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Expert Yogi
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Location: A Blue State | How does Anusara yoga relate or compare to Iyengar yoga? I've been reading the Anusara web site (www.anusara.com), and the general description almost seems like Iyengar yoga with a more westernized spin on the philosophy and on the relationship of teachers to students. Anybody have enough exposure to both systems to compare them? I've never done an Anusara class. ... bg | |
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| I haven't done alot of either style, but I've found Anusara classes and teachers much more, I don't know the right word - flowery? Also on average more fun, if the degree of flowery works for you.
They're both very focused on alignment but Anusara goes about it somewhat differently, describes it very differently. The whole loops and spirals thing. I did a Todd Norian workshop a while back and I was really beat after it!
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| "Anusara draws on Friend's years as an Iyengar teacher - he studied with Lasater, Ramanand Patel, Mary Dunn, and B.K.S. Iyengar"
http://www.yogajournal.com/views/1331.cfm | |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State | todd - 2007-02-24 5:50 PM "Anusara draws on Friend's years as an Iyengar teacher - he studied with Lasater, Ramanand Patel, Mary Dunn, and B.K.S. Iyengar" http://www.yogajournal.com/views/1331.cfm[/QUOTE] And this is part of what motivates my question. He had the Iyengar background, but decided to make a different system. It looks as if he kept the alignments and the general spirituality, but changed other parts. The Anusara code of ethics for teachers contains some comments about not hitting students which seem almost like a reaction against BKS. .. bg | |
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| i kinda like getting hit...
you know "percussion" alignments, hmm?
i'd like to get down with some anusara classes sometime, but they aren't to be found in my city...
i did do yoga with John Friend in a dream one time...
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| Oddly, there seems to be a whole lot more anusara teachers in my city than there are Iyengar teachers. In fact, there is only one Iyengar studio here, and good dozen Anusara. Considering how the style is such a recent development, I found that strange. But I guess that is a side-effect of being a Western (North American, right?) innovation in yoga, rather than being sourced in India, which I presume makes it easier to train as a teacher in Anusara than in Iyengar. I don't really have a clue what I'm talking about though,  .
I suppose I'll try out a class or two in this style one day. After all, why not?
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| I've taken a couple Anusara classes but no formal Iyengar classes, though there is one teacher at my studio who was trained in Iyengar style. I guess you could say that "flowery" style of teaching is the norm at my studio (not an Anusara studio), so for me that's all I know. Personally, I like it, because the metaphors make so much sense to me (guess I'm intuitively tantric; i.e. my body's "mind" is a very strong force in my life), so I guess a strict Iyengar approach would feel a bit lacking to me, maybe???? One of these days I'll take a class or two at the local Iyengar school, just to get a firmer feeling of the differences myself. | |
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| Anusara training is not easy. The one Anusara teacher at our studio is a John Friend freak and explained that it takes years and big bucks. They talk alot about the "heart center" in Anusara. Everything is about the heart center. They also use lots of props, which I like. | |
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| susbarb1 - 2007-02-26 10:11 PM
Anusara training is not easy. The one Anusara teacher at our studio is a John Friend freak and explained that it takes years and big bucks. They talk alot about the "heart center" in Anusara. Everything is about the heart center. They also use lots of props, which I like.
Well, everything IS about the heart center, isn't it?  It's the middle (4th) chakra out of the 7, so it does make sense to treat it as the focal point or core of your being (ugh, talk about flowery!). I think in my next teacher training (which may or may not be in this lifetime) I'll do the Anusara training, or at least go for what's called being an Anusara-inspired teacher. We'll see. | |
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| Hey guys! Don't forget that, in Anusara, the poses are "performed" from the heart, coupled with the Tantric philosophy that life is a divine gift. I find it much easier to be accepting of where I am in my practice/life when I come from that angle, than the (to me) more dry and physical Iyengar.
That being said, I studied Iyengar for the 1st couple years of my practice and have avoided major injury because of it.
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Expert Yogi
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Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | This is an interesting duo.....and recently, my own teacher, who is also Bikram certified from the good ole' days....has been teaching this style, Anusara, and I didn't even know it until she mentioned it to me one day in a conversation. So, I guess I can officially say that I am practicing Anusara style, Iyengar influenced Hatha yoga too,  I like it alot. I love my 'other' yoga classes, other than Bikram. In fact, it has enhanced my physical yoga asana practice in a big time way. Now if I can only do the Frog asana, like NB showed me, I can learn Ashtanga yoga....then who knows...maybe, just maybe, I'll really be one of those True Yogi Experts, | |
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Expert Yogi
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Location: A Blue State | Gruvemom - 2007-02-27 7:15 AM Hey guys! Don't forget that, in Anusara, the poses are "performed" from the heart, coupled with the Tantric philosophy that life is a divine gift. I find it much easier to be accepting of where I am in my practice/life when I come from that angle, than the (to me) more dry and physical Iyengar.
