Starting out from such a place of un-fitness stirs up a lot of dark emotions; shame, anger, loneliness, regret, fear, frustration.  In general, these are not emotions I use to describe my life.  It’s akin to that feeling you have when you realize it’s time to tackle the garage.  There’s lots to clean out and throw away.

So I’m talking to my boss (I work at a non-profit theatre in LA) and it comes up that I’m doing this blog.  He smiled at me and said, “You know I’m a yoga instructor.”  No.  I didn’t know that.  He then gave me some instruction.  It was amazing.

He told me that the gift of yoga is learning to be present.  Breathe and stay in the moment.  It opens appreciation for everything.  Yoga will gently disrupt existing energy patterns in my life and bring in new ones on every level through focusing on the breath and form of what my body is doing, he said.  This is not just a physical transformation.

Claire posted a suggestion to my last blog to do some Sun Salutations and with the instruction from my boss ringing in my ears, I found a modified version of the Sun Salutation that I can do.  Kind of.  Corrine at Audio Yoga gave me further modifications when I described that I’m shape more like an orange than a stalk of celery which has helped tremendously.   

The thing I’ve figured out about yoga is that it’s like learning a new language. At first, you might only be able to ask “¿Donde esta la biblioteca?,” but over time you gain vocabulary and fluency.

The one thing I think I’m fluent in already is appreciation.  Thanks to all those who have started this journey off with lots of encouragement, suggestions and help.

Founded in 1997 by John Friend, Anusara (“to flow with grace”) is a powerful hatha yoga system grounded in the precise science of biomechanics and a life-affirming spiritual philosophy. At the core of the practice – open heartedness.

Anusara aspires to awaken and express joy. It’s a celebration of the divine within each student, and the path of recognition is through the heart. Teachers honor and respect individual student’s differences, abilities, and limitations, and are trained to see the beauty and perfection already present in each pose.

Bottom line, the practice is up lifting, the philosophy empowering, and the alignment superb.

Every class begins with a centering invocation and incorporates a heart-oriented theme, typically centered on cultivating a virtuous quality, meant to give students an attitudinal direction or intention to be embodied in each pose. Classes are typically fun, light-hearted and can be very communal and extraverted; it’s not uncommon for students to assist one another or be called on to demonstrate a pose followed by applauds to celebrate the accomplishment.

There is a playful quality to each class, but that doesn’t mean it’s not challenging. Thanks to Anusara’s Universal Principle of Alignment even the most advanced poses are made possible, and during class students may attempt backbends, handstands, demanding arm balances, and every variation in between. Without a set template or sequence, Anusara teachers are encouraged to express their creative freedom offering lessons from their own experiences. 

Designed by Friend after years of studying yoga – primarily Iyengar – as well as biomechanics and kinesiology, the Universal Principles of Alignment are just that, simplified principles applied universally in all poses to achieve optimal alignment.

Requiring a high level of studentship, Anusara practitioners learn how to change their bodies so that the more difficult poses are no longer just accessible to the really bendy, strong people. Therefore, Anusara yoga is effectively therapeutic and physically transformational – repeating the mantra good alignment is good therapy.

One of the most distinctive attributes of Anusara is the Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness that is skillfully woven into each class. Unlike a Classical Yoga philosophy that emphasis Pantajali’s Eightfold Path to reach freedom from embodiment or bondage, a Tantra-based yoga seeks freedom in embodiment through recognition. The body (and ego for that matter) is no longer a problem or something to transcend, but divinity itself – in Anusara everything is divine. Therefore, the asana practice becomes a celebration and each pose a creative expression of divinity.

Another distinguishing factor of Anusara is the heavy emphasis on community. Just like Anusara classes, the Anusara community (kula) is inclusive, life-affirming, evolving, and celebrates individual differences and creative freedom. The kula is an organized network of highly trained teachers and fun loving students held together by everyone’s alignment to the Anusara philosophy, such as celebrating beauty in all its diversity.

For more information, or to find an Anusara teacher in your area, please visit www.anusara.com.