tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post5332122768733688602..comments2024-03-19T23:17:33.828-07:00Comments on Mindfulness Yoga: The Shadow of Anusara?Poep Sa Frank Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13609272991412471770noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-48254324119863626612020-11-23T08:47:05.819-08:002020-11-23T08:47:05.819-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Himalayan Yogi Ajayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14466359944356780209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-49210313135763843422019-10-24T03:02:46.819-07:002019-10-24T03:02:46.819-07:00Yoga and meditation have the power to improve intu...Yoga and meditation have the power to improve intuitive ability, effortlessly. It is a state that occurs naturally after an uninterrupted practice, fundamental for decision-making and the management of daily and transcendental situations.<br /><br />kovaisky yogahttp://www.kovaiskyyoga.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-82824530096391223432019-06-28T03:45:01.727-07:002019-06-28T03:45:01.727-07:00Thanks for sharing the valuable information. Your ...Thanks for sharing the valuable information. Your blog was very helpful and efficient For Me.Are you looking for <br />Yoga Teacher Training Dharmasala.Aranyayoga ashram offers the best yoga teacher training.<br /><a href="https://www.aranyayogaashram.com/dharamsala/" rel="nofollow">Yoga Teacher Training Dharmasala</a>Aranyayogahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10276984517291237268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-55108649862673912382018-09-18T03:14:42.029-07:002018-09-18T03:14:42.029-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Eva Watsonhttps://www.yogi360.com/blogs/yoga-101-anusara-yoga/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-14637551211001926492012-06-12T15:29:36.541-07:002012-06-12T15:29:36.541-07:00As this is a public statement made by Martin Kirk,...As this