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| This is really just to answer Gwyn who asked how my Anusara classes went.
First, let me say that I respect all forms of yoga and this is just my opinion, and that I do not mean to seem overly critical. My primary exposure to yoga has been my Bikram practice for the last 8 months or so. As far as Anusara classes, I have taken 2 of the 4 in the Intro series, attended a Doug Keller 2 hour seminar, and actually just last night took a Basics class, so I don't really have a lot to base my opinion on.
Whew! Now that I have all that out of the way...........
I think that the basic principles of Anusara as far as alignment and anatomy are right on. What I don't quite understand is why they (I guess I should say John Friend) decided he had to create a whole new vocabulary to describe such things. For example, the concepts of "muscular energy" vs. "organic energy" which as far as I can see are pretty much the same as "flexing" (muscular energy) and stretching (organic energy). I am perhaps being over-simplistic. And then there are all the loops and spirals which as I understand are really just ways of turning your legs, arms or pelvis this way or that. It just seems to make everything more complicated than it needs to be and (no offense) this comes off as seeming a bit "gimmicky" to me. (And, I admit there is also a certain degree of "gimmick" to Bikram so you don't need to point that out to me.)
All that aside, because I think the basic ideas are helpful, I don't feel that I function very well under the Anusara teaching style which so far has consisted of the instructor demonstrating the asana either before or at the same time and giving somewhat limited verbal direction, then travelling around the room and "adjusting" people by physically pushing, pulling and/or twisting them into the proper form. I would compare this to Bikram where (say what you want about the dialogue) there is very detailed verbal instruction (usually no demonstration) even when to inhale and exhale, and "adjustments" are mostly made verbally. I don't have a problem with being touched but it just seems to me that I should be using my own strength and muscles to do the asana the best I can rather than being somewhat "forced" into it and not being able to hold it anyway.
I do really enjoy the spiritual part of Anusara - the chanting and so on.
If I had more time in my personal life, I would perhaps take more Anusara classes and try to absorb more of it, but when I saw what it was like, I knew I wouldn't have enough time to devote to it so I sort of lost interest. Maybe when I retire...........  |
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| Outstanding quick look K.A.--Thanks. Good description and comparing with Bikram helped me see AND I was glad to see you said there was chanting--now I don't have to go. |
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| Check out the chanting, Bruce - you might be surprised! I was a little hesitant at first, but the little bit we've done in my other classes has been much more enjoyable than I would have guessed.
As far as the adjustments go, Kathy Ann, it does seem strange to be pushed/pulled to a level where you can't hold the position...One of my teachers has incorporated this into the classes and it bothered me a bit at first. It seems, in her case anyway, to be a more of a tool to help show us what the ideal for our body is, give us a glimpse of hope for further practices, and allow to really broaden our comfort zone. It's never done to the point of pain or discomfort. I've found it helpful because even though I can't hold it yet - every time I'm that far into the asana I'm still working towards that point...But it sounds like you've basically enjoyed the class, and really, any practice is better than no practice, eh?  |
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| No no no Lora--nein on the chanting. I went to one ashtnga class with incense and cheesy music and a soft spoken teacher who I think was subliminally trying to get me to sell my soul or something--keep that stuff up and soon they'll have you sucking saltwater up your nose--or worse! |
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| Lora,
Yes, I did enjoy the classes overall and I still have 2 more to go in the Intro series. I also just bought a 5-class pack at the studio I went to last night. They have a variety of classes. There is one called "Yin" or "Deep Stretching" that I am interested in. I guess it's all floor poses that you hold for a long time to open up. The guy at the studio said that would be a good one for me since I do Bikram which he referred to as an "agressive" practice. He also suggested a "Restorative" class in which you use all kinds of props and just sort of relax. He said that after that one you feel like you just had a massage. Sounds good to me!
The best thing about taking these other classes is the chance to learn new asanas, which we don't get to do in Bikram.
Bruce - my feeling about the chanting is that it can be applied to whatever faith you happen to follow. It's just a spiritual thing, not really religious and there isn't that much, just a little at the start and finish
Yeah, that saltwater up the nose reminds me that I haven't used my Neti Pot in a while - gotta do that over the weekend - snort, snort .  |
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| EEEeeeew incense and neti pots! I have horrible allergies and I (being the yoga diva that I am) can't study in a studio that burns incense.... as for the salt water inhalation - I know some people live by it, but there are some things that just inflame my already comprimised sinuses - and inhaling anything but good old air is just about lethal! |
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| By the way : 1) didnt' mean to insult anyone by denigrating the use of neti pots and incense, that stuff just isn't for me... sorry if you took offense to my comments
2) Thanks for the comments on the Anusara class. There's an article in (I don't know if I can say this here, so I'll just whisper) yoga journal about John Friend and anusara.
