Divya Yoga with Daryl Vansier
Studio and yoga classes
Montreal, Quebec
darylvansier@gmail.com
darylvansier.com
Tell us about yourself and your Studio
The name Heaven and Earth was chosen to represent the interdependence of body, mind, and spirit. The integration of various disciplines allowed us to develop a truly holistic approach to living a wholesome and harmonious life and fulfilling ones potential as a human being.
What styles of yoga you offer? Does your Studio specialize in one?
At this time, I am no longer offering group classes but the system of hatha yoga that I developed and taught for many years is now available in a 4 DVD box set online at http://darylvansier.com/ .
What makes your teachings or Studio unique?
“Divya Yoga is a gentle, safe and therapeutic series of logically sequenced hatha yoga posture flows that provide an excellent foundation for all styles of yoga.
Many of the popular styles of yoga taught in the west emphasize what has become known as vinyasa, a variation of sun salutation , which involves frequent repetition of the transition between a plank variation and upward and downward facing dog. The term vinyasa actually refers to the linking of postures (asanas) in conjunction with conscious breathing. This is what distinguishes yoga from an exercise or stretching class. Asana (literally “seat”) anchors the mind in the body, while vinyasa ensures that the mind does not get attached to a position and remains conscious. In Divya Yoga, the entire series of asanas is practiced as vinyasa.
The classes are sequenced to successively address the envelope or “sleeve” of the body, the core structures, the balancing of the inner and outer structures and their tendencies, and the integration of all the foregoing aspects of the body-mind experience. The five part series provides a complete hatha yoga practice that is accessible to and can be appreciated by both beginners and experienced yogis.”
Do you or your Studio provide other services other than yoga?
The name Heaven and Earth was chosen to represent the interdependence of body, mind, and spirit. The integration of various disciplines allowed us to develop a truly holistic approach to living a wholesome and harmonious life and fulfilling ones potential as a human being.
Though there is no longer a centre offering yoga classes, yoga teacher trainings, meditation courses, and massage or bodywork sessions, I continue to share the spirit of Heaven and Earth in the form of individual Yogic Lifestyle Counseling, Voice Dialogue and Dreamwork sessions. Additionally, I offer yearly Meditation and Yoga Retreats : http://darylvansier.com/meditation-and-yoga-retreats/
What’s your favorite yoga posture? And why?
Asana is often translated as “posture” but it literally means “seat” and refers to anchoring the experience of body and mind in the river of breath. I find that the ultimate expression of this is padmasana, the posture that I use for meditation.
What teachers or teaching styles have inspired your practise?
My first teacher was my grandfather when I was about 9 years old, and many others throughout my life in the traditions of Tibetan Kagyu school, Kripalu, Iyengar, ashtanga, and Joseph Heller who founded the Hellerwork system of structural alignment bodywork.
When did you begin practicing and/or teaching yoga?
I began practicing when I was a teenager to heal a painful congenital condition of my spine and began teaching meditation in my early twenties. It was not until my early forties that I began teaching on a regular basis and developed the system that came to be called Divya Yoga.
When did you open your studio?
In 1992.
