery.”
~ Jennifer W., Oakham, Massachusetts
“Coming to The Centered Place and practicing under your guidance has been a wonderful blessing in my life. Many, many thanks!”
~ Jean Comerford, Artist, Hardwick, Massachusetts
“I appreciate and enjoy all that you do to make the classes so beneficial on so many levels spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically… Thank you for all that you do.”
~ Sara Small, Massage Therapist, Hardwick, Massachusetts
“Thank you for your kindness and thoughtful generosity. My family and I enjoy your services and enjoy all that you have done to make our lives fuller.”
~ Shannon
“I was longing for a sacred journey and Svaroopa Yoga provided me the opportunity to go as far and as deep as I wished, inside and outside, offering me gentle guidance along the way. The Centered Place is my roots and will always hold a special place in my heart….Thank You Nancy and Phil. I have been blessed. Namaste”
~ Shanoah Whitman, Naturopathic Medical Student,
University of Bridgeport, Connecticut
“I have been doing yoga at the Centered pace for eleven years and love it. I studied other forms of yoga before this and although I benefited from them, I find Svaroopa Yoga the most enjoyable and beneficial. You become very flexible without needing to do those extreme ‘pretzel’ poses. I’m an artist and a poet and find that yoga really helps with my work – it quiets the mind and allows the creative ideas to flow.
The benefits of going to these classes are – the expert instruction, the adjustments by the teacher and the energy of the group – I always arrive home feeling calmer, lighter, and more able to cope with whatever is going on in my world… Everyone should do yoga.”
~ Joan Erickson, Artist and Poet, West Brookfield, Massachusetts
“Thank you! As a result of attending your yoga classes, I have more energy, less stress, and better health. A feeling of well being and relaxation adds so much to every day.”
~ Patricia A. Burnham, Warren, Massachusetts
“The Centered Place has been a great support for me and my family. For 18 years, you have reliably helped me keep body, mind and spirit integrated. Your influence has benefited my practice and teaching of bodywork as well.
The Centered Place has always been a lovely, inspiring, comfortable, clean, and well organized environment for the
practice of yoga. I have always felt safe referring clients, students, and friends to The Centered Place.”
~ Wendy S. Bolognesi, L.M.T., Asian Massage Techniques
Department Head, Bancroft School of Massage Therapy
” From yoga I developed an ability to let the little things go. Driving in heavy traffic no longer raises my blood pressure. I find I stand taller and feel better when I do. The meditation practices have helped me to remain focused and calmer. I am much more flexible than many of my friends of the same age who have not taken yoga. At your place there is also an incredible feeling of oneness with fellow students and instructors…”
~ Marty Sellers, Bookkeeper
” I just had to take this opportunity to thank you once again for the profound experience I had while participating in your yoga class on Monday evening. I’m glad that my daughter invited me to come with her. You’ll be pleased to know that thanks to your giftedness and expertise, the frozen shoulder pain in my right shoulder is gone. I could hardly raise my arm before coming to your class. What was especially healing and comforting for me was the way that you ministered to each one of the students, helping each one to experience optimum benefit from this yoga. step by step. …”
~ Deena L., Reflexologist and Reiki Master; Ohio
“Ellan [Catacchio, The Centered Place yoga instructor] volunteered to be my birthing coach … Ellan and I had attended the hospital’s childbirth class the weekend before the children were born, paying close attention to the recommended breathing techniques and labor exercises. Yet, when the big day arrived, we both more naturally gravitated toward our Svaroopa training and experience to support us through each of our roles.
Throughout … the relatively easy labor, birth and recovery processes, my mantra was ‘It’s the yoga!’ My practice supported me in becoming pregnant, enjoying a wonderfully easy pregnancy and delivering two beautiful, healthy babies — although a few weeks early, both of sufficient weight that we all went home within 48 hours. I recommend this practice to both moms-to-be and their coaches. I can’t say it often enough when people hear my story…‘It’s the yoga!’ ”
~ Atheana Meadows