KARUNA YOGA
Nithya -
"Hi Asha The yoga sequence this week is amazing! I was able to focus more on Goddess Lakshmi's face throughout the practice. The mudras help to bring the mind to the present along with the Bheeja mantras! Overall it is a divine experience and Thank you so much for thinking and bringing different varieties into the practice! Namaste😊
Thank you so much for the wonderful Omkara chanting session! It was so calming and meditative and the vibrations are still ringing in my ears even now. Thanks again! Namaste 🙏
Today's Navasana sequence was amazing and challenging too😀. Even though the postures look easy we know how hard it is when we lift our legs! Thank you so much again for creating a new and motivating sequence every week! Namaste🙏
It is so wonderful of you for starting the Hybrid sessions! Even though I had signed up for online classes now, it is nice to have the option to come in person. The time you have invested in setting up the camera in your studio is awesome where we are able to see only you and not the in-person students. Thank you so much Asha for always thinking creatively and accommodating the needs of all the students. You are Amazing! Namaste 🙏🙏"
Ruby -
"My yoga journey started a long time ago when I was growing up in India in the 70s.
Please do not think I am a hardcore yoga person, as I was not practicing it, but used to wait for the yoga program to be over so I can enjoy watching Chitrahar (Bollywood song show), which used to follow yoga broadcast.
As life continued I joined and quit the gym several times, but finally, after my children went to their college, I started taking my exercise seriously. I can say I was an active individual, going to the gym 5-6 times a week, and sweated myself by doing 100 jumping jacks or doing farmer's walk with a heavy kettlebell in my hands.
In my gym, I tried yoga but I did not enjoy it, as there were always a students few in classes who can do perfect poses while I struggle to manage my downward dog.
I have to admit my mind & body were telling me something, which I kept ignoring.
Then in Jan-2020, my right knee started hurting, and around the same time, while attending a pooja, I realized I could not sit on the floor for more than 5 seconds, and sitting in Vajrasana was impossible. I knew something was not right (later I realized it was a tight ACL). My doctor advised me to rest and take medication to relieve the pain.
In Mar-2020, the Covid pandemic started and it gave my body a well-deserved break and time to heal. I started focusing more inwards and started listening to my body.
Then, one of my friends forwarded me two yoga youtube videos and my self-practice started. Pretty soon I outgrew them and started looking for a real yoga class.
I was sure I was looking for a Zoom class and an instructor who is not teaching just yoga but who believes in it too. I wanted an instructor who is not pushing me but rather letting me evolve at my own pace.
I am done competing with others but ready to compete with myself in a much healthier way. And at that time I found Asha’s Zoom yoga class!
Once I joined her Zoom class, I quickly realized what I was missing. I started feeling my yoga evolve more and more. My flexibility increased and my pain decreased.
Golden nuggets she used to tell us during the class I started internalizing it. I started respecting my body.
I realized I do not need to push myself but I need to listen to myself.
I became kinder to myself, and interestingly my body responded in a positive way too. If one day I cannot do an asana perfectly, it’s ok, because the next day I know I will do better. Instead of seeing what others can do, I started feeling the difference between my last time Vs this time.
I learned each asana is multi-functional and they are good for multiple things.
My mind and body started tuning in with one another.
Though my journey continues, I can happily say I can sit on the floor for a longer time and I have learned how to deal with my knee pain (just do triangle pose, even on hikes to relieve the tightness of the muscle). I am working on my vajrasana. I am more confident on my hikes.
Yoga is healing me physically as well as mentally. It is a journey one day at a time.
Thanks so much, Asha."
Subha -
"Goddess Lakshmi yoga sequence was indeed a divine experience, I have never felt that calm and the mind not getting distracted during the Meditation session. It was nice to learn the mudras and the Bheeja mantra and the balance of the mind, body, and soul was truly sublime.
Thank you Asha for always coming up every week with new yogasana techniques and motivating and helping us through it.
I forgot to tell you in class that the 2nd round of Chandra Namaskar was easier as we did only 2 breaths
Every week I learn something new from the class and I look forward to every class.
Today’s Shavasana was also too peaceful & calm. Time does fly fast when the mind is calm 🙏🏻"
Lalitha -
"This was a long-due write-up on my journey with Asha's yoga classes.
I initially started classes with Asha to learn the basics of Yoga and I was particular about a teacher who would correct my poses and ensure I do the poses the right way. Little did I know, that I was signing up for way more than that.
Asha's classes are not only learning yoga poses but a much more holistic experience.
It is a journey of your mind and body trying to better itself and as a whole.
I love the way she emphasizes working with our own bodies and doing what is possible today but also how she encourages us to push ourselves a little more
to reach that final pose !! It trains your mind and body to push your limits in a reasonable way.
