Rasa Yoga Experiment
Re-discovering and Revealing Your Joy
ABOUT
THE RASA YOGA EXPERIMENT
When I began teaching in 1974, I was immediately faced with students who came to me with a variety of limitations. From the start, it was necessary to suit the practice to the individual and not to impose a “system” of yoga. Since 1986, I focused my teaching on those living with chronic and/or life-threatening illnesses. To serve the students in ways that were practical and do-able, I trained in many modalities of movement and body work. My intention was to help each student personalize the practices and to choose practices that met their specific needs. I hoped to help each student become independent of me and to trust in their own intuition, self-awareness and self-respect.
Rasa is the name I gave to my approach in teaching the practices of yoga. In Sanskrit, rasa has several meanings. Rasa is the name ayurveda gives to the first constituent tissue of the body. In this regard, rasa corresponds to blood plasma and to chyle. Spiritually, rasa is called joy. Thus, the first constituent tissue of the body is joy. All other constituents depend on the full integrity of the joy tissue.
Now in Boulder, I added the word “experiment” to the name Rasa. I call our classroom a laboratory. I refer to myself and all the class participants as yoga scientists. Each time we meet we conduct our experiments with open-ended curiosity. Each experiment is unique and might be wildly surprising. Breath, movement and sound are the methods of our investigations.
In 2018, our yoga experiments began to focus on Parkinson’s Disease and other neurodegenerative conditions. The work we do together is profound and we are creating new and exciting pathways and applications of yoga practices. Our classes are open to anyone and in any condition. All you need is a willingness to explore your body/mind and the world you live in. Be willing to embrace the adventure of being fully alive.
SOFTEN AND ALLOW
These two words direct the Rasa Yoga Experiment. Yoga and ayurveda demand a pre-condition of deep relaxation. The practice of softening and allowing provides this pre-condition. Softening into the body/mind and allowing the rivers of thoughts, physical sensations and emotional memories to flow freely – without the impediments of judgements, attachments or expectations – provides the ground for our experiments and explorations. Yoga is not something you can “do”. What we can do is create the condition in which yoga might happen. Just as in ayurveda, what we can do is create the condition in which healing might happen.
YOUR VOICE
Sound is a vital component of our experiments. We learn to practice “deep listening”, opening all our senses to vibration and recognizing the many places in the body/mind where our voices might live. Your voice is not held in your voice-box. The voice is the most immediate tool for healing and wholeness that is at our disposal. Voice discovery is a large part of our practice – beginning with HUMMING.
