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Sue trying out Ivis's and Henry's new bench in Nottingham.

Quitly passed away on the 28th September, 2016.
Select links below for more details.

A thumb nail sketch

Susan Elizabeth Little was born on 13th August 1953 in Redruth Cornwall, to Richard and June who were living in Tywardreath at the time. She was the oldest of 3 children her younger brothers were Roger and Richard. Susan spent part of her early childhood in Libya, travelling out when she was 13 months old as her father was employed as a Civil servant by the British out there. When she was 3 years old they came back to the Uk and settled in Camborne, Tehidy road. (In cornwall) When she was 7 years old they moved house round to Park Road, also in Camborne. Then less than a year later they moved all the way to Ramsgate in Kent which was only for 6 months. Untill Susan was 11 they lived at Yiewsley, Middlesex. Her period of secondary school was far more stable, from when she was 11 till she was 16 they lived in Roystone in Herfordshire, but on leaving there, they went all the way back to Cornwall and to Newquay, where she stayed till leaving home when she was 20 (1973)

It was while she was in Newquay that she developed her interest in the performing arts. She had a keen interest in Amateur dramatics and was in a local amateur dramatics group as well as playing in the local Silver Band. She gained emplyment after leaving school by doing book keeping a skill she kept up and re-trained in in later life. When Sue was 20 she had an abortion in London, taking the train up from Cornwall by herself, telling no-one.

She had a strong desire to be of service to others and started to work as a Residential Social worker in Bristol, where she met Bill. They eventualy married at Tywardreath Methodist Church on the 23rd August 1975 (10 days after her 22nd birthday), they lived in Bristol and carried on working in residential work together. During the first year Bill was away much of the time in Birmingham doing his Proffessional Social Workers qualification (a residential course) at Selly Oak Colleges (Central House). After he had finnished his course they moved to Bath and it was during this period Sue did her basic residential social workers training in Bath and became friendly with one of her tutors who was very surportive to her in later years. During the next two years Sue and Bill lived in several places in Bath.

After beeing with Bill for three years they decied to go there seperate ways and Sue went on to become professionally qualified Residential Social Worker doing a one year full time course at Birmingham Selly Oak Colleges (Central House - the same course as Bill) and this is where she met Robert her partner of nearly 40 years. At the time Robert was teaching a dance class in the evening using one of the classrooms of Westhill College (Selly Oak Colleges) and Sue came along all in black (tights and Leotard etc.) and after two or three weeks Susan wrote a note to Robert wondering if he would like to go with her and some friends to a concert? They did meet to go, Sue was unrecognisable due to amazing clothes but her make-up was also fantastic. It could be her theatre skills, but she new how to apply is very effectivly and be amazingly seductive with it. But never got more than a hundred yards down the road, before leaving Susan's friends to let them go by themselves while Susan and Robert went back to the college, and her room. Susan slipped out and removed the clothes and her make-up, Robert only once after that saw her in full war paint you could say. So in stead of loud music there was quite talking in stead at her womens only college?

After dabling in shared and community accomodation they settled down in Robert's terraced house (Hampton Court Road) not far from Ivis, Robert's mother whith who she became very close friends with for the rest of her time.

At the end of her course she went on to be employed by Barnardos (in Birmingham) as a residential social worker. When that emplyment finnished, Sue felt she would like to fill her space, time etc and what better time could there be? by having one child. She spent a happy few months re-organising the house and decorating a nursery and of course buying all the essentials that a young baby could want. After John, her first son was born (which was a very difficult birth involving 7 epidurals alone and having some 15 doctors and nurses in the room at the end - initiating her life long involvement in Homeopathy) She was keen to develop her knowledge and skills and started an Open University degree, in fact she had signed up and started the course within 3 months of John being born. Two years later Sue became pregnant again but at just over 3 months she had a miscarriage, which started while we were at a friends party. This totally scarred me, but at least on the surface Sue seemed to copy well, but she did get some good support from some members of The National Child Birth Trust who we were still connected to from having John. Later when John was about two years old Sue and Robert decieded it was time to look for a slightly larger house and they moved from Harborn to Kings Heath in Birmingham. With the help of Robert's parents (Ivis and Henry) the house was decorated and made nice.

After missing the support networks of Harborn the playgroups, toddler groups etc. but Robert still walking the streets for hours with a buggie to give peace and quite in the house for studying, she transferred to Aston University to complete her degree. It was not long after starting college that Sue's mother June became ill and went in to hospital. It turned out to be cancer, but June went back to work and even took up art classes and we all spent a summer holiday with June and Dick on the south coast. Later that year Josh was born (Homeopathicly) but sadley June eventualy died in the same year. But with all that she did still managed to finnish her degree. After University, she worked for a while for Reeds Employment Bureau, in the Social work department as a consultant.

