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About Anusara Yoga
Anusara (a-nu-sar-a)
means “flowing with Grace,” “going with the flow,” and
“following your heart”
Founded by John Friend in 1997, Anusara
Yoga is a hatha yoga system
that unifies Universal Principles of Alignment with a non-dual Tantric
philosophy that is epitomized by a “celebration of the heart”.
In this philosophy we take the premise that everything is supreme
Consciousness—nothing exists that is not supreme Consciousness.
It encompasses a vision of totality in which each person is seen
as equally divine in every part—body, mind, and spirit. The
body and mind are honored as sacred vessels through which the divine
radiance of supreme
Consciousness can shine. Each of us is regarded
as essentially good, so there is a lot of acceptance and allowance
in this system for difference and deviation.
Anusara is flowing with Grace by saying yes to the whole magical
spectrum of life. It is a willingness to be aware of all parts of
ourselves—the light and the dark, the full rainbow of sensation,
perception, emotion, and thought. To be in the flow is to look at
whatever arises with freshness and freedom. It is simply to open
our
hearts with love to the present moment without clinging or pushing.
Anusara is accepting the world and ourselves as we are, and then
responding
with love.
The highest intention of practicing Anus
ara Yoga is to align with
the flow of Grace, to awaken to the truth that our essential nature
is part of this divine flow, and to lovingly and joyfully serve this
flow. We delightfully dance with the flow of supreme Consciousness
through each breath and every posture in our yoga practice. In each
pose, we artistically offer our individual light and our unique music
to the flow of life. The art of yoga is viewed as a co-participation
with the Supreme—not a practice of domination, subjugation, or
control of nature. The yoga reflects a healthy, balanced relationship
with the Supreme.
Anusara Yoga is an all-inclusive yoga in which each student’s
various unique abilities and limitations are deeply honored. It is
through the limitations of the body/mind that we discover that our
true nature is boundless goodness and vast luminous Consciousness.
The body/mind is a gift from God to help us discover our glory, our
greatness, and our worthiness to experience the highest sense of
freedom.
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| John Friend on the cover of
Yoga Journal |
The poses in Anusara Yoga are considered to be “heart-oriented”,
and are expressed from “inside out”. Instead of only trying
to control the body and mind from the outside, the poses originate
from a deep artistic feeling inside. There is an emphasis on remembering
the spiritual purpose of hatha yoga, which includes reconnecting
with our innate goodness, power, and beauty, and expressing ourselves
from that divine place.
Anusara Yoga teachers practice looking for the good in things, especially
in themselves and their students. Anusara Yoga teachers do not try
to “fix” or “correct” students, instead they help
enhance and reveal the beauty and divine qualities that are already
present in the students’ poses. One of the other key aspects
of this Tantric philosophy is that we are all co-creators with
Nature
or the Supreme in this life, and this creative freedom makes life
fun, exciting and inspiring. Life is seen not as a hard labor assignment
without chance of parole, but as a fun game that can be celebrated
each day.
Anusara Yoga teachers are dedicated
to serve each student and help them unveil their innate goodness,
worthiness, and Supreme nature. They are committed to empowering and
building each student’s self-esteem, while inspiring light-heartedness,
play and joyful creativity within the yoga practice.
Anusara Yoga teachers are dedicated to:
- Building harmony within the yoga community.
- Studying and practicing yoga regularly to be able to offer Anusara
Yoga with the highest level of skill, professional integrity, love
and fun.
- Honor and glorify the True Teacher within.
- Live, love and laugh in all our fullness every day.
As a nationally Registered Yoga School, Anusara Yoga offers a teaching
certification program that meets the national standards for
yoga teachers as set by the Yoga Alliance. With over 600 teachers
and tens of thousands of students worldwide, Anusara Yoga is one
of the fastest growing schools of hatha yoga in the world.
Not only is Anusara is an elegant system of alignment principles
and non-dual philosophy, but it is a wonderful community of highly
trained teachers and fun-loving students. The community is tightly
knit mainly because everyone subscribes to the spiritual ideals that
form the basis of Anusara, and so there are not a lot of self-centered
egos involved. Everyone is very attuned to the truth that Grace plays
the key role in the successful flow of their practice, classes, and
the organization itself. Teachers network together to help each other
learn and grow. When someone is sick, having trouble or hurting in
any way, people pitch in to offer care and support. This community
feels like it has the tightness of a family, yet the looseness of
a merry band of bohemian artists.
As an organization, Anusara Yoga is well networked and organized,
yet there is a strong emphasis on creative freedom and individuality.
There are no strict rules from a centralized governmental body. The
system is held together by everyone’s implicit agreement to the
principles; particularly spiritual precepts, such as celebrating Beauty
in all Its diversity, Truthfulness, and honoring the Divine in all
Beings. Without a rigid dogma, the system is open to continual change
and restructuring. Self-examination, scrutiny, discovery, and openness
to new ideas are foundational to this dynamic system. Individual creativity
and investigation are always supported and encouraged within the bounds
of the basic principles and philosophic precepts of Anusara Yoga.
Anusara grows with harmony and integrity through the combined vision
of our affiliated Anusara Yoga teachers to serve each student and
help them unveil their innate goodness, worthiness, and supreme nature.
(text and photos on this page courtesy of AnusaraYoga.com)
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