That being said, I studied Iyengar for the 1st couple years of my practice and have avoided major injury because of it.
There's a concept in Iyengar yoga of simply "being in" the asana. It's the point at which you simply are there, no longer fiddling around with alignment or straining for greater depth. You just stop doing those things after so many seconds or minutes and continue to exist in the asana. It seems a bit like "performing from the heart", in the sense of acceptance, but within in Iyengar yoga there's a definite implication of detachment from what you are doing. Perhaps that is the essential difference? The "detachment" ties back to Yoga Sutra-oriented aims, I think. ... bg | |
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| Dear Dhanurasana: If you like to get beaten, I can give you a private class for no charge, all the beating you want FREE.
Dear BG: It is actually not detachment from Asana, it is that after reaching the predetermined perfection of a pose, there is no more effort involved. But, the perfection of pose is never defined as an absolute thing. It is defined by a person or a teacher. There is no perfection in the material world, which definitely performing a pose is due to usage of body, which is made up of pancha mahaabhuuta, a material universe. And, that has nothing to do with Yoga Sutras.
Dear CyndiBen: When are you coming again for your Frog Tour? Now, we have a pond for you, too! And, I have another Honey Friend (I mean a friend who makes honey), who is one of the two TTs. She want to see you and compare her honey with yours!!!
I guess if the flowery style give students encouragement, I would like that. There is no direct advantage of beating someone. But, Iyengar's tapping is not beating. It is called yoga touch. And, he does not advise others to do it. He does that involuntarily. That can not be considered a part of style. Actually, it is very difficult to beat like he does. If you do, you will get beaten by the students!!!
But, what I want to know is the meaning of the word 'anusara' from the anusara experts.
And, everything does not come from heart. There are other plexuses, such as Mulaadhaara. That does not come from Heart! | |
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| This weekend, Felicity was talking about Mr. Iyengar, and mentioned that once he hit a student, and the student proceeded to hit him right back.
This pleased him very much
...
i wonder how i'll react if/when i am hit by a teacher
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you know, REALLY hit
Neel:
i'm on my way!
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| Oh man....where I do begin? Anusara instructors that I've known have been extremely poetic and have an undying/unquestioning devotion to 'their teacher' John Friend (did he come up with his last name on purpose? ). They try to explain all the many spirals, but I always get the impression that they don't really understand it themselves...because I don't know how much validity the whole thing has (sorry, don't get offended anyone). The anusara teachers do remind everyone to 'lift the heart' which just means to open the chest....talking about the heart is very confusing I think...especially with new students. The separating of the sitting bones to tuck the tail makes the asanas particularly stable, but I'm not so sure it does what John Friend claims it does. For the moment I think that John Friend is probably a very charismatic, funny and talented guy....I'm not so sure he should be giving anatomy lessons though. | |
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Expert Yogi
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| shalomom - from what I have heard and seen the spirals are identical to Iyengar alignment. Some people find the shorthand explanation of a spiral easier to understand and some find it harder. People do indeed love the guy and I hear a lot about the heart centre, warmth and humour in the classes. Anything that makes people happeir and kinder is a good thing  | |
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| Has anyone here ever actually been "hit" by a teacher? It's not like it sounds, and very few teachers do it and even then it's used for a specific purpose. My teacher explained to me it's to bring awareness, usually to a very small spot (think 2x3 inches on the upper back), on a cellular level. She has said that the body learns through repetition, and shock. The "slap" is shock. Once you've had it, you'll never forget the action!
Anyhow, I've trained in the Iyengar tradition but have recently been studying with some Anusara teachers. I can see the appeal in *some* of the teachers. If it gets too "flowery" then I'm lost. The alignment seems similar to Iyengar, but the cues are different, and the way of entering the poses different.