It was while doing this she met an acquaintance of Robert's from the "Group Relations Training Association" days who was now into yoga, Ann Fletcher. This rekindled Susan's interest in yoga and she started going on a regular basis to Ann's classes in Kings Heath. Through Ann she started to become interested in the Mandala Ashram in Wales (one of the focal points for Satyananda yoga in the UK) where she went the first time in about 1987 (in the very early years of the ashram) and several family holidays were also later spent there. This connection with the ashram never wavered and continued till only a short time before she died, it was her 63rd birthday just less than 7 weeks before dieing.

Many of you will know Ann Fletcher better as Swami Satykapresh and under her encouragement and guidence Sue's involvement became greater not just at the Kings Heath yoga centre and the Welsh ashram but with a fasination with India. As a good student, her teach Ann was soon encouraging her to become a yoga teacher in the Satyananda yoga tradition herself a and as part of this involvement to join Ann on her next trip to India. This would be in 1993, and was a big turning point for Susan. During this trip of abou 4 weeks, Susan was given the name Vimuktananda and as part of this she rededicated her self to supporting her family. Which ended up with a card being sent from India wondering if all of us could meet her at Heath Row off the plane.

Sue's last birthday, having it at the ashram.

During this time she had a small investment she used to join in helping to set up an alternative health centre in Kings Heath, called "The Well". Susan worked front of house as well as giving admin and booking keeping support to the organisation. This was part time and after a few years she needed to withdrawl her investment and she joined a pioneering organic workers co-operative called Organic roundabout selling the early boxes of organics vegetables working there as a book keeper. But she often had to fill in loading vans, driving and taking turns on the telephones and as it was a workers co-operative sitting in on endless meetings.

As her prominence in the Yoga world grew, she started running Yoga classes from her friends homes in Birmingham as well as the yoga centre. In 1996 Sue and Robert moved home, mainley so Sue could teach yoga from her own home, rather than borrowing friends rooms and renting Quaker meeting houses. We moved not very far in to Moseley, kind off just down the road into a house owned by one of her friends who was moving down to near Tiverton to teach yoga. This was a large terraced house, with some very large rooms, good for teaching yoga in. This ment she had to cut back her hours at Organic Roundabout to part time. So when it closed later, the effect was not to devistating. As she developed quickly, she was seen as an expert being asked to conferences and was involved in training students in Yoga both in Birmingham and also at the Ashram. Where she later became an External assessor. In 2003 she again went to India a total trip this time of about 6 weeks with a group and spent a little while in Goa on the way back home. This was done knowing she would be moving up North at some point in the near future, so when she moved to Keighley in 2004 she was delighted that her yoga basement was officially designated a satyanda centre by Swami Niranajan. She visited India several times the last one being in 2013 to visit the Satyanandas ashrams and took groups with her. She was a dedicated sannysin, a person who dedicated their life to the service of others.

In 2009 she was one of the key organisers of a major conference in Harrogate when Swami Satsangi visited. This was an amazing feat which took place at the Girls College in Harrogate. Her amazing qualities of being able to organise this event were truly stunning. Hundreds of people from all over the world came and it was ground-breaking for many of us, me included. She ran several yoga classes in Yorkshire and had many inspired students who later on became teachers in their own right. She continued to be asked to be the lead yoga teacher at conferences.

Her kindness and strength were evident as well as an extensive knowledge of yoga philosophy. She loved Chanting and mantra and her voice was powerful singing Sanskrit with joy. She loved Shiva chants in particular and she found strength in Ganesh the remover of obstacles. She took his statue into the hospice with her. She was a person that was available and open. When Robert fell ill 3 years ago with a heart condition she nursed him back to health. One of the greatest pleasures she had was the birth of Charlie her grandson. She said that this gave her a new lease of life after she discovered she had Parkinson’s and her beloved Brother Richard died. She accepted all this with acqninimity and grace. In January of this year the diagnosis of cancer was confirmed, with radio therapy and chematherapy quickly following.

She visited the ashram several times this year to deepen her yoga practice and to connect to her spiritual core during this time of intensity. She spent her birthday at the ashram in August and she was joyful and happy being with Charlie, josh and Rachel. A precious time for her. She had a great sense of humour in spite of all she was going through with various treatments and was open to all aspects of this journey with an open heart. She accepted her prognosis with a strength and depth that was inspirational.

She was admitted to Manorlands hospice two weeks before she died and she spoke to me of feeling wonderful and ready for her final journey. She said that she felt she understood what the yoga scriptures described in their texts. The being in the present moment and open to Being. I was with her shortly before she died with Robert and Shelly and we were able to chant to her her favourite’s chants for over an hour and to remind her of her yoga practices to assist with her passing. Susan was a true Yogi, a true Swami, a true spiritual teacher and a woman of great kindness and sincerity. She led a good life and I have experienced her unconditional love and kindness. She was Determined and forthright and at the same time she was able to laugh at herself.