Vanda Scaravelli: Exploring the Legacy of Scaravelli-inspired Yoga.
Vanda Scaravelli, an Italian yoga pioneer, revolutionised the way we practice yoga today. Her unique approach, known as Scaravelli-inspired yoga, emphasizes the importance of gravity, breath, and the natural unfolding of the spine. In this article, we’ll explore Vanda Scaravelli’s life, her teachings, and the legacy she left behind.
Table of Contents
Who was Vanda Scaravelli?
Vanda Scaravelli (1908-1999) was born into a prominent Italian family surrounded by influential artists and intellectuals. Despite her early passion for music, yoga would ultimately shape her life’s work.
Vanda’s journey into yoga began in the 1950s when she met B.K.S. Iyengar, who was touring Europe with the famous violinist Yehudi Menuhin. Vanda became Iyengar’s student and later studied with T.K.V. Desikachar, another renowned yoga teacher.
The Birth of Scaravelli-Inspired Yoga.
Through her studies and personal exploration, Vanda Scaravelli developed a unique approach to yoga that focused on the spine’s natural movement, the power of gravity, and the importance of the breath. She believed that by surrendering to these elements, practitioners could experience a profound sense of release and transformation.
In her groundbreaking book, “Awakening the Spine,” Scaravelli wrote: “The pull of gravity under our feet allows us to extend the upper part of the spine and release tension between the vertebrae. Gravity is like a magnet attracting us to the earth, but this attraction is not limited to pulling us down. It also allows us to stretch in the opposite direction towards the sky.”
Vanda’s early years.
Her mother, Clara Corsi, a teacher, was one of the first Italian women to graduate from University. Her father, Alberto Passigli, a successful businessman, was instrumental in music and opera, helping to create the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. The Orchestre Stabile enabled Florence to have its own orchestra; Vanda herself trained as a pianist to concert level under the tutelage of Ernesto Consolo. During her childhood and family life, she was exposed to some of the century’s most formidable artists; the family villa, Il Leco, became a salon for such masters as Arthur Schnabel, Arturo Toscanini, Federico Fellini, Bronislaw Huberman, Pablo Casals, and Andres Segovia.
Vanda married Luigi Scaravelli, a Professor of Philosophy at Rome and Pisa Universities, with whom she had two children. Sadly and unexpectedly, Luigi died shortly after WWII.
Each year, Vanda rented a chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland, and it was during this time of experiencing the loss of her husband that she first met and observed the yoga practice of the then-titled “Yoga Raja,” B.K.S.Iyengar.
Who taught Vanda Yoga?
Vanda’s friend, the violinist and conductor Yehudi Menuhin, was a student of B.K.S Iyengar. In 1954, Iyengar accompanied Menuhin on his tours as his personal instructor. Also, Menuhin, a great humanitarian, shared the powers and benefits of yoga embodied in the yoga adept B.K.S. Iyengar; by introducing him to the UK, France, Germany, and Switzerland. During this time, they stayed for some months as Vanda’s guests in Gstaad.
Vanda spent time observing and then became an Iyengar student, notably along with her other good friend, Jiddu Krishnamurti. Some years later, the esteemed yoga teacher and son of Krishnamacharya, T.K.V. Desikachar, was invited by Krishnamurti to come to Gstaad, and there he taught both Vanda and Krishnamurti about the importance of the breath, ‘pranayama,” an extension of the breath/life force.
How is this Yoga different?
Here, we get a clue of the vibrant melting pot in which Vanda Scaravelli, then in her 40s, came to start a journey of discovery through yoga, which led to her realisations about the effects of gravity and the breath and the potential of awakening the spine. In the introduction to her book ‘Awakening the Spine’, she states
“What is this new teaching? A revolution has to take place. A revolution based on one very simple physical truth. There is a division in the centre of our back where the spine moves simultaneously in two opposite directions: from the waist downwards towards the legs and feet, which are pulled by gravity, and from the waist upwards, through the top of the head, lifting us up freely.
The pull of gravity under our feet allows us to extend the upper part of the spine and release tension between the vertebrae. Gravity is like a magnet attracting us to the earth, but this attraction is not limited to pulling us down. It also allows us to stretch in the opposite direction towards the sky.”The pull of gravity under our feet allows us to extend the upper part of the spine and release tension between the vertebrae. Gravity is like a magnet attracting us to the earth, but this attraction is not limited to pulling us down. It also allows us to stretch in the opposite direction towards the sky.”
Vanda Scaravelli
Is this a living practice?
Vanda was adamant that this “new yoga” wasn’t a style or system to be copied or achieved. Instead of a way of experiencing connection, an expression of life through which the spine wakes up.
The experience of connection comes from being present in the moment. In the body, relating to your external environment and gravity and your internal environment with the breath. Here are some of Vanda’s words on gravity,
Galileo, Newton, and Einstein all worked passionately around this mysterious phenomenon of gravity, which holds the miracle of our existence.
Gravity
Gravity puts us in contact with the spine. All movements we do against the flow of gravity are negative, while those we do along with the pull of gravity, in which the ground receives our weight, are positive.
Vanda Scaravelli
While doing the poses correctly, our muscles seem to answer to a binding force collecting them together. This force, responding to the opposite pull of gravity, travels through our limbs and is well accepted by our body, which naturally desires to extend itself.
Vanda Scaravelli
We call this force ‘anti force’. It is similar to the rebounding explosion of a waterfall which, after dropping down at high speed and springing up again with incredible strength, transforms and sublimates its journey by dissolving the water into ever lighter sprays, creating a swirling cloud’.
