Susan Daniel offers her beautiful carrot cake.
Henniker NH and Boise ID are 2700 miles apart, but they share the same high latitude. Over the past weekend, they also aligned as locations of Master Yoga 21st Birthday celebrations.
Susan Daniel is one of two Svaroopa® yoga teachers in New Hampshire. She sent her party pictures along with the note that nine friends showed up at various times to celebrate on May 17th. But all were shy about having their photos taken. Susan didn’t say, but the cake decorations would indicate a carrot cake — a fitting theme since Susan is also sole proprietor of Herb An’ Chicks Farm, a community-supported agriculture farm. Susan also said that no one would accept a piece of her cake. How could they resist?
21 candles flicker atop the Boise cake.
On May 18th, Svaroopis in Boise ID celebrated between the two Sunday afternoon classes. Svaroopa® yoga teachers Karuna (Carolyn) Beaver, owner of Parkcentered Yoga, and Marlene Gast jointly hosted the party at Marlene’s studio, River Time Yoga. Karuna had the birthday balloons from the Party-in-a-Packet filled with helium, and Marlene brought the gluten-free chocolate cake baked by the Boise Co-op. Meryn Hall, who teaches Svaroopa® yoga in northern California and is visiting Boise and teaching a four-week series at the studio, joined the festivities.
Karuna and Meryn.
The party took place following Betsy Ayers’s 3 p.m. class, which Marlene taught because Betsy was attending her youngest daughter’s college graduation. The group sang ‘Happy Birthday to Master Yoga, Happy Birthday to Us.’ Students were deeply moved by the reading of Swami Nirmalananda’s Birthday message, but, says Marlene, “They can be an irreverent bunch. One old-timer, who has taken Foundations twice, said the best thing about the celebration was having Meryn at the party. This long-time student is hoping that Meryn will move to Boise and join the ranks of Boise Svaroopa® yoga teachers so that I will stop coaxing (‘nagging’ was her word) our Foundations grads to go on to YTT Level 1!”
Karuna and Marlene anticipate the first bite of cake.
“One of the most wonderful moments for me,” continues Marlene, “was following the Seated Poses & Twists class. A newer student, who had been in the back row, said that she had noticed after the final Marichyasana marker while sitting in Sukhasana that she felt her spine spontaneously elongate. Moreover, she could see the backs of students in the front row, and they were all sitting with perfectly stacked vertebrae. It was a birthday party for Master Yoga — but the gifts and the Grace flowed out from Master Yoga — from Swami Nirmalananda’s teachings.”
As to the Boise cake, Marlene shares that Boise Svaroopis gratefully accepted hearty slices — and even seconds. Many were delighted to accept extra pieces to take home to family. It must be the altitude!
Posted by the Birthday Committee
Svaroopa® Yoga 