Yoga

Relax, Refresh, Renew … Val Boyko has over 10 years of yoga teaching experience. She is an Advanced Level Kripalu Yoga Teacher, Kripalu Certified Yin Yoga Teacher and Kripalu Certified Restorative Yoga Teacher.

“I offer Gentle Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Yin Yoga classes and workshops online via Zoom and in the Western Suburbs of Philadelphia, PA. I welcome private clients who want to learn or refine their yoga practice, and those with age related concerns, recovering from injury, surgery or with back issues. My wish is for every body to bring the joy of yoga and mindfulness into their lives”.

Whether you want to discover the benefits of yoga for heathy aging, are seeking a relaxing mindful practice to reduce stress and connect with your Center of Being, or are coming back to yoga, Val offers classes and individual sessions tailored to your needs.

Visit the Yoga Community Page to see Val’s current schedule and upcoming events.

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“What is Yoga?” I’ve read many interpretations that have arisen from the original text in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

My favorite interpretation comes from Georg Feuerstein. He has such knowledge of the original texts and philosophy of Yoga and is skillful in bringing yoga from a very different time and culture, and making it meaningful for us today.

“The complex five thousand year old tradition of yoga is about a very simple thing: happiness (ananda). Yoga tells us that in order to realize lasting happiness, we must discover our true spiritual nature. This requires that we commit ourselves to nothing less that self transformation and self transcendence. For although our true nature, or spiritual Self, is always the same, it tends to be obscured by our conventional thoughts, emotions and patterns of behavior. The yoga tradition compares this circumstance to the brightly shining sun, which is ever radiant but periodically hidden from our view by drifting dark clouds.

Yoga helps us to remove all obstructing (mental) clouds, so that we may come to enjoy the sunshine within. It is an extensive program of reeducation though which we learn, step by step, to live in the light of our true nature. Only when we have truly found ourselves will we be able to live in peace, harmony and happiness in the world. This is what is sometimes called the sacred life….

For many people, practicing yoga means to do yoga postures once or twice a week or even every day. Although this approach can yield many benefits, such as better health and greater vitality, the real power of yoga is unleashed only when we engage in yoga as a way of life. Yoga is universal and applicable in all situations. It is first and foremost a mental or inner discipline. Even the postures (asana) have a spiritual purpose and must be practiced with full awareness. Every single yoga technique is a tool for discovering the abiding happiness of the ultimate Self or Spirit.”