Vanda Scaravelli was an Italian woman that found her love of yoga later in life. She had yoga teacher training by Desikachar and BKS Iyengar, and from that point she developed a gentler, more feminine style of yoga that was designed to move with the natural body in relation to gravity.
Scaravelli yoga teachings have a holistic approach and encourage inner movement that when you combine it with pranayama and meditation you naturally unfold outward. When you can let go of the weight of your body it can fall to the ground and allow the spine to be lighter and unfold. Then your legs can connect to the earth and securing you in place.
Scaravelli class sessions tend to be small and friendly in nature, which provides a relaxing atmosphere that will allow you to progress comfortably and develop your home practice. This yoga teacher training will bring new horizons to you.
Vanda Scaravelli
Vanda Scaravelli, who died in 1999 at the age of 91, created a style of yoga teaching which she explains made you intelligent and happy at the same time. Her style is more abstruse than some of the others with a focus on freedom through giving in to gravity. With her yoga teachers scattered around the globe and many yoga teacher training too, there is no official place of certification or school.
Vanda Scaravelli grew up in Italy and many leading yogi stay at her family villa. When she was in her forties she spent her summers abroad in Switzerland where she hosted Krishnamurti and then learned yoga from BKS Iyengar the famous yogi. This was the beginning of a 50 year practice of yoga teaching. From the influences of the yogi that she encountered and became acquaintances with she formulated her own style of yoga teaching.
Scaravelli Principles
The Scaravelli yoga teaching training ideas came out of Iyengars focus on alignment and Desikachars work with breath. Her ideas included making each movement use an exhalation, actively giving in to gravity and focusing on breath and gravity to lengthen the spine instead of expecting muscular force. She also included the yoga teachings and philosophy from Kirshnamurtis teachings into her own practice.
Training Locations
This style is a rare form of yoga teacher training, so interested students may have to travel to find the studies. There are some locations for yoga teacher training in Toronto, Canada and Richardson, Texas. There is also a location in London and Brighton, England.
Yoga Teacher Training Approach
The yoga training program that is offered has three key elements:
- Consciously practicing groundedness through active yielding into gravity
- Using the exhalation to initiate each movement
- Harnessing gravity and breath, rather than muscular forces to lengthen the spine in both directions and simultaneously
When yoga teachers can truly understand how to teach groundedness and breath awareness through movement and stillness, along with attention to non-forceful spinal lengthening, the student will find yoga to be a safe and rewarding exercise.
Student can discover a sense of exhilaration and freedom in their own postures and will be much less likely to strain or cause injury to their bodies in their own yoga practice.
Yoga Training Intensity
The demanding style of Scaravelli yoga teacher training quickly filters away the non-serious student. The shorter version of the yoga teacher training runs for three weekends which are spread over a three month period. This is an intense 750 hour training, which requires a daily yoga practice and regular classes in addition to the teacher training program. Students will also teach a minimum of 52 hours of yoga classes which include a minimum of 12 hours of community yoga teaching service to a needy group.
Who Should Use It
Scaravelli Yoga practice is a style for those looking for a more gentle practice. This yoga teacher training will bring an inward focused practice to you. It is a great style for those looking for a rehabilitative practice.
