In the evolving world of yoga with its 5,000-year-old history, the Anusara style is comparatively young. Formed in 1997 by yoga teacher John Friend, Anusara yoga is grounded in the philosophy that yoga is a "celebration of the heart." Hatha yoga poses are performed in accordance with the "universal principles of alignment" and students and teachers alike are encouraged to practice Anusara yoga with the aim of connecting to their higher virtues. Anusara yoga exercises can be practiced by anyone who wants to enrich her yoga practice with a spiritual experience.
Tantric Philosophy
Tantra is based upon a non-dualistic view of the universe where good and evil, light and dark, male and female are simply manifestations of the human ego instead of a burden to overcome. Rod Stryker explains that, "In Tantra, the world is not something to escape from or overcome, but rather, even the mundane or seemingly negative events in day-to-day life are actually beautiful and auspicious." John Friend trains his Anusara instructors to look for the good in everyone and every thing. Students performing Anusara yoga exercises are not "fixed" like they would be in a regular yoga class if performing a pose incorrectly. Instead they are encouraged to find their own expression.
Universal Principles of Alignment
Anusara yoga exercises are performed with the universal principles of alignment in mind. Comprising the three A's --- which stand for attitude, alignment and action --- students are taught to approach every Anusara yoga pose with the intent of experiencing yoga rather than just doing it. They further combine that objective with focusing on their musculoskeletal alignment, and finding the right balance between "stability and freedom." The principles are broken down to muscular energy, organic energy, spirals and loops, which, when combined, allow the student to find their center in each pose.
Yoga Poses
All of the 330 poses performed in Anusara yoga are from the Hatha yoga discipline. You will experience standing, twisting, inverted and back-bending poses among many others. Everyone from kids to seniors, physically challenged to pregnant women are taught the safest and most empowering way to learn and experience each pose. As in other yogic styles, poses are performed with attendance to your breath and how it can help ease you into the optimum pose. As students become more experienced, they are instructed how to sequence their Anusara yoga poses to advance to higher levels of achievement.
Further Training
Students of Anusara yoga who have progressed through at least four years, or 1072 hours, of practice at both a Anusara studio and at home may apply to become an Anusara yoga teacher or Anusara-inspired teacher. An Anusara-inspired yoga teacher will be versed not only in the poses but the Anusara philosophy, also.
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