OUR FOUNDER

Padma Shakti

(Tracie Brace Hatton)

Director of Yoga Studies

Padma Shakti is Founder and Director of Rasa Yoga School of Yoga and Ayurveda, Visible Belief Education Foundation and Bay Area Yoga Collective. Padma holds a firm commitment that Yoga and Ayurveda are on the cutting edge for success and leadership development. Through her ability to effectively assimilate and disseminate the teachings of yoga and ayurveda she enables people to craft a life beyond just getting by, to live a full life thriving and healthy toward the absolute highest quality possible. Padma Shakti is committed to the power of community and seeks to demonstrate that through functional relationships, you strengthen and empower not only yourself, but the whole of humanity. Her ability and clarity to empower others is made possible by her study, training and love of these great beings: Dr. David Hoch, Lex Gillian, Reverend Karen Tudor, Sandra Summerfield-Kozak of International Yoga Studies, Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, Dr. David Frawley, Dr. Stephen Phillips and Swami Atma. There are many other masters and teachers to pay homage to as well whether by lineage living now or before. Her current studies and training are influenced mostly by Master Jason Campbell and Pandit Rajmani Tigunait.

WHAT IS RASA?

RASA:

The "taste" or essence of any impression; the aesthetic experience in transcendence; the emotional fulfillment of the soul; the nectar of life.

VIRA RASA: 

As Emerson says, "what lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." Vira rasa is a commitment to the exploration of the power that lies within us. It is the tending of the sacred flame of life with humility that breeds confidence. Vira is the pilgrim's strength that takes each step up the mountain as a purifying process and embraces challenge with love of living fully. In vinyasa, vira is activated through asanas, pranayama, meditation, and sequences which cultivate embodied concentration, sustaining power through alignment, breath, bandha, awareness (one unconscious step and you fall off the edge), and use of krama (stages) to approach one's potential in strength, flexibility, and inner presence.

SHANTI RASA: 

Shanti Rasa is a conscious cultivation of inner balance, equilibrium, wisdom, and serenity that is the fruit of living yoga. In the arts, shanti rasa is the culmination of all rasas - the shavasana at the end of an artistic journey. In applying shanti rasa to vinyasa, establishing and maintaining a meditative, even rhythm throughout the practice is key. Frequent reflective pauses through postures such as child's pose, vajrasana, tadasana, and shavasana allow the nervous system to unwind, the fluctuations of the mind to relax, and the internal equilibrium to deepen. Shanti rasa can be applied to all asanas and in life when a relaxed, non-aggressive, or non-adrenalized approach is cultivated. The rhythm of the breath is the greatest reflection of shanti rasa. Even, smooth breath = steady mind. The symbol of a lotus rising from the mud is the timeless yogic symbol of shanti, for peace is not dependent on cloudy or clear water, or external circumstances, but a deep connection to eternal essence within.

SRINGARA RASA:

Sringara Rasa is the archetypal union of masculine-feminine, sun-moon, active-receptive, stillness-dynamic movement, potent seed-bursting flower, x-y chromosomes, inhale-exhale that is reflected in nature, in the divine couples of Shiva-Shakti, Krisna-Radha, Sita-Ram, and within the layers of our being. In vinyasa, this rasa requires the most skill and personal experience to integrate into teaching (the potential for being corny is high). In our own practice and in life, sringara rasa can be the most satisfying rasa of all as we open to experiencing life in sensual fullness, each breath as an expression of a lover's caress. Sringara rasa follows the musical-dramatic-natural structure of multiple waves of building energy - sustaining - and then finally peaking. This rhythm can be mirrored in the sequencing of a practice towards a culminating backbend, hip opener, or meditation. The key is the bhava - savoring each unfolding breath, sensation, experience. "Burning with longing - fire, my living is composed only of this desire to be in your presence." ~ Rumi. 

Reprinted with special permission by Shiva Rea, 2004.

Rasa Yoga Supports You

We believe every true student should have access to Yoga.  If you are serious about your studies, there may be Scholarship opportunities available to you.

To apply for a scholarship, please see our Scholarship Page.