Written by Elizabeth Weiss, Client Services Specialist at The Wellness Center MN
At our Massage and Float Therapy center, we’re passionate about holistic approaches to health and healing. Recently, I had the opportunity to both take an amazing class with Solveig Corbin at her studio Nokomis Yoga, and to sit down with this dedicated Svaroopa® yoga practitioner whose journey from chronic pain to wellness is nothing short of inspiring.
A Journey of Self-Discovery and Healing
Growing up in Minnesota, she has called Nokomis home for the last 28 years. With a background in biology from St. Olaf College, and a pharmacy degree from the University of Minnesota, her career initially took her into laboratory work and pharmacy. However, her life took an unexpected turn when she developed repetitive stress syndrome, which is a repetitive strain injury that damages your muscles, tendons, and nerves. Notable symptoms include pain, tenderness, swelling, and joint stiffness. In her case, she woke up one day unable to feel her hands. Despite seeking help within the medical system she was part of, answers were elusive.
Solveig told me, “I tried to get help through the medical system I worked in. I wasn’t helped; no one could help. I went searching for answers. I ended up trying all kinds of alternative things. None of those things worked. For ten years I tried everything. I was starting to give up. It was hard to work without my hands working properly. I was kind of at a loss. I was wondering what I would do, if I would have to change careers. Then, I finally started going to yoga.”
So, after a decade of increasing hopelessness and exploring various alternative therapies without lasting relief, she found herself at a turning point when she discovered yoga. While yoga felt beneficial, it wasn’t until she discovered Svaroopa® yoga specifically that she experienced a profound shift.
“I could tell what I really needed was to lie on the floor, feel my body more, and just rest,” she shared. Learning to be still and turn inward, and learning poses that helped her spine and neck to start to release began to give her hope, as she felt things begin to unravel. Ultimately Svaroopa Yoga® began bringing sensation back to areas that had long been numb. This transformative experience led her to pursue teacher training, ultimately inspiring her to open her own yoga studio, Nokomis Yoga, located on the same block as Nokomis Beach Coffee on East 50th Street & 28th Ave South. It’s a lovely block to visit not too far from the lake itself.
What is Svaroopa®Yoga?
Describing Svaroopa® yoga isn’t easy because it stands apart from traditional yoga forms. While it shares similarities with restorative yoga through the use of props, its core focus is on spinal alignment and therapeutic release.
She explained. “It’s about getting the spine aligned and the body posed correctly to encourage deep spinal muscle release,” This gentle, nurturing practice is ideal for individuals with limited flexibility, offering access to profound tension release without strenuous movement.
Developed by Rama Berch in the 1980s, Svaroopa® yoga originated from her experiences with Swami Muktananda. (a Swami is defined as a Hindu ascetic or religious teacher) Swami Muktananda was a spiritual teacher and yogi from India, known for his meditation and self-realization teachings. He founded the Siddha Yoga tradition, emphasizing the importance of inner experiences and direct spiritual awakening. Muktananda believed in the power of meditation to lead individuals to a deeper connection with their true self and ultimate consciousness. Berch sought to create this deep inner experience through yoga postures, leading to the establishment of a structured training program that evolved into an ashram (an ashram is a residential yoga center) when she became a Swami and was given the name Swami Nirmalananda.
For more information on the spiritual head of the Svaroopa® ashram, Swami Nirmalananda, the ashram itself, and Svaroopa® past and present, this website is a wealth of information.
Svaroopa® draws from its roots of self-realization and introspection with the Sanskrit word “Svaroopa” which in English translates to Sva- the Self (true nature) and roopa –form (which is your body). So the body is the vehicle to know your true nature, through the yoga postures and practices.
Today, Svaroopa® yoga continues to maintain a prescriptive, methodical approach with classes that follow specific sequences to maximize spinal release and overall well-being.
Yoga Therapy at Nokomis Yoga
In addition to providing group structured Svaroopa® yoga classes, Solveig offers Embodyment® Yoga Therapy as well as Yoga Therapy based on Svaroopa® yoga poses and also Vichara (yogic self inquiry, for the mind). These are one-on-one approaches to Svaroopa® for those that might need or want more focused direction and attention.
Embodyment® is powerful and goes deep, and a one hour session gives you the same amount of opening in your spine that you would need 5 to 6 Svaroopa® classes to get. It is accessible to anyone, no matter what your mobility, as long as you are able to get down on the floor. All you have to do is lie in savasana on your back with your legs supported.
“Embodyment® facilitates the release of core muscle tension at the base of your spine.”
Tight muscles can cause significant pain, but as they are supported through gentle, targeted techniques, the body naturally begins to release long-held tension.
This deeply relaxing therapy triggers a relaxation response from the core outward, effectively unwinding tension that has been there for years. The focus is on the spinal muscles where they attach to the bone, encouraging a slow, profound release.
Benefits of Embodyment® Yoga Therapy Include:
- Deep relaxation and stress relief
- Improved sleep quality
- Relief from back, neck, shoulder, hip, and SI joint pain
- Support for healing repetitive stress injuries such as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, and pinched nerves
- Alleviation of anxiety
If you’re apprehensive about dipping a toe into yoga or yoga therapy, or simply fearful of trying new things in general, I assure you this is like no other yoga practice. It’s the most accessible and beginner friendly approach and is truly for anyone and everyone. It’s slow, easy to follow, and adaptable to your individual mental or physical limitations. Anyone in search of mental or physical relief can find a home within this yoga practice.
Why Does It Work?
Despite her scientific background, she admits explaining why Svaroopa® yoga works is challenging.
“According to yoga philosophy, it does seem to be about releasing karma; it definitely frees up more than just your physical body. It helps you to clear the clutter of your body and mind and to see things more clearly,” she reflected.
When we think about the body in terms of massage therapy, we acknowledge that the nervous system is the body’s command center, linking everything together. When muscles are tight, the alignment of the spine, bones, and nerves can be disrupted, limiting communication with the brain and therefore restricting movement. This imbalance can lead to pain, numbness, and a disconnect from the body’s natural flow.
Beyond the Mat: Self-Care Practices
For those who attend her classes, she emphasizes the importance of consistency and home practice. She provides poses you can practice daily and recommends Ujjayi breathing to calm the mind and body, helping regulate the nervous system and alleviate pain.
This breathing practice involves breathing in and out of your nose with your mouth closed and an emphasis on gently constricting the throat to produce the “ocean wave like” sound but in a quiet gentle way.
If you want to explore this breathing practice for yourself, you can contact Solveig for a free 30 minute lesson at cstcorbin@yahoo.com; Offer expires August 31, 2025.
“Yoga is for everyone. You don’t have to be flexible to start,” she encourages. Her mission isn’t to gatekeep the practice but to empower individuals to find healing and transformation in their own lives. Whether through classes or personal practice, she wants people to know that Svaroopa® yoga exists and can make a significant difference.
Her journey is a testament to the power of perseverance, the importance of self-care, and the transformative potential of finding stillness in a fast-paced world. Solveig found that by focusing on spinal release she could heal the pain and numbness in her hands and find inner peace. If you’re feeling stuck or seeking relief, perhaps it’s time to roll out your mat, lay down, and simply be—or explore the deep healing potential offered at Nokomis Yoga.
Solveig offers multiple Svaroopa® classes through-out the week. Other classes with different instructors taught at Nokomis Yoga include, Do Yoga Like a Retiree, Gentle Flow, Healthy Happy Hour Yoga, Yoga Basics, Ashtanga, Yoga for Seniors and Tai Chi. They have many types of workshops such as Yoga Nidra Meditation as well.