Vanda Scaravelli
Breath and movement
On Breathing, Vanda said, ‘Breathing is the essence of Yoga.
Breathe naturally, without forcing — no pressure or disturbance. Nothing should interfere with the simple, tide-like movement of our lungs as we breathe in and out.
After a while, if we are paying attention, we will find that the last three vertebrae closest to the ground begin to receive life.Vanda Scaravelli
The energy running along the back of the spine from it’s base to the top of the head increases in power, making the spine alive and strong.
Inviting Change
The key to Vanda Scaravelli’s approach is understanding that there is no way to force a release; we only have to invite it. As Vanda herself explained in her book, Awakening the Spine:
You have to learn how to listen to your body, going with it and not against it, avoiding all effort or strain. You will be amazed to discover that, if you are kind to your body, it will respond in an incredible way.
Vanda Scarvelli
People are becoming increasingly interested in this method because they see how slowing down and giving the body time to respond can help. With less effort, there is less strain, which means there are fewer chances for injury. The body also becomes more resilient and responsive.
Vanda Scaravelli died in Italy in 1999 at the age of 91.
Vanda Scaravelli’s Legacy
Today, many yoga teachers continue to explore and share Vanda Scaravelli’s teachings. Diane Long, Scaravelli’s principal student, and Sophy Hoare, who studied with Vanda in her final year, are among the most prominent teachers carrying on her legacy.
At Erling’s Yoga, a centre dedicated to Scaravelli-inspired yoga, students can experience the transformative power of Vanda Scaravelli’s approach firsthand. Erling, a passionate teacher trained in the Scaravelli tradition, offers workshops, retreats, one-to-one sessions, and classes that honour Vanda’s teachings while encouraging students to discover their own unique path.
If you would like to visit the island and do yoga, we have an excellent place for both. Please get in touch for availability.
My Yoga Philosophy
As a Scaravelli-inspired yoga teacher, my philosophy is profoundly influenced by the principles of this approach – a deep trust in the body’s innate wisdom, a surrender to the natural pull of gravity, and a patient, introspective listening to the subtle whispers of the breath. For nearly 25 years, I have immersed myself in this ever-unfolding journey of embodied self-discovery.
As organisms in constant dialogue with our environment, we are shaped from moment to moment through the portal of the nervous system. Over time, we crystallize into unique musculoskeletal patterns, each of us a walking history of our life experiences. The Scaravelli approach invites us to shine a gentle light of awareness on these patterns, softening and releasing long-held tensions so that our bodies may find their way home to a more organic alignment.
In my classes, rather than imposing external forms, I encourage a spirit of playful, curious exploration. We engage in functional movements that echo the natural rhythms of daily life, not striving for aesthetic ideals but instead asking “why?”—why this pose, why now, how does it feel in this present moment? When we encounter discomfort, we see it as an opportunity to pause, to listen more deeply, to question whether our movements are in harmony with our individual body maps.
By attuning to sensation, to the subtle currents of the breath, we awaken an exquisite inner sensitivity. We discover how to move with rather than against the force of gravity, finding ease and spaciousness where there was once resistance and restriction. In this process, the nervous system begins to unwind and asanas emerge not through willpower but through a kind of grace, a return to our natural state.
My role as a teacher is to hold space for this intimate inner journey, to offer guidance and support as each student navigates their own unique terrain. More than just physical exercise, this approach to yoga is a pathway to greater self-knowing, a gradual peeling away of layers to reveal the essential truth of who we are. As we learn to inhabit our bodies with more presence and compassion, the fruits of our practice ripple out into all aspects of our lives.
Ultimately, the Scaravelli approach is an invitation to dance with the great mystery of embodiment, to embrace the ebb and flow, the light and shadow of this human experience. Through this lens, our yoga practice becomes a celebration of life itself in all its vibrancy and ever-changing wonder.
Erling McCracken
Scaravelli-inspired yoga teaches how to move with intention.
It focuses on the felt sense of you and breathing.
It encourages you to surrender.
It is gentle and accessible.
It is a path to self-discovery.
It is a method of moving.
It is a way of living.
It is a journey.
It is a process.
It is a philosophy.
Will there be an Isle of Wight retreat this year? I have both a connection with the island as my mother grew up there and with the scaravellis as I met her when I au paired for her son, Alberto in the summer of 1983. Without computers or internet in those days I had no idea who Vanda was – just that she had been a concert pianist, knew yehudi Menuhin and practised yoga. I met her at the family retreat in Fiesole.
I “discovered” yoga 3 years ago and have been practising it since but with some difficulty as I suffer from arthritis in my hands and wrists. I remembered vanda but couldn’t remember the family surname. After a weekend retreat in Sussex last year, I bought a book written by the man who founded the Triyoga studio. Incredibly there was a chapter on Vanda scaravelli. Now, knowing more about her and her teachings, and after trying different types of yoga, it would be really interesting to attend a workshop based on her own teachings and principles.
Hi Rachel..This is a wonderful connection and story.. I am running a workshop weekend on the 11-12 February on the Island. We have a lovely twin room you could have, the room is not ensuite but you’d get your own bathroom. I have 2 spaces left on it, I’m only going to have a max of 4 students.. Here is a link to the page, if you’d like to stay with us, you choose the Workshop Bed and Breakfast per guest (£120.00) plus the workshop (£80). :
Feel free to call me to discuss in more detail Rachel.. my number is 07966373576. email: erling@isleofyoga.com
Thank you Erling McCracken