Here is Vanda in her signature pose - standing back bend
Hilary took her teacher training course at the Esther Myers' Yoga Studio in Toronto. Esther herself studied with Vanda Scaravelli, who grew up in Florence, Italy. Vanda studied with B.K.S. Iyengar. When her study with Iyengar was complete, she explored yoga on her own and discovered that she went much further through relaxing, connecting with gravity and "riding the wave" of extension through her spine. She was still doing backbends of incredible beauty just before her death at age 91.
I love the teachings of Vanda, exemplified by the following: "You have examples, and the examples kill all possibility of being, because you have a model, and you want to copy that model. This is all imitation, and this takes you away from the possibility of being. When you are, you are what you are. You don't become. You are."
For more information about Vanda Scaravelli see: http://www.estheryoga.com/vanda.html
To experience the wonder of Vanda doing a backbend check out:
http://www.estheryoga.com/videosample_van3.html
