The following testimonials are for Ruth Anne and the studios she founded and ran: Mama Nirvana’s New Yoga/Nirvana Yoga.
“I have a lower back problem that when it acts up can keep me in bed and bored for a week. I have seen several doctors and chiropractors over the years and for someone with no health insurance that can get quite expensive. Especially when all the doctors do is prescribe drugs that make me feel worse. My chiropractor is very good and when I talked to him about yoga, he was all for it. So I started practicing with videos for a year or so, I was feeling so much better but quickly got bored of the same routine all of the time.
I started taking classes at Mama Nirvana’s about a year and a half ago. I love it. I went from visiting my chiropractor from a few times a month to a few times a year! Not only did my condition improve but my posture is better, I sleep better, I am less stressed, I have toned up a bit too. I think unconsciously I even eat better. Practicing yoga is a part of nurturing and caring for yourself.
One Saturday in October of 2000 I was able to let go of a 30 year cigarette habit after a morning yoga session with Ruth Anne and an afternoon canoeing at DAR’s Upper Highland Lake. Now I am a winter mat Pilates student, keeping in shape when outside activities are limited.
All of the teachers at Nirvana are well qualified. They can sense the class level and tailor the session to fit the needs of the participants. The peaceful studio facilitates the action, all at a reasonable cost.
Everyone needs some time for self care, and Nirvana Easthampton is only a ten minute walk for me. Through the years Nirvana yoga has been a true sanctuary, where worldly cares can be shelved for a happy hour’s focus on what’s inside our skin.
Ruth Anne’s leadership is genuinely encouraging and inspiring. I suspect that she is a true Bodhisattva, remaining here with us in compassion to show us THE WAY. Ruth Anne is well traveled, but has opted to stay local when she could be teaching in Hawai’i or wherever she wants–lucky for us in western Massachusetts. Peace, and thanks.”
— Christopher Bowen
“Mama Nirvana’s brings so much joy to me every week. I take about 4 classes a week (more if I can!) and it’s my favorite way to start the day.
After Mama Nirvana’s it’s hard to imagine a time when I didn’t practice yoga!”
— Mary Bowen
“I have been significantly overweight all of my life. I have tried many exercise “classes”, but felt uncomfortable being the heaviest person there. This is not true at Mama Nirvana’s. I feel comfortable to progress at my own pace, respecting my body’s limitations. After a little more than a year of yoga, I have gained strength and body confidence. Due to a regular exercise and smarter eating I have lost 45 pounds since starting at Mama Nirvana’s. Thanks to all of the wonderful instructors!”
— Donna Browne
“A year ago (2006) I was unable to garden without being crippled by back pain for several days. I was inspired to try yoga after physical therapy and cortisone shots failed to manage my pain (the result of an injury in a car accident). I began attending Ruth Anne’s yoga/Pilates class and other beginner classes at Mama Nirvana’s. This season, though not pain free, I am gardening and running and liberated from the truly debilitating pain I was in last year. I continue to experience improvement in my overall condition.
I have found all the teachers at Mama Nirvana’s to be wonderful and generous souls with a gift for teaching and encouraging even a rank beginner. I really can’t say enough about how grateful I am to all of them for their gifts.”
— Kathy Hall
“Ruth Anne is a phenomenon. As someone who has been practicing and attending yoga regularly for the last 9 years, never have I seen a teacher who combines such mastery, intuitiveness, and heart as she.
— Rebekah Madera
“After years of being plagued with back problems I started taking pilates with Ruth Anne in the fall. After just a few weeks of doing the exercises my core began to feel so much stronger. Pilates continues to challenge me, as I get stronger I can work at improving my form and Ruth Anne has new exercises almost every class. I now am almost always back pain free… something I never thought I would be. Plus, my stomach looks way better in a bathing suit!
In addition to back problems I have arthritis in many of my joints. The instructors here at Mama Nirvana’s are very cautious and work really hard with you to make sure you’re not in a pose that could hurt you. I’m really glad I decided to take classes at Mama Nirvana’s because it has changed my life! Thank you! “
— Caitlin Robinson
“I have always had a rocky relationship with exercise. I dreaded step classes, walked listlessly through the weight room and jogged half heartedly. I knew I needed it, but I couldn’t connect to it. Something didn’t click.
I walked into Mama Nirvana’s to try something new. I had seen people with bodies that I admired and discovered that they practiced yoga. After the first class I felt stronger, healthier and taller then I had ever felt before. My body changed from the inside out, maybe not as drastically as I had envisioned, but more importantly, Yoga taught me to love my body again.
I expected this feeling to fade, but it didn’t. Yoga was the first form of exercise that connected my body with my mind and spirit. Everyday I felt my muscles changing, my posture getting better and my attitude towards life improving. Despite being 21, I have always had knee, rotator cuff and lower back problems. A few days after starting yoga as a routine my aches and pains disappeared.
