Ron Stabach has experienced firsthand the benefits of kundalini yoga.
The 71-year-old Camp Hill resident suffers from bouts of depression and anxiety, along with concern for his wife, who lives in a nursing home.
“I just retired and have a lot of time on my hands, so I look forward to the yoga classes,” he said, describing a “restorative bliss” class. “At the end, I felt like my hands were sinking into sand, that’s how relaxed I was.”
Stabach attends classes at Kundalini Yoga & Wellness in New Cumberland, a studio run by partners Jaque Hanson and Angela Sheaffer.
For the uninitiated, the practice combines meditation, mantra, physical exercises and breathing techniques to achieve self-awareness and mind-body balance. Practitioners tout the wellness benefits and the peacefulness achieved by mastering the ability to “still the mind.”
Stabach has also studied “emotional freedom technique” under Hanson. The technique, which involves tapping and setting intentions, has had a positive impact.
“I emerged completely energized. Before the class, I had a lot of negative junk in my head,” said Stabach, who is looking forward to bringing his 9-year-old granddaughter to the free community classes offered most Saturday mornings.
In the Beginning
Hanson felt called to the profession to help her daughter, who struggled with depression.
“It was not random,” she said. “I learned to help heal my daughter.”
The Carlisle resident is happy to report that her efforts paid off, and her daughter, Jasmin Silva, is thriving. Silva went on to study music at Berklee College of Music and has since become a Reiki master, a certified kundalini yoga instructor and a social media personality. She now spends her time speaking at colleges and is also penning a memoir.
Hanson continues in her quest to help others by providing a variety of services from her studio, often mixing treatment modalities like yoga and acupuncture to achieve desired results. Reiki, massage and essential oil workshops are just a few of the other services she offers throughout the year.
Prior to opening the wellness center, Sheaffer and Hanson practiced yoga for years, training under Siri Neel Kaur Khalsa, who was once a fixture in the New Cumberland community and owner of Avatar, a local health food store and restaurant. Kaur Khalsa studied under the famed Yogi Bhajan, who brought kundalini yoga to the United States. Before moving out of the area, she dedicated her time to training others in central Pennsylvania.
Shaeffer and Hanson began their business in the upper floor of the New Cumberland building and soon discovered that their services were in demand. They quickly outgrew the space and moved to a larger area on the lower level of the building, which needed a lot of TLC.
The women and their friends removed carpeting to expose a beautiful 100-year-old pine floor, painted the yoga room a soft yellow, which Hanson said is designed to imbue joy, and covered the walls with tapestries, some handmade by Tibetan monks. A 3-foot-tall stone fountain provides the soothing sounds of running water and is an attractive focal point in the room.
Electrified
Many students have their first exposure to the center during weekly, free 60-minute community classes.
Starting at 10 a.m. on most Saturday mornings, people enter a peaceful, quiet space, designed to help them relax and recapture their Zen to cope calmly with the challenges of day-to-day living. At any given session, you’re likely to encounter a diverse group of people from various walks of life where seasoned yoga practitioners and newbies sit side by side.
“We meet people where they are,” said Hanson.
Harrisburg resident Rebecca Moyer was first attracted to the center by a class called “Yoga for Youth and Vitality.” After attending a few classes, she was hooked.
“It made my body feel electrified—the poses, the movement, the breathing—they all worked together.”
She was so impressed that she began a teacher training program studying under the expert tutelage of Siri Neel Kaur Khalsa. “If I can help other people feel the way I feel, the world will be a better place,” she said.
Leah Barbera who has attended many classes at the center, said she has benefited physically, spiritually and emotionally.
“Kundalini yoga, in my opinion, is the best way to quiet your mind, aside from meditation,” said the Mechanicsburg resident. “It releases so many endorphins, and you feel so great that it’s almost addictive. When you master the art of breathing, you can focus on relaxing your mind.”
Shaeffer summarizes the joy she receives from running such a unique business by referring to a quote by Yogi Bhajan: “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, so let’s make it an enjoyable one.”
“I love how this quote sums up our mission,” she said.
She said that she has seen profound changes in her students’ lives, with kundalini yoga addressing everything from emotional issues and physical ailments to fears and stress-related tension.
“It is because of my own experience and knowledge that I choose to teach this form of yoga, known as ‘The Yoga of Awareness,’ and becoming aware is the first step in growth and healing,” she said.
Kundalini Yoga & Wellness is located at 309 3rd St., New Cumberland. To learn more, visit kundaliniyogaandwellness.com or call 717-763-8746.
