Purna Yoga®
“The way of yoga followed here has a different purpose from others – for its aim is not only to rise out of the ordinary ignorant world-consciousness, but to bring the supramental power of that Divine consciousness down into the ignorance of mind, life and body, to transform them, to manifest the Divine here and create a Divine life in matter.
This is an exceedingly difficult aim and difficult yoga; to many or most it will seem impossible.”
-Sri Aurobindo
“Purna” means “complete,” and Purna Yoga® distills and integrates the vast aspects of yoga into an invaluable set of tools for transformation and healing. It offers more than just exercise. . . because you are more than just a body.
You have a body, but you also have aspirations, dreams, relationships, careers, finances, and many other facets of your life.
World-renowned yoga-asana master Aadil Palkhivala and renowned meditation and Kundalini master Savitri envisioned a system that nurtures the whole you to help you feel more alive and to shine your light into the world.
They founded Purna Yoga to fulfill that dream.
Welcome Home
As Sri Aurobindo said, “All life is yoga.” May you discover the many ways in which Purna Yoga™ says “Welcome Home,” offering you tools, techniques and wisdom for feeling at home in your body, and at home with your spirit, for this is the true gift of yoga. -Savitri and Aadil
When we feel lost, sad, confused, stuck, stiff, or are in pain, our bodies are telling us that we have lost contact with the most important part of us, our spirit. Therefore, we must use our breath, movements, thoughts and feelings to welcome our spirit into our first and most important physical home, our bodies. Purna Yoga teaches the mind, the body, and the emotions how to be at home with the spirit. Purna Yoga is the art of loving yourself by living from the heart.
The Four Petals of Purna Yoga. . .
- Safety and Alignment-based Asana
- Heartfull® Meditation & Lifestyle, created by Savitri
- Applied Philosophy
- Nutrition and Lifestyle
. . . address all four aspects of our being:
- Physical
- Mental
- Emotional
- Spiritual
A Purna Yoga practice helps you:
- Be a teacher that keeps your students and yourself safe
- Understand the ins and outs of a quality and fulfilling yoga practice
- Focus on your own spiritual connection
- Develop your intuition
- Be empowered to live from your heart instead of from your head.
- Discover how become more caring, happy, and heart-centered
- Live your purpose
Purna Yoga & Heartfull Meditation teach you how to bring mind, body and emotions to the wisdom of Soul so that your intuition guides your life toward your purpose.Savitri
The Founders
Savitri
Savitri, renowned Meditation Master, was born in India and grew up in Bombay until the age of 7, when she moved to America with her family. Her inspirational mother was of Italian-American decent and her father Indian. Savitri began her journey as a 25 year old housewife, praying for truth and understanding for the incomprehensible events of her life. When she was 11 she had a serious head injury, and as a teenager she suddenly lost both parents in a plane crash. A few years later she experienced the murder of her sister. Shortly thereafter her best friend died of a fatal illness. This chain of events led to her own life-threatening illnesses and many near-death experiences. Her sincere desire for truth steered her to find true love within and discover, refine and practice the heart-focused Align and Shine Snack techniques, for over 35 years. Since 1995, it has become her life’s work to share Heartfull® Meditation. The Align and Shine Snacks helped her to come alive and shine, blessing her with her beautiful daughter, Zenia.
Savitri teaches exclusive classes and workshops at Alive and Shine® Center. Her loving demeanor and undeniable integrity is felt by those who study with her. She delights in sharing her wisdom so that others can live a truly heartful life. Savitri is the founder and creator of Heartfull® and Heartfull® Meditation.
Aadil Palkhivala
Aadil was conceived because of yoga. His devout Parsee (Zoroastrian) parents had been unsuccessful in their attempts to have children for seven years, and so they began studying yoga with B.K.S. Iyengar. Iyengar told them that if they were faithful in their practice, they would soon conceive a child. A year later, Aadil was born in Bombay.
He began studying asana with Iyengar at the age of seven and shortly after was introduced to the Purna Yoga of Sri Aurobindo. When Aadil was twenty, Iyengar encouraged him to embark on his first teaching tour of Europe and North America. Two years later, he awarded Aadil the Advanced Yoga Teacher’s Certificate.
For nearly forty years, Aadil has been regarded as a “teacher of teachers,” and many of the world’s top yoga instructors have studied with him. He has a unique teaching style, mixing melodious instructions with recitations of poetry, philosophical insights, and in-the-moment humor.
Aadil and his wife, Savitri, are the founders of Purna Yoga®, a holistic synthesis of yogic traditions based on the work of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Aadil and Savitri also founded Alive and Shine Center in Bellevue, Washington, and Purna Yoga College®, a 200-Hour, 500-Hour and 2,000-Hour Certificate-Level teacher training program licensed by the State of Washington and Yoga Alliance Certified. Aadil teaches classes, teacher trainings, and workshops at Alive and Shine® Center and throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Europe, India, and other parts of Asia.
An encyclopedic knowledge of health matters informs Aadil’s teaching. He is a certified shiatsu and Swedish bodywork therapist, a clinical hypnotherapist, and an Ayurvedic health practitioner recognized by the American Ayurvedic Association. Aadil is the author of Fire of Love: For Students of Life and Teachers of Yoga. He has also written three manuals used in his beginning, intermediate, and therapeutic teacher trainings. He is currently working on Passion for Yoga: Purna Yoga, Level One, a practice guide for beginning yoga students. Aadil has written extensively for Yoga Journal, having been the Asana Columnist in 2003 and author of the Teacher’s Column for the website, as well as the “Asana Expert” for both the magazine and the website. He is frequently a keynote speaker at national events.
Starting with a bachelor’s degree in physics and math, Aadil eventually got a degree in law. He practiced law in Washington State until resigning to devote his energies to his true life purpose: exploring and sharing Purna Yoga. He has a passion for the arts, especially poetry, and has intensively studied elocution, operatic singing, Japanese flower arranging, painting, and drawing. He continues to be a student in the healing arts. Aadil lives with Savitri and their daughter Zenia, in Bellevue, Washington.