Like a Flower: My Years of Yoga with Vanda Scaravelli

This little book is a gem - it gives a fascinating insight into two interesting and important minds. As someone who is interested in the teachings of Scaravelli, I found many fundamental ideas beautifully expressed here. While the author credits Vanda as a poet, I thought that her own expression had a flow and a delicacy that was delightful to read. Highly recommended.

Sandra Sabatini has a distinctive focus on the breath and its role in encouraging an unfolding of the body & mind. “Like a Flower” is an extended celebration of Sandra’s teacher Vanda Scaravelli. Specific points, such as Vanda’s habit of gently pushing her fist into a students belly to encourage muscular engagement there was something of a surprise - other students of Vanda I have been taught by did not emphasise this, but it does fit well with a spontaneous engagement in the belly that I feel when practising in a Scaravelli inspired way. The playful, eternally curious approach Vanda had to yoga comes across clearly. "Like a Flower" uses the flower as both metaphor and source of beautiful imagery to support the text. Given my rather varied background (Richard Hittleman’s hatha yoga, Iyengar, Ashtanga vinyasa mysore style, Vinny, Inner Yoga Trust, Scaravelli and Gokhale Method influenced practice) the open, almost poetic style of “Like a Flower” is very supportive. On occasion I have felt like a yoga “citizen of nowhere” given my 40+ years meander through different styles. Sandra Sabatini’s teaching, not prescriptive, but inspirational, with inviting proposals for practice is very welcome. When I began practising yoga I wanted to be told exactly what to do. This led me to embrace a rather stern prescriptive approach to yoga, relying on the teacher’s authority, reassured by their certainty. Borrowing from Buddhism there is a point where a yoga practitioner “enters the stream”, the practice becomes (at some level) one's own, with its own life. What gives yoga practice life is not certainty but, quoting from Zen, “beginner's mind” an element of unknowing balancing knowledge, always open to new possibilities. If you cling to theory this is unsettling. If you value experience it is liberating. Sandra’s books: “Like a Flower” & “Whole Body Breathing” are vehicles for cultivating your own yoga experience.

Beuutiful book

Wonderful perspective of yoga and the yogic way of coping with day to day life. A good change from the usual books I tend to pick up for bedtime reading

There was nothing that I disliked about this book, the love for an incredible teacher from her student is a very lovely thing. There were some surprises about Vanda’s methods and was interested that she was taught posture work by Iyengar then some of it began to make more sense. But I so agree with the principle on focus and attention in practice. Thank you 🙏

This is a wonderful little book, suitable for all yoga practitioners. It takes us in to a more quiet inner way of working and is a moving account of Sandra Sabatini's work over many years with Vanda Scaravelli. Highly recommended.

This is a lovely, powerful small book written with great love and respect on the part of the author for her years spent with Vanda Scaravelli. Not a yoga manual as such, in careful prose it nonetheless reveals some of Vanda Scaravelli's key teaching principles and approach to yoga, such as careful attention to the breath. Accompanied by beautiful, crisp photographs of nature, I would recommend this moving and evocative book to all yoga practitioners and anyone with an interest.

I love this book so much. I have passed on two copies to my yoga students already, all of Sandra Sabatini & Vanda Scaravelli's books are fantastic.

I read this book when I first began this style of yoga and did not connect much at all. One year later I have a greater understanding of what she is tAlking about and I think next year's i will have more clarify!

Sabatini's writing is poet and incisive--I will return to this book many times. It really helps you to get an understanding of Vanda Scaravelli's approach to yoga in an organic way. Recommended for any serious student of yoga.

Ein hübsch beschriebenes Buch über die Erlebnisse der Autorin. Es sind je Thema eine Blume dargestellt, die das Erlebte, Yoga, Training, Miteinander, darstellen. Mir fehlen dabei einige Abbildungen der Asanas. Sonst ist es eine kleine nette Sammlung.

I bought this for my wife. The book arrived in excellent condition.

sounds like a very interesting lady but I don't have a very clear idea of what she actually did or how. only people already familiar with her would glean much, I'm afraid.