Page 41 - Adhiyoga Purana

The First Light:
Adhiyogi's First Professional Yoga Class at the Unitarian Church
In the winter of 2001, a significant chapter quietly unfolded in the journey of Adhiyogi. This was the season when he offered his first ever professional Yoga class for income—a humble beginning that would later blossom into a life of transformational teaching across continents. The place that hosted this meaningful milestone was none other than the Unitarian Church in Virginia. Adhiyogi has remained ever grateful to this sacred space and the wonderful people who welcomed his Authentic Yoga approach with open minds and willing hearts.
Among those who attended was Marilyn, a dedicated and thoughtful participant who offered heartfelt reflections on the experience. Her goal was clear: to strengthen her back and cultivate greater flexibility. Marilyn came with an open heart, and through Adhiyogi’s precise and patient instruction, she found more than just physical postures—she found a method of healing.
“With constant practice, my back does not bother me as much as it did prior to yoga classes,” Marilyn wrote. She noted the detailed instructions and supervised learning sessions, appreciating the attentiveness to individual needs that characterized every moment of the class.
She also offered thoughtful suggestions, asking for more explanation on the sequencing of poses and clarity on which parts of the body each pose was intended to strengthen. These early insights, gathered with such sincerity, would go on to inform Adhiyogi’s ever-evolving approach to personalized instruction in the years that followed.
For Adhiyogi, this first professional engagement wasn't just a financial beginning—it was a spiritual affirmation. The experience validated his Authentic Yoga System and set the tone for the deep, respectful, and transformative relationships he would come to form with thousands of students around the world.
The Unitarian Church, in this quiet winter chapter, became the soil in which the seed of a profound yogic mission took root. And Marilyn’s words remain a soft yet steady echo of that beginning: a time of learning, connection, and the gentle strengthening of body and soul.
OM Shantiḥ
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