I'd like to take a class, but the only one available gets out the same time Ihave to deliver dd to camp in the AM  However, Betsey Downing is coming to a local studio in Sept and I'm thinking I may take her course,,,, unfortunately, it's the same weekend that the Dalai Lama comes to town! I have to buy that ticket if I want to go - very very soon... and then in Nov is a 4 day David Williams ashtanga workshop... so much yoga ... so little time - and money |
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| Hey Kathy Ann --
I agree to some extent with your experience; it does get a little confusing if you're used to hearing things a certain way. I am finding that the more I practice, the more those loops and spirals help. Also, I am lucky that I have an instructor who is VERY detailed in his descriptions and only demonstrates when he sees many are not quite getting it. I enjoy the adjustments. They are gentle and show me what I am capable of without pain. Another benefit I have is that I am taking a Level II class (it's actually kind of I 1/2). We do all sorts of fun inversions and stuff like that.
The Yin Yoga is very interesting. I have Paul Grilley's book and have practiced a few times. VERY deep stuff. You'll need your breathwork for this stuff but it is definitely some nice "yin" to Bikram's "yang".
Well -- I won't be doing any yoga for a while. I went water slalom skiing yesterday, was very excited for the holiday weekend plans of ski ski ski! First time out -- wiped out big time. Body went to the right and ski and lower leg went to the left. OUCH! I'm on crutches and feeling very sorry for myself Of course, I won't even be able to find out what is wrong until after the 5th, since everyone is closed for the holiday. 
Happy 4th 
Gwyn |
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| If I could make a suggestion, you might try to work on the comparison thing. Give it up, if you can, and look at Anusara as I do: my "theory" class. Ashtanga is my practice, but Anusara is the theory that helps my foundation and movement in my practice be stronger, safer and more fluid.
Bikram flat out says not to adjust the students. "...either they'll get it or they won't" were his lips, through the phone line, to my ears. Frankly, IMHO, this is as detrimental to a student as an overly aggressive adjustment. Too many times students/we have no idea where our parts are. A qualified, trained teacher can help you gently turn your foot in, rotate your arm, lift your head, etc., to give a student an instant ease in an asana. We can't necessarily do that to ourselves, despite all verbal intentions. And remember, many people do not learn verbally. There's touch, aural, and visual learning, and in yoga we should consider using all three methods to assimilate instruction into our muscle memory.
Dalhi Lama!? YES!!! Naturally 1st choice.
Betsey Downing! Any time, any where, any when. She's fabulous and you must tell her I said hello. Talk about changing how you practice yoga!?
David Williams? Not if you're not already practicing Ashtanga. He's one of the 1st Americans to study with Pattabhi and an amazing guy, but if you're walking in without a practice? Frequently those pursed lips, straining grunts, and exhausted, ragged breath take their toll and someone comes out injured. I suggest waiting on Mr. Williams until you've been doing the Primary Series at least 3x a week for about a year. Not "vinyasa" or "flow" yoga, but the actual Primary Series.
My opinion; my experience.
Bruce, your Ashtanga techer with incense and chanting must have gotten lost on the highway and taken a wrong turn into yoga foo-foo land. The LAST thing someone wants when breathing Ujjiya breath for 90 minutes is that awful, harsh incense smoke in their throat. If I were there to practice, I'd be pissed. It's bad enough when some boob is chewing gum, excreeting curry or garlic or hasn't washed their pits this week, let alone stench on purpose. Incense has its place where it's nice and creates a nice atmosphere. In an Ashtanga studio IN the practice room is questionable. People also don't seem to realize a little goes a heck of a long way.
And the only chanting done traditionally in an Ashtanga class is the opening invocatio (2 minutes at most) and potentially and rarely, the closing invocation. See, in Mysore people are beginning and ending at their own pace. Chanting is private and quietly done under the breath. If it's a led class, that's different, but the direction of Ashtanga is to be a solo practice.
I digress and I'm sorry.
Take that awful article in YJ with a huge grain of salt. Most find the article rather embarrassing. According to an email I received from the studio owner where I practice, the editors did not edit any of the corrections or items John indicated were wrong/off-base or just plain weird after they'd asked him to review it. I can tell you on the E. coast, no one had ever heard of a "Friend-head" and would curl a lip to hear someone use that term. There's definitely clapping in class. There's a congratulatory atmosphere when someone gets something for the first time or after a long struggle. There's appreciation and humor, but none of this lining teachers up to do a preformance. But then, he was recently in Las Vegas.
