The next chapter began and continues to this day with what Vanda taught me through a A priceless relationship.
Relaxed fluid movements and concentration on breath require years to train the mind and body, but it is a rewarding journey. My motto is “Il Respiro Crea La Tua Vita” (Breath Creates Your Life), and when Yoga movements and breath are synchronized, new physical and mental states are created. As I have grown older and continued teaching, there are two principles that I believe are extremely important.
The first is that one’s spine needs to stay flexible in order to maintain youthful vigor and health. Intelligently practicing asanas is essential to maintain a supple spinal column.
Secondly, pushing and forcing the body can produce the exact opposite of what a practitioner may desire, so “less becomes more” and is a healthy guideline for practicing. It is very easy to become ambitious and strain the muscles in the determination to do a pose. Vanda’s words ring true: “We are not taught to undo. We want to do and do too much; we want to hurry. All of this causes anxiety, stress for success, and competition.” Therefore, I take great care in treating each pupil as a unique individual and respect physical differences. Trust is created as a result.
In these years, I have taken Yoga students to places of energy in many countries, teaching with the special characteristics that emanate from there. We have traveled to many regions in Italy, and to Greece, Egypt, Corsica, Morocco, England, and Ireland. India has become my second home, and I have taught many times in various regions of India and continue to take groups to Calicut in Kerala to a special Ayurvedic Heritage home where massage and my Yoga are combined.
Florence offers music and dance from around the world, and I am sure that this has influenced the way I teach. I have outstanding memories of attending a master class as an auditor held by Mstislav Rostropovich, as well as a weekend of training on Bach held by Ramin Bahrami.
Another unforgettable learning experience was watching a week-long seminar for prime ballerine assolute, concluding in a conference by Martha Graham. They are certainly events that have influenced my approach to Yoga and movement.
My first experience of working with the video camera led me to make various dvds and to write several books.
DVDs
Remembering Vanda was made in India in collaboration with Helen Noakes and can be ordered at her website https://www.helennoakes.net/videos
Vanda’s Yoga and Elizabeth’s Reflections, Elizabeth Lutz Pauncz, contains twenty-two minutes of Vanda practicing yoga, followed by Elizabeth explaining Vanda’s three basic concepts: “gravity”, “wave”, and “breath”. Orders may be placed through Helen’s website.
BOOKS
The first writing venture was a manual I created for my students, who, when asked why they weren’t practicing, would invariably tell me that they were afraid to make mistakes. At that point, I realized that I needed to create illustrations and explanations, which became YOGA Seven Days of Relaxing Practice by Elizabeth Lutz Pauncz.
The Egyptian Sun Salutation and Yoga, M.I.R.Edizione, 1998, was the first book I wrote. The Egyptians had very straight spines and it was obvious that they understood gravity in a unique way, so I incorporated Egyptian “suggestions” into this ancient practice.
Loving and Living YOGA Reflections of A Yoga Teacher was published in 2019 and is available through Amazon, as is my latest book YOGA What I Learned from Vanda Scaravelli. This is the most important of my writings because I transcribed my notes from my lessons with Vanda. They are her unique, exact words.
