Our Story and Purpose
Namaste
Kim and I met “by chance” at a Yoga festival in Stratton Vermont during the summer of 2015. Kim recalls: “I just remember him talking about his plans to study at an ashram and how passionate he was about sharing yoga with his students at his Seattle studio. It was an instant connection and I felt that we were on similar paths as I was seeking answers to questions weighing on my heart. I believe Sarvesh was put in my life at that moment as part of a Divine plan.
An entrepreneur by nature, he shared with me his dreams and plans to create a virtual means to share real, authentic yoga. It all sounded very fascinating to me and like a wide-eyed child, I decided to come along for the journey. Boy, has it been a wild ride!”
Kim and I have both experienced crippling stress, anxiety and addiction and have found that the integrated system and science of yoga has transformed our lives. That is what has inspired us to put together the teachings of authentic Gitananda Yoga in an organized and easy-to-follow manner, whether you’re brand new to yoga or a well-seasoned practitioner, we hope that this will contribute greatly to your spiritual journey and overall health and happiness. In essence, it is a path back to the heart and soul of yoga.
Click here to learn more about Gitananda Yoga from the source
Many have come to view yoga as simply exercises and stretching. Know that it goes way beyond that! We are, in a sense, stretching our perception of ourselves and the world beyond what the eye can see. We carry our life experiences, beliefs, traumas, joys and sorrows within us that make up our current life stories. True yoga is a path for us to go beyond all of this to see the reality of the self. Our stories become a tool for us to gain in understanding and empathy of ourselves and others and we begin to go beyond our unique circumstances to recognize the interconnectedness of all things.
When I had the idea to create the virtual studio, I thought of it as a tool that would speak to each person in a unique way. The eye of the beholder sees the beauty in it because we are studying the self and on that path to see the entirety of the self. Kim and I tell a lot of our stories throughout the curriculum and communications. In relaying our experiences, woven in with the teachings, what we hope is that we’re giving you the ability to then tell your own story and deepen the connection with your true self and the world. We gain strength, flexibility, better health and serenity but in a broader sense, we begin to understand the self and see how we are always projecting our sense of self out into the world. The broader that sense of self gets, the bigger our story gets. The bigger our story gets, the broader our understanding gets. The pages of our story come alive with greater depth and meaning. In that, we share with others to offer our experience, strength and hope in this journey of life. We are one.
The Ripple Yoga Studio
Back in 2013 as I was finishing my 300-hour yoga teacher training, I made the difficult decision to leave corporate America. Something was nagging at me from deep in my subconscious. It felt like I had a rock in my shoe that would not release. After a series of events and much contemplation, I stumbled upon a for lease sign on an old building in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle. The thought came to me that this particular neighborhood could use a yoga studio. The seed was planted and I then took the next indicated action steps necessary to bring this idea to life. I chose the name Ripple Yoga because of the belief that the way we change the world is one person at a time, ourselves. By changing ourselves, we inspire others to do the same.
We had to unfortunately close the studio in early 2020 as we relocated to be closer to family. While we owned it, we taught thousands of classes and became a vibrant part of the community. It was both a challenging and life enhancing experience.
On the day we closed our doors back in February of 2020, Kim wrote a poem about the space.
My Story
I have been blessed to be a part of the Gitananda Parampara and lineage for several years now. I initially completed a western-style teacher training and realized early on, that the teachings from that particular training were not sufficient to carry the full message of Yoga. I immediately began seeking out my guru. After an extensive search, I came upon the Ananda Ashram in Pondicherry and its unique 6-month program, where the student spends six months living with the teacher in a gurukula (house of the guru) environment. The six month teachers training course has been going on every year since 1968 from October 2nd through March 25th. It was devised by the late Yogamahrishi Swami Gitananda Giri and co-lead by his wife Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani (Ammaji). Today, the teachings are brought forth by their son and lineage-holder Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi bhavanani and his wife Yogacharini Devasena Bhavanani. Senior mentors and faculty member from all over the world offer assist in the daily classes and programs at the ashram. It is a unique program that blends modern scientific inquiry and research with the ancient wisdom of our rishis. It nurtures the sincere seeker on the path of conscious evolution and fosters a deep connection with the Divine self.
I used to live an undisciplined life of selfishness and indulgence that led me to spiritual bankruptcy and disconnection to my Divine self. It was a moment of clarity that led me on the path of transformation. I believe that moment of clarity I experienced was a brief connection with my innermost self, or Anandamaya Kosha. From there, the process of healing and transformation began. I found connection to my Divine self through my experience of the teachings, intensive discipline, self analysis, and surrender to Divine will, what is known as Kriya Yoga, or a combination of the last three of the Niyamas (Tapas, Swadhyaya and Ishvarapranidhana.) This is an ever-evolving process.
I was given the opportunity to write my autobiography while studying at the ashram. You can read my journey of the spirit from darkness to light in 20,000 Oms and a Cup of Chai. Chapter 37 depicts the full story of the coincidences and miraculous events that allowed the Ripple Yoga studio to manifest.
Kim's Story
Kim’s passion for yoga has been budding and blossoming for over a decade. She grew up just north of Boston and has always been a seeker of spirituality. She took a leap of faith in the summer of 2015 when she met Gary (Sarvesh). She soon moved out to Seattle, Washington to manage his yoga studio while he attended the six month yoga sadhana in southern India at the Ananda Ashram. That six month period was one of the most challenging times in Kim’s life as she came face to face with her own inner-turmoil, fears and addiction to alcohol. She learned about the eight limbs of yoga and how to apply them as the foundation for her new way of life while attending a 200-hour yoga teacher training at a local studio. During that time, she began teaching various styles of yoga classes such as vinyasa, hatha, yin and restorative with reiki.
During the summer of 2020, our teacher and lineage-holder Yogacharya Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani hosted a year-long correspondence course through weekly zoom meetings and a walk-through the Yoga step by step book, codified by his parents Yogamaharishi Dr. Swami Gitananda Giri and Yogacharini Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani (Ammaji). Kim jumped at the opportunity to explore the teachings directly from the source where Sarvesh had studied. It was a dream come true! She had the joy of connecting with senior teachers and fellow students from all over the world. The course was soul-nurturing and indescribably wonderful. she hopes to travel to the ashram and participate in the six month teachers training course one day.
Kim is passionate about sharing daily gratitude. Several years ago she began a daily practice of sending out gratitude lists to people she knows. She calls it Santosha (contentment) in action. By having the social accountability of sending out her list and others sending theirs, it shifts the senses toward things in the day to be grateful for. It really works and shifts the perspective from messes to blessings. It’s a beautiful way to live life on life’s terms and lift one another up. We all fall into the trap of negative thinking and get sucked into the whirlpools of the mind (chitta vrtti). We’re human after all!
Our Story
Through sharing my life experience and story with Kim at that time, it gave her the comfort, resources and direction that she was seeking for many years. Together we get to share our life of yoga from a place of deep understanding of ourselves and one another. As it is through understanding the self that we connect with our fellow humans. That is truly Yoga. Unity and oneness.
Your Story
Recall a time where a person was put in your life at a time when you needed it. What did they share with you that made an impact on your journey? Have you ever experienced a series of coincidences that worked out in your favor?
You may feel called to write about this in your journal or talk it over with a friend, family member or spiritual advisor