Daryl
Vansier
is the founder of Divya Yoga, a synthesis of the ancient
system of hatha yoga and a contemporary method of bodywork
called hellerwork.
Having
been introduced to yoga as a child, Daryl began
to practice regularly as a teenager to successfully
heal a painful congenital condition in his spine.
Shortly after graduating from McGill University
in Montreal, Canada, he was introduced to meditation and within months decided
to dedicate himself to full-time practice as a
Buddhist monk, where he practiced Zen and Tibetan
Buddhism for 11 years. At 31 years of age, wishing
to re-connect with the society he had left, Daryl
left the monastic setting and trained in various
massage and bodywork techniques to become a certified
massage therapist and Hellerwork Practitioner.
One of the first Hellerwork practitioners in Canada,
he founded the Montreal Hellerwork Center in 1989,
and a few years later was elected to the board
of directors of Hellerwork Inc. in Mount Shasta,
California. He was particularly influenced by
Hellerwork, a process of integration utilizing
structural bodywork, movement education, and their
relationship to one’s emotions and attitudes.
In
the context of his Hellerwork training, Daryl
was introduced to Voice
Dialogue. Since then he has deepened his
knowledge of this technique through extensive
training with Drs. Hal and Sidra Stone, the creators
of Voice Dialogue, practicing as an individual
facilitator and as a teacher of Voice Dialogue.
Daryl
Vansier has also studied extensively with teachers
in the Kripalu, Iyengar, and Ashtanga yoga traditions.
Drawing on his experience of the benefits of hatha
yoga, Daryl gradually incorporated classical asanas
into this therapeutic setting to help his clients
contact and release tensions stored in their “bodymind”,
and designed specific routines appropriate to
each person’s needs to help them sustain the harmony,
strength, and mobility achieved in the sessions.
Impressed with the integrity of the Hellerwork
process, Daryl designed a series of yoga “posture
flows” corresponding to the various stages of
the eleven part Hellerwork series. This method
came to be known as Divya Yoga and is recognized
by the Yoga Alliance. Daryl’s approach is both
sensitive and precisely appropriate to each person's
needs. With his background as a massage therapist
and practitioner of Hellerwork, he is able to
"read" your body and provide you with the appropriate
tools and instructions to help you recognize and
expand your limits. The Divya Yoga DVD Box Set is currently in production. To reserve your copy, please click
here. You will be contacted to confirm your order and delivery
address.
Daryl
Vansier is also an experienced meditation instructor
and retreat guide, having meditated for over 30
years, training with Zen and Tibetan Buddhist
Masters in the west as well as Raja Yoga Masters
at the International Meditation Institute in India.