To achieve that in a group setting is remarkable.
I'm also amazed at how diligently she comes up with a different theme each week, maintaining a fine balance of new poses and reiterating some poses for us to keep improving. She relentlessly improves the student's experience in Zoom classes too, focusing on audio/video quality.
Asha has been a friend and a guide to me as with many others. She has helped me get a better perspective on life, to keep moving forward with hope, when life presents itself with twists and turns.
I can speak volumes to Asha's testimony but for now, I'm going to take my right hand, put it over my left shoulder and give myself a pat and say "Good job" to me for finding this gem as a tutor :) Thanks Asha!"
Sudha -
"Hi, Asha!
Thank you for putting so much thought into designing your classes in a way that helps us go deeper into the Asana without having to worry about injuries. I experience this in every class and I particularly enjoyed today’s class where we used floor and block as props for practicing Anantasana, Ardha Chandrasana, and Ardha chandra Chapasana. I feel extremely blessed and fortunate to have found a teacher like you who stays true to the essence of yoga practice and still manages to get a good workout from us in every class!
I enjoyed yesterday’s class immensely. Thanks for reminding us constantly about how important self-care and self-therapy are and how these can help prevent a lot of problems.
Being in your class and doing the practice with you is a meditative experience in itself for me. 🙂
Love the weekly themes you come up with. Have a great week ahead!
I loved Monday’s class with yoga straps so much. I have been noticing that my flexibility overall has been better this week since the class. Loved how the sequence kept building up through the class - on knees poses, standing and sitting poses. Thank you!”
Padmanjali - "
"Hi Asha,
I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a truly blissful divine experience through your classes! This week’s class has been great and so was last week’s!!
I started with you around August last year, and as I may have shared with you, I always regret why did I not find you earlier! There is not one thing that I love about your classes, I just about love everything, the fact that you change the theme every week makes it interesting and makes me look forward to each class! There was not a single class that was boring or less interesting! The way you pick your themes each week, the way you explain the benefits of that theme, and also how you explain what part of the body is activated with each movement and what physical and mental ailments it can help address!
I love how you share the Sanskrit name of every asana along with its meaning and, of course, the fun version of the name! Most of all just the way you conduct every class with the same energy, joy, and a very warm and welcoming smile!!! You truly have motivated me to do this for life and I hope to continue !! I have come to believe that Yoga is not just about the asanas, but a way of life!! You won’t believe me if I say this, I fear in my mind losing the opportunity of doing the class with you in person should you move or I move, although I have no intention to move anywhere!! :) And I hope you don’t either!!
The cherry on top experience is walking into your studio through your beautifully decorated tranquil porch!!"
"I have been practicing yoga for the last 3 years with Asha and have seen many wonderful benefits physically and emotionally. I have hypothyroidism and was diagnosed 10 years ago and my thyroid levels have always been fluctuating until I started practicing yoga. For the last three years, I am on the lowest dose of medication and my levels have been within the normal range. Asha is a wonderful teacher and we feel encouraged, motivated to practice as much as practically possible to each of our own abilities and life commitments, all the while gently pushing to us try a little bit more with each practice." - Suriyaprabha Balarajan
"I have been practicing yoga with Asha for almost 3 years now. When I started, I was suffering from severe lower back pain. Practicing Yoga with Asha regularly helped me recover from it.
Asha works with each and every individual in the class very closely with specific instructions that suit one's body. Yoga practice with Asha gives me an opportunity to take a break from daily chores to concentrate and listen to my body. This has helped me over a period of time to increase body flexibility as well as self-awareness. I love practicing yoga with Asha. Thanks for being amazing and positive Asha..! Keep rocking.. :)" - Priyanka Patil
"Let me begin by saying thanks. I cannot be grateful enough to Asha for introducing me to meditation and guiding me through different meditation techniques. Before her friendship and guidance, I struggled to find peace, struggled to come to terms with many realities of my life. Having practiced yoga and meditation with her, I can truthfully say that I am learning to put things in perspective, handle day-to-day stresses better, and practice the pause. Of the meditation techniques that I learned, I found that I could hold my focus the best with the Naadishuddhi Pranayama. I was also in awe of the positive energy felt during our group Om chanting meditation session. Yoga and meditation with Asha have been the most consistently positive and happy aspects of my life for the past three years, and I am very thankful for this grace" - Arya Hebbar
"Yoga helps me in many ways; - improved the quality of my breathing
- Doing Anuloma Viloma Pranayama has helped me greatly to reduce headaches/migraine.
- I feel energized after the practice
- Surya Namaskaras help to keep my body more flexible (legs, spine, and hips)
- Stretching my legs with deep breathing helped a lot to reduce the pain/inflammation due to plantar fascitis" --Geetha Sreenivasan