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| I had a teacher lightly whack her fingers against my quad, with the intent of waking up the muscle and getting it to engage. It was slightly demoralizing, as in "why can't you (the muscle) do what you're supposed to do?" Thing is, I was trying my hardest to engage, and my quads just don't respond well, so it was even more unnerving. It's not like I didn't know that I had to use my quads then! I tend to think in metaphors myself, so the flowery language of Anusara works for me. I have yet to take a "pure" Iyengar class, so I really don't have an informed opinion on that style with which to compare. Either way, I tend to gravitate to both these styles, more so than Ashtanga, power or Bikram. | |
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| IMHO: It does not matter whether you hit a person, or tap a person, or talk an effective language or do some other thing, as long as the awareness comes the effect is same. Now, out of these, I shall prefer the method which is most effective but respecting. | |
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| The really great thing about yoga, and all the different styles and techniques, is that different things will appeal to different people. I don't find the "slap" offensive, but others might. I like alignment-oriented yoga. Others don't. But asana is flexible. Woo that's a good pun, LOL | |
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| Color me surprised! I've never heard of the slap before. I have to say, I would not like to be hit or touched in any way other than a very gentle touch. Sounds violent, so I must not understand. That would be against ahimsa. | |
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| Againist Ahimsa might be taking it a little far...
I think some teachers (myself) including can get wrapped up in being in charge of the class. I will stop the entire class sometimes when one person won't listen and wait for them to get it. I am strict sometimes. But honestly it is all an "act" to encourage them and make a point. Once you have studied with me a few times, I think they realize that there is a point I'm making to the strictness. You have to encourage trust. So, I'll say engage your legs or lean forward "Bob" etc.. Or I'll come over and let him lean on me.
If I had a stick I would feel like Debbie Allen in Fame, "you got big dreams, you want fame, we'll fame costs and right here is where you start paying, in sweat."
Orangemat. Iyengar and ashtanga are pretty similar, in my opinion. Much more so, than people realize, sometimes. In ashtanga you work with the same system and the alignment comes from repeition, (six times a week). Iyengar you might get more postures, longer holds, but the foundations of both seem pretty similar. When you consider the lineage it makes sense too. I've been studying with a very good teacher who learned from his teacher who learned from Krishnamacharya in his late period. Sure, it's a little different, but honestly, you can tell that it is part of the same stuff.
Eric
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| Hi everyone
I have never done Iyengar yoga classes before but I have fallen in love with Anusara yoga. Though I have never met or attended any John Friend's classes before. I have a teacher here in Singapore who is Anusara trained and I have enjoyed and benefitted from his class tremendously.
I do agree that in the beginning, I was lost with the flowery language too! Too much information and very "imaginery" language like "opening your heart", "spiral of the muscles inwards", "organic energy", "hugging the muscles"... etc
But eventually I began to understand the meaning and have made tremendous improvement to my practice. The principles work and help us go into poses safely!
But most importantly, I find that it is the energy of an anusara class that I love the most. It is a roomful of happy people and having fun! ( of course, the infamous handstands in every class are scary at first but I have grown to love them! From a total freak out at handstand yogigni to a "why we aren;t doing handstand today" yogini )
I have attended a few other anusara teachers' workshops like Desiree Rumbaugh and I totally adore all of them.
Hope my experience helps! | |
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Wonderful! | |
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| I think they are the same for me (I'm not an expert but have taken both) except that Anusara is a bit more user-friendly? Easier descriptions. I continue to go to both. Fortunately I have not experienced a poetic or too much of a flowery talking style with my Anusara teacher. | |
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| How interesting. For me they are not at all alike.
I've taken only a couple of classes of each, so I really don't have much information to go on. But I do have some level of awareness.
In my Iyengar sessions one woman was lovely. She taught only what she knew and it was a very beautiful class - not in its bright colors of poetic language. Just that it was so directly from her. The other Iyengar teacher stomped around, was a bit loud, and yanked on several students under the guise of "adjusting".
To me the Anusara class was a rail drink. Some cheap vodka but mostly orange juice. Most of the principles are clearly Iyengar but not enough of them for me to call it an alignment-based asana practice. Added to it was quite a bit of flowery dialogue delivered with a lilt. So to me it felt like someone else's asana (in part) and some nice things to say - but there didn't seem to be anything at all behind the words. Just words.
Even if I set that aside...I walked out of class and could not remember where my car was. I am very kapha and that's a significant reaction for me to have. I do realize many people think yoga IS about being blissed out. So my very statement here will serve to reinforce their position. But I simply did not find the residue of that practice very effective for my living.
Edited by purnayoga 2009-02-03 2:13 PM
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| I have taken many classes with Anusara trained teachers. My impression is that they are, as a rule, very well trained in alignment and in modifying poses for each individual. As a former dancer, I found this to be incredibly helpful and positive. There are so many instructors who merely teach to their idea of what students "should" be doing. It takes far greater skill to look at each individual and assess his or her needs based on limitations and abilities. My assessment of Anusara instrctors is that they are almost universally gifted in this domain.
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| Iyengar teachers don't hit students.
BKS did it in a particulat time and place...and students felt it was helpful not hurtful that it brought attention and intelligence.