I cannot thank everyone at Mama Nirvana’s enough. Their classes have inspired me, pushed me, nurtured me and healed me. I know that I will practice yoga for as long as I live and this fundamental joy and wonder of how good the human body can feel was instilled in me day after day at Mama Nirvana’s.”
— Chelsea Miller
“I started doing yoga twenty years ago along with other forms of exercise. During this time, I have experienced a number of teachers in a variety of settings. In many ways, I felt that they all lacked some key ingredient that I was looking for in my own personal experience of yoga and/or exercise. Then Ruth Anne’s and my path crossed over ten years ago at her classes in Rocky Hill, CT. I have been attending her classes ever since. At this point, I am driving from Rocky Hill, CT to Easthampton, MA weekly for the privilege of participating in Ruth Anne’s classes.”
— Cheryl Champagne
“Yoga has been such a wonderful discovery for me. I came to Mama Nirvana’s yoga classes seeking relief from chronic pain, and have gotten so much more. My initial skepticism of all the reported benefits of yoga and meditation has become a solid belief in their beneficial effects; now I practice both regularly in class and at home. — Bronwen Hodgkinson
“For over ten years, Ruth Anne has been guiding me through relaxation and meditation. I’ve always been a “busy” person, burning the candle at both ends to get it all done. Ruth Anne reminds me of the importance of being still and listening to your inner self. I always feel welcome at Mama Nirvana’s and know that when I leave the studio, I will leave as a rejuvenated person. Thank you, Ruth Anne…you are a beautiful teacher!”
— Cathy Negri
“I have been taking classes at Mama Nirvana’s for many years, since the studio opened at Eastworks. I started taking classes to try a different form of physical activity, to augment biking and walking and I was amazed at how it changed me. I have arthritis and disc problems and yoga has helped me become more flexible, has helped with my balance and has given me a lot more confidence.
I have taken classes with different teachers and I have always felt at ease and comfortable. I never felt pressure to do a certain pose. Rather I have been encouraged to find a place that I was comfortable with. I like the fact that there is such a variety of classes and classes of different levels. I also have attended some of the workshops and they were great.
— Annette Szczygiel
“Mama Nirvana’s is an oasis in a stressful world. The studio is beautiful, the instructors even more so (from the inside and out)and there is something for everyone. Everything has been lovingly put together, from the classes and decor to the program and philosophy. The studio is dangerously close to my office and having it so nearby now guarantees I am completely hooked!!!! This is a true sanctuary. I feel blessed to have such a resource right in my community. I have been studying yoga for close to ten years now and spent a lot of time on my mat. I have taken yoga classes all over the country and Mama Nirvana’s classes are truly special. As a psychologist who helps people deal with health problems I get to practice what I preach as well as take care of my own body–mind and spirit. Namaste”
— Amanda Roberts
“I love yoga! It does so much not just for my body but my spirit as well. All the instructors are truly dedicated yoga professionals. I will be leaving the area at the end of June and I hope and pray I can find another yoga studio as good as Mama Nirvana’s.”
— Laura Padilla
“I have a lower back problem that when it acts up can keep me in bed and bored for a week. I have seen several doctors and chiropractors over the years and for someone with no health insurance that can get quite expensive. Especially when all the doctors do is prescribe drugs that make me feel worse. My chiropractor is very good and when I talked to him about yoga, he was all for it. So I started practicing with videos for a year or so, I was feeling so much better but quickly got bored of the same routine all of the time. I started taking classes at mama nirvana’s about a year and a half ago. I love it. I went from visiting my chiropractor from a few times a month to a few times a year! Not only did my condition improve but my posture is better, I sleep better, I am less stressed, I have toned up a bit too. I think unconsciously I even eat better. Practicing yoga is a part of nurturing and caring for yourself. I have attended several of the teachers’ classes and they are all wonderful, taking care to make sure you are safe and that your postures are as true as they can be. I have learned so much about the practice over the last year and a half. I take classes at the Easthampton studio which I hope will be there at least as long as I am. “
— Victoria Minella
“I have been practicing just a short while and have seen a great transformation in my mind/body flexibility. After taking some classes with Ruth Anne you can quickly see the backbone of her practice is loving kindness and notice the radiance she projects outwards.”
— Amanda Schark
“I love the classes at Mama Nirvana’s. Every instructor I have had classes with have been excellent teachers who are obviously devoted to the practice of yoga.
I also have enjoyed how each teacher brings his or her own unique style to their classes.
I am a massage therapist with years of yoga practice. I frequently refer my clients to Mama Nirvana’s for yoga.”
— Lisa Berkovits