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Anusara yoga is a relatively new discipline of yoga, founded in 1997. This discipline draws heavily from the poses and postures of Hatha yoga and is therefore also well known as a new school of Hatha yoga. John Friend founded this discipline aiming to bring together the philosophies of forgiveness and goodness of a person’s being with the other well-known principles of alignment. Due to its simplicity and underlying philosophies, today, along with the older and better known types of yoga, like Bikram yoga, Kripalu yoga, Iyengar yoga and Vinyasa yoga (which also draw heavily from Hatha yoga), Anusara yoga is fast growing in popularity. There are hundreds of trained teachers all over the world who guide yoga enthusiasts in practicing this new, spiritual form of yoga that helps bring a balance between the body, mind, and soul. The word Anusara itself means “following your heart” in which the feelings of a person are given prominence. There is no doubt that the popularity of this form of yoga is because of its philosophy that many consider to be uplifting. The spirituality in question comes from the fact that the disciples are encouraged to bring out the best in themselves by seeing the best in others. This particular seeking of goodness in every living person is termed as the “celebration of the heart” by the disciples.
Each student practicing this style is celebrated for their uniqueness and differences, making the Anusara yoga community very tightly knit. The teachers and students know each other well, and work as a family to progress lovingly through their lives. Owing to its still limited numbers, the people involved with Anusara yoga are highly organized. The different disciples in different geographical areas keep themselves networked, aligning to the original principles and philosophies of the discipline. Along with the networking, there is also a strong focus on developing individuality and freedom to express the self creatively. Each human being is considered to be unique and divine. This uniqueness is celebrated with much alacrity.
The methodology of teaching Anusara yoga is simple. The teachers are trained professionals, who see what is best in each student. A teacher doesn’t try to realign a student who is performing a pose. Instead, in each of the pose, the teacher helps point out grace. This exercise is performed for the purpose of rebuilding the students’ self-esteem and helping them unveil their own inherent goodness.
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