WHAT STUDENTS SAY

When I first took Sarana's yoga class, I was recovering from injuries gathered from over a decade of yoga poses done with tension and misalignment. I had chronic back pain that I had all but resigned to having forever. After a very short time under Sarana's personal attention and direction in classes, I let go of holding patterns and learned how to strenghten without tightening or hurting myself! I walked away from every single class invigorated, relaxed, and empowered. And she has even taught me ways I can tune myself up daily that are powerful, effective, and doable! I feel I have once again found the feelings I first fell in love with in yoga!
- Taylor Pattinson
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It's hard to put my finger on it, but my two days  at Wilbur was restorative in every sense of the word. I felt a shift. A much needed shift. The yoga was hard on my body and left me aching, but aching in a good way. It's such a privilege to be in your company and bear witness to your extraordinary command and the artful expression of your yoga practice. Thanks for allowing clumsy interlopers like myself to feel appreciated and welcomed. My walk on the land amidst the flora and fauna of the valley on Sunday morning was sublime. I don't get to talk to Diamondbacks everyday. I can't wait until we get to do it again. 
- Blake Gilmore 
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I have dipped in and out of yoga for 25 years. After a long hiatus, I met Sarana.  I was amazed at her ability to be completely  attentive to an entire class, and yet allow all of us to feel the individual attention we need.  Last week, Sarana led us through a movement that completely opened up the locked hip that I've suffered from for a year.  She never forced anything, but always did what she needed to do for everyone.  She was aware of my locked hip and had seen improved opening.  But then last week, there it was.  The time was ripe, Sarana had a hip opening stretch and it did it on it's own.  Sarana facilitated and was there to celebrate.  
- Brooke Anderson
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Since I began practicing yoga with Sarana, I have developed a deep understanding of my body’s limits and how to practice yoga safely.  I am also learning to accept those limits and to appreciate what many poses I can do to nurture, strengthen, and relax my body and mind.
- Student
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​I just had to sit through a 10-hour zoom meeting extravaganza (with a couple breaks). I doubt I could have done it without thinking of your class and adjusting my position to stay healthy..and breathing. Amazingly, despite that kind of day, I feel good. 
-Rochelle Dicker

I have studied with some of the best yoga teachers in the world, and I always come back to Sarana.  Her style and grace speaks to me and my body in a way that no other teacher has.
- Elana Maggal, 
former Conference Director, Yoga Journal

I came to Sarana’s yoga class as an unpromising student:  tall, athletic and highly inflexible.  With humor and compassion, Sarana has coaxed my body to open up and gain more fluidity.  I’m in my 50s and enjoy the way I move through the world:  strong, open and balanced.
- Student

I love my cl​ass with Sarana. In past yoga classes with a variety of teachers my problem back got worse but with Sarana it is much better, almost healed! . Her gentleness, attention to detail with your body, and over all expertise has been wonderful.
- Sandra Brod
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Yoga is fairly new to me.  I'm going on 3 years now.  I love practicing with Sarana because she brings many layers to my own practice.  I love the singing in the beginning of class.  It clears my head, body and breath which is so helpful before the movements.  I love the things she has suggested for 'my tool box', such as the 4-7-8 breathing.  I love the clear way Sarana explains each movement in guiding my body to each position.  I love her hands on me in the slight adjustments she makes to bring me to a balanced position.  I love her laugh and positive energy. I love how I feel when I leave her class.  A bit calmer and more integrated with the universe.  
- Jill Wild 
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Practicing with Sarana has made the world of difference for me. Although I have some problems with arthritis, her combination of active and restorative yoga has helped me maintain my flexibility, balance and overall sense of well being. I actually see and feel the difference since beginning my studies with her 12 years ago.
- Linda Schieber
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Since practicing with Sarana I have a better awareness of how important it is to take time to be human.
She has a nurturing and charismatic presence and she is able to make yoga accessible and fun. She is intuitive in choosing what sequences work well with different people and class formats. She has the ability of working with people who have a range of abilities. She is excellent at incorporating information about spiritual foundations of yoga. She exemplifies the essence of a great teacher, inspiring one to achieve one¹s goals while making the path enjoyable, relaxing and invigorating all at the same time. 
- Laura Fenster

Before Sarana’s  workshop, I was feeling burdened and distracted by all the preoccupations of the day-to-day. During the  workshop I felt held, supported, and encouraged  to come back into my body; to be present, to breathe, and to feel more fully alive.  It was such a  timely gift to be bathed (on many levels)  in the healing energy at Wilbur, that Sarana seems to embody so effortlessly. After the workshop, I felt grateful, more connected to my heart, breathing more deeply, both grounded and moving more freely. 
- Peter Selwyn, M.D.
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After years of studying yoga with books and tapes I began practicing with Sarana.  Up to that point, I viewed yoga as a hip yet ancient exercise practice that made me both strong and relaxed; I wished to master it and impress others with my skills.  When I started practicing with Sarana I remember the intrigue I felt hearing her say, "This is Yoga," during simple moments of still silence or meditative stretch - she was teaching me that yoga is a way of life, a practice for every day ordinary moments.  Through my studies with Sarana, I've come to realize my yoga practice is a means to more deeply understand, accept and love myself, which naturally flows into more compassion and open heartedness towards all.  Sarana is a precious gift to all and I am honored to be her student.           
- Lindsey Rice
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Mind and body altering .  There is nobody like Sarana. After a yoga class with Sarana I feel renewed, positive and energetic and the feeling lasts! Her friendly and compassionate teaching method works with all levels and all ages of students. I really appreciate how knowledgeable she is with body alignment- never any injuries after her class. 
- Kim Caruana
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Sarana Miller teaches the essence of yoga. Her classes both soothe my nerves and refresh my whole being. Her gentle and clear instruction guides me through each pose in a way that is safe and supportive while building strength and delivering healing to where it is most needed. After a class with Sarana my body and mind feel so nourished that I look forward to practicing yoga again and so I like to say that she lit the candle of yoga in my life. Since practicing with her, this candle has been burning brightly, lighting my way through life's winding corridors. 
- Kendra Sutherland 
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​The experience of Yelapa was nothing short of stunning.  However, it was upon my return home to the Bay Area that I really felt the effects of the retreat seep into my bones.  The impact of a week of consistent yoga practice permeated all aspects of my life and I felt myself breathing deeper, feeling more gratitude for the blessings of my life, and that I moved with more space and a gentle ease that I didn't possess prior to my time with Sarana and Thomas in Yelapa. 
- Michelle Ferrari