J Friend was an Iyengar teacher for long time, but was always crediting his yoga to guru maya of SYDA yoga. anusara grew out of friend's iyengar foundation and its strengths come from that.
it can be very flowery and sugary-sweet. as someone else had mentioned all the "heart talk" can be ambiguous and taken many ways. and the spiral teachings often seem unclear to the person using the language.
to me (and i do have a bias toward iyengar--which is just where i come from and my preference) iyengar strives for clarity, anusara goes for feel-good. | |
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| I started taking yoga at an Anusara-based studio about two months ago. Prior to this stint, I studied with a very gifted young Iyengar teacher about 20 years ago. I can say that the Iyengar teacher was much more precise in the physical aspects of the yoga and left the spirituality part to the practitioner. In the Anusara studio, it depends on who is teaching. Some teachers are more verbal about the spirituality stuff, some are less. I personally would prefer a "less is more" approach with the New Agey spirituality stuff as I find it distracting and annoying at times. Also, how is anyone really qualified to teach anyone else the "truth"? Why should their truth be privileged over anyone else's. Then, again, I'm an analytically-oriented psychologist and have spent years trying to learn how to talk less and help others find and speak their own truth. In any case, I'll continue going to the studio I go to because it's close to home, affordable, clean, and I really enjoy the heat. And it is possible to avoid the teachers who are overbearing with their pseudo-philosophies. There's one teacher in particular who is trained in "Power Yoga", and who I will avoid at all costs. I took one class with her (she was subbing) and there were several points at which I had the urge to just roll up my mat and leave. I was reeling from the experience for days.
If you want to know more about the differences between Iyengar and Anusara you should take a look at their teacher training programs. Anusara requires a commitment of 200 hours of in-studio teacher training after which you are considered a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). Iyengar requires that you have 3 years of practice under an Iyengar teacher before you are considered qualified to begin teacher training. Then it's something like 3 weekend-long training seminars. From my brief encounter with Anusara, I'm struck by how many teachers in the studio I go to are people who are coming to teaching yoga after many years of teaching aerobics, body sculpting, personal training, etc.
As the previous poster, my preference is for Iyengar. There is a very well-known, seasoned Iyengar teacher in my area. She's a little out of the way and teaches one class a week in each level. I'm planning to start practicing under her as well. I figure it'll be kind of like learning to play an instrument. You go to a lesson once a week, and then spend the rest of the week practicing what you've learned, the little tweaks and details and what-not. It'll be ironic, however, that part of what I'll be practicing is how to filter out the "heart talk" of the Anusara teachers.
Edited by PadmaMudra 2010-09-21 6:36 AM
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
| PadmaMudra - thanks for that comparison. I will just correct you a little bit. Once a person is accepted into Iyengar teacher training, it is a three to five YEAR process, many weekend and several week-long training sessions and a weekend long certification exam before the trainee is certified. Trainees do begin to teach after a year of TT, but they are under the supervision of a senior mentor teacher during that time. | |
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| Padma - who is the teacher? i'll typically opt for less of the hippie crap myself | |
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Member
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| PadmaMudra - 2010-09-21 11:18 AM
If you want to know more about the differences between Iyengar and Anusara you should take a look at their teacher training programs. Anusara requires a commitment of 200 hours of in-studio teacher training after which you are considered a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). Iyengar requires that you have 3 years of practice under an Iyengar teacher before you are considered qualified to begin teacher training. Then it's something like 3 weekend-long training seminars. From my brief encounter with Anusara, I'm struck by how many teachers in the studio I go to are people who are coming to teaching yoga after many years of teaching aerobics, body sculpting, personal training, etc.
Hi all
Just for the record, thats not actually the case. 200 hrs for RYT is a yoga alliance thing. Anusara has a two tier system of accreditation. To be an Anusara Inspired teacher you have to do 200 hours teacher training, 2 years of study with a certified teacher, teach for 2 years and tick a few other boxes.
Once you've done this, you can begin the 1000 study hours that you need to become a certified teacher. There aren't very many other schools of yoga with such stringent requirements, in fact, I only know of Purna and Iyengar being equally demanding (though I'm sure there are others i don't know of).
Namaste
Chris
PS. To the person that asked - Anusara means 'flowing from grace', or 'in the flow of grace' to reflect the central principle of Anusara which is to become aware that we are part of something bigger. | |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 2479
Location: A Blue State |
Just a fun fact - Krishna Das wrote the Anusara invocation. ... :-)
.. bg | |
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Posts: 17
| I think They're both very focused on alignment but Anusara goes about it somewhat differently, describes it very differently. The whole loops and spirals thing. I did a Todd Norian workshop a while back and I was really beat after it! | |
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Anusara & Iyengar