Gimmicky or not, the sh!t works! It also gives someone kind of a lingo that always works in every asana. Easy to remember, a formula that lines up the body, and it sounds good. Take the principles, translate them into whatever lingo works for you, but apply them to your practice. They will help you move more smoothly and more deeply into your same asana. I have taught the Bikram series (unknowingly to my students) on days when I was bored, using the Principles. They sailed through it!
Enough. Back to the garden. It's a freekin' 90ยบ here today.
Christine |
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| Christine,
Thanks for your detailed and all encompassing response! I pretty much missed out on the Dalai Lama (unless I want to pay $$ to a ticket broker -which I won't). So, I'm hoping the Betsy Downing weekend will be affordable. And I'm still hoping to do the David Williams weekend (according to the site of the studio that is sponsoring his visit, the workshop is going to be pretty much geared towards Ashtangi beginners)... don't worry... I've disgraced myself enough by dying during the last 15 mins of Bryan Kest classes... I find it hard to imagine I can degrade myself any further at this point |
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| I totally agree with you Christine. That article was weird.
How was your workshop experience? I don't recall seeing anything about it.
Gwyn |
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| I thought the YJ article was less than flattering, especially since they featured it on the cover. I hadn't really thought much about Anusara being "American" yoga. The few classes that I have been to, including the Doug Keller seminar were certainly not flashy like the article described. Maybe that was just the Vegas atmosphere. |
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| Kathy Ann - what with the weird collage picture of JF and the "rock star" theme of the article, I was thinking, the next thing we'll be visiting is "Anusaraland". You know: "Ride the Dalai's Llama!" "Take the Uttanasana Express" take your picture with "Prince John"... |
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| Which workshop?
If there were a way to capitalize on Anusaraland, I think it would happen. However, I must say that in my experience, all money aside, the actual attitude is all about the yoga, personal acceptance and development and having a good time while doing it. It's what keeps me interested. I'm terribly pragmatic and irreverant, so a lot of the Anusara over-use of metaphors has me gagging and rolling my eyes. However, I'm laughing at the same time. Some people eat it up and it speaks to their heart, so you never know what's going to work for whom.
My concerns, girlie, about the Ashtanga workshop aren't about embarrassing yourself, but more about hurting yourself. The asana are so different than what you're used to, and they're moving so much more quickly the first thing to go is safety. I love my practice, but I love being able to actually do it without hurting myself is important.
Just be your smart selves, ladies. Think for yourself, do what's right for you and your bodies. You'll be juuuuuuuust fine.
Christine |
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| Christine--the worshop I think KA is referring to was the one in COlorado where you were invited to teach the end of June--then again, you are a self-admitted workshop junkie but this particular one you were pretty darn excited about. |
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| Kathy,
I had the same reaction to Anusara yoga when I took my first class in it. Why the need to create a whole new system... why all the new terminology... why does everyone in America seem to want to use yoga in service of something that has nothing to do with yoga: brandnaming and distinguishing and separating and marketing? My primary objection is to the overly sappy (and inauthentic) use of "heart-centered" languaging that gets smeared all over the verbal instructions by too many of the Anusara teachers I happen to have practiced with. FYI I'm a Buddhist and my primary yoga practice is Ashtanga in the lineage of Pattabhi Jois (just so you understand my biases).
Then I practiced with John Friend. It was perhaps one of the most enjoyable and fun practices I ever had. He has a presence of total enjoyment and peace. And I got a clearer view of what's going on. First, you have to understand that John Friend was formerly an Iyengar teacher. That's his background. It's my opinion that he felt the systems of yoga that were available prior to Anusara focus too much on alignment and on other things while somehow missing the point of enjoyment and happiness. Which is what yoga really is about. Also, John Friend's principal guru was female. When practicing with him, this was pretty clear to me, because I really felt safe and taken care of, as if I were wrapped in the arms of my mother. My point being, Anusara yoga has a lot of feminine expression of energy, which is not how yoga has typically been done, and it's not easy to do authentically. The more masculine forms of yoga focus on precise verbal instructions or sequences of postures, very definite and conceptual forms of presentation and teaching. The Anusara community is trying to create a more heart-centered approach. It's a frontier, fairly undiscovered country, and they're having some growing pains (and boy is it growing)!
With regard to their terminology (loops, spirals, etc), I agree with YogaDancer. There are a variety of adjustments that go into something like "pelvic loop", but speaking from my teaching experiences, once you get a practitioner to make the connection between the term and the adjustments, acheiving good alignment in the postures is simplified. Also, thinking in terms of the loops is a really simple way to remember and self-adjust or instruct what would otherwise be about 30 disconnected possible specific adjustments. I applaud John Friend on the terminology he's developed. I've never met an Anusara teacher who didn't have a good understanding of alignment principles and a consistent way to articulate it effectively.
As I said, the only complaint I have is the attempt to implement the heart-centered languaging which, with some individuals, comes across as sappy and scripted. There are some teachers who include such language because they are genuinely feeling the qualities they are sharing, and there are others who are faking it until they make it! More growing pains.
Finally on the point of manual adjustments, this is hatha yoga in the lineage of Krishnamacharya, who taught both Iyengar and Pattabhi Jois (John Friend started in Iyengar remember). Personally, I find it effective both as a practitioner and a teacher. A yoga teacher is not just there to be a walking instruction video. Hopefully, a yoga teacher has some quality of being resulting from dedicated practice and understanding and manual adjustments are not so much meant to wrench people into a posture they can't hold as to open up new possibilities. Also, there are people who have so little body consciousness that they will not fully understand aspects of particular postures from verbal instructions and even demonstrations. In such cases, manual adjustments can communicate confidence and relaxation and help someone see where the posture is going, even if they only visit it for a moment.
This ended up being longer then I anticipated! Just some random thoughts...
James |
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| Very well put, IMHO. We share a similar background.
I have a really hard time with the flowering metaphors. I think some people just experience temporary insanity and go off on some weird tangent. I will never, ever, be able to "blossom my buttocks" and frankly do not want to. I have Australian friends, so whenever I hear that, I just snort because I think "Bloomin' *******." "Puffing the kidneys?" I don't think so. But I can suggest someone bow their heads to their heart to fill out their mid back.
One of the points I think many Anusara evangalists forget, is that JF and the teacher training manual make it very clear that there's room for individuality in how the Principles are expressed within the system. If one is using canned phrases that don't ring true, as they would not to James, me, and many others, they'd sound nothing but stupid coming out of our mouths.
I hesitate to go for my certification with Anusara (I'm affiliated) because I must send in a 1 hour video of a Level I class. Fine, but in my area Anusara is SO FLOWERY I'm not certain I could achieve a delivery satisfying the "heart-oriented languaging" requirement and my own comfort and ease in presentation. I'm told I could, but it's a concern.
Taking the Anusara Principles into my own Ashtanga practice and into the classes I teach at the Ashtanga Center and Golden Heart is always interesting. It's fascinating to watch someone's light turn on when they integrate their shoulders in Parsva Konasana or Utkatasana and suddenly it's easy and smooth vs. a struggle. With more advanced Anusara students, it's so easy to look at someone and say, "Betty? More Kidneys" and see them immediately tuck their tail or draw their tummy in, their form improves and they're immediately deeper in the poses. How much more simple could an instruction become? One Word! I'm teaching a Level II and above Ashtanga class at an Anusara studio. Talk about georgeous practices and minimal risk! I'm loving it and it's all thanks to the "system"
I'm grateful to be able to use the Anusara Principles. Not only that, the community of a more group-oriented practice (vs. Ashtanga, which is very solitary) is really warm and (forgive me) open-hearted. I think I value that almost as much as Anusara permitting me to heal my injuries!
Anyway, James covered some good ground very well!
Christine |
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| Christine and James,
Thanks for all your knowledge! I had been interested in checking out some local Anusara classes but after reading the YJ article had been put off...Maybe what happens in Vegas should stay there. After reading your insights into the practice as a whole, though, the practice and ideas make much more sense. Don't think I'll be "blossoming my buttocks" any time soon, though...  |
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| Something about blossoming the buttocks is so vaguely rude.
I (also) always think about the 70s when "mooning' came into vogue. I recall some boy in highschool prying his buttocks apart to press them against the inside of a car window as they drove by us girls, honking and screaming wildly. Talk about one of the uglier things I've ever seen. But (sorry guys) boys seem to be so anally-oriented. They learn to hide it as they grow up, but it's always there.
Just yesterday I heard some dad tell his 8 year old daughter (as they were picking up deoderant) that he was going to squirt it on her. She laughed and screamed, "No WAY! I don't stink!" He said, "I'm gonna put it on your butt!" They laughed and laughed. But there's that butt-thing!
Boy do I digress. Yes, blossoming the buttocks is just plan weird languaging. Todd Norian gets really crazy with it, telling you to imagine a beautiful magnolia blossom at the end of your tailbone just opening to the morning light. Oh boy {eyes rolling, gagging noises happening here} that was just about too much for this pragmatic, concise Ashtangi. I suppose it would have been rude to laugh out loud, so I just choked.
Christine |
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| Woo hoo I came into this thread WAY too late and can't even get to the prime thought without being totally diverted by the butt thing. Christine, the guy/anal link? I think you're a creature of your own experiences, i.e., the guys doing the "pressed ham" against the car windows, the man/daughter and deoderant, what down dog does for your hubby--now if it were "Bloonin' bosom" I'd get in on this conversation |
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| Oh, Christine! I really love magnolias, too!
And Bruce, if you go to the John Friend or Anusara website (I'm not sure what the site address is) there is a very entertaining cartoon video that actually shows blooming bottom. It's a chuckle
found it www.anusara.com
Edited by Gruvemom 2004-07-08 1:55 PM
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| Christine,
You know, "blossoming buttocks" is not solely owned by Anusara. I've noticed that Richard Freeman is like to say similar things (RADIANT BUTTOCKS!!! forget it... there's no 'doing' Richard Freeman in text) and his status as an Ashtangi could not be disputed. Personally I don't feel there's anything offensive about the language, and if it causes someone to release their analness (as it does me! ) in the posture, all the better. I think you're right about men having hangups about just letting it all hang out, but I also thing its a human thing, not solely contained to males! I think this whole thing is a process of letting down judgements and offenses and opening up barriers. If blossoming buttocks is going to help me open that area up, so be it.
j |
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| James,
Thanks for your feedback and welcome to the forum. Nice to have yet another knowledgeable person participating.
Actually, I had read about John Friend's background and had perused Doug Kelller's Anusara book (which I found to be a wee bit too technical for me) prior to attending any Anusara classes. I'm a bit of a bibliophile and like to research activities, places etc. before I do or go. But, since I am not very familiar with Iyengar yoga, I would be curious to know what the differences in terminology are between the 2 forms.
As far as the "heart" or spiritual side goes, that is such an individual, personal thing. I think that Anusara does provide an environment where one can attempt to tap into the "inner spirit" and I think it is generic enough that it can be applied to most types of faith. For example, the opening invocation with it's reference to the "Auspicious Lord" which could represent whomever you wished. It would be too bad if some of the instructors felt forced to "fake it".
Christine - I know you have spoken about the "kula" or "sense of community" that Anusara can provide. I actually feel that in my Bikram classes because I have been attending the same studio since I started and there are always at least several people in each class I take that I am familiar with. Anusara may have the best intentions of providing "kula" but as far as I am concerned, a room full of stangers is still a room full of strangers. I'm sure if I attended Anusara classes on a regular basis I would feel the "kula" but so far, nada. |
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| Kathy Ann - I liked what you had to say about "Kula" and I'm with ya! First as a bibliophile and research addict (the internet is total enablement there) second in my feeling about "Kula".
I attended a Bryan Kest class recently and couldn't find anyone from "home" to go with... ok, I figure, "Hey, it's yoga". Well, it was and it wasnt.... It was yoga and a great, albeit killer class which I was certain I would never recover from.
But it was in a "chi chi" gym in a "chi chi" town with "chi chi poo poo" women - most of whom were extensively reconstructed (even the young ones) and when I tried to strike up conversations with anyone it was "Hi, I'm Melissa." (after all, this is what the Miami Convention had been like) the response was "oh, hi. are you a member here?" "No, I found out about the class on Bryan Kest's website" "oh" and then they would (I'm not kidding) turn their back on me. Maybe they hated my Target brand yoga pants or the fact that I wore a real bandana and not a Kate Spade |
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| I must plead igorance. Should I know who Kate Spade is?
I'm sorry you had, or anyone ever has to encounter people like that. At .... at a yoga conference or workshop. How absolutey the opposite of any yogic principle. But then, we can look at this as one of the influences of the western world, fitness, media, whatever in that the whole point has become competition in some weird way.
If they were members, wouldn't they know if you were or weren't? Were they looking to make points with someone who was in order to be sponsored themselves for membership? Were they hoping to find a "who's who?"
Oh odd.
Try an Anusara conference. You'll end up with more buddies that you can shake a stick at.
C. |
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---My Anusara Experience
