Anusara yoga is a modern Hatha yoga system founded by John Friend. Anusara means “to flow with grace “, to go with the flow “, to follow the heart. Anusara emphasizes the “Universal Principles of Alignment” as the central point of her practice, which are the basis of all physical asanas. These principles are important in the practice of yoga, as they give you guidelines on how to align your body, heart and mind in a way that provides integration and a safe opening so that circulation is optimal and that you promote strength, good health and well-being.
Yoga is about finding our center. These principles are tools that will guide you toward balance. As part of the positive approach to Anusara yoga, teachers and instructors generally do not “fix students' poses” in terms of alignment, but rather instruct the proper use of the principles of alignment and allow each individual to develop on their own. The physical practice of Anusara is a vinyasa style that links movement with breathing.
This creates a flow between poses throughout the class. Classes often include music to increase the experience of joy and fluidity. The class begins with an invocation (to focus the intention) through singing and meditation. It ends with the corpse pose (Savasana), followed by a meditation and a final chant.
The class also usually ends with the ultimate intention of students taking their yoga classes to their daily lives. Anusara Yoga is a modern hatha yoga practice, guided by the heart, imbued with a non-dual tantric philosophy. Founded in the 1990s by John Friend, this popular yoga style has had fame, fortune, success and scandal. By making their way into big festivals and getting the support of successful companies, it wasn't uncommon to see Anusara Yoga teachers on the covers of magazines, and some had become famous in the world of yoga.
Friend founded Anusara in Texas in 1997 and found a kind of “yoga fame”, becoming something of a celebrity as the brand quickly gained popularity. Because of their focus on positive thinking, Anusara Yoga classes are often uplifting and inspiring. The philosophy behind Anusara is a non-dual tantric approach in which the practitioner “always seeks the intrinsic goodness of each situation in order to respond adequately to what is happening in the present moment”. Called the Anusara School of Hatha Yoga and popularly known as Anusara Yoga, the school's ideology focuses on the tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness.
Based on the philosophy of Tantra, which focuses on spiritual balance and intrinsic goodness, Anusara highlights alignment, heart-opening poses, and the spiritual and meditative aspects of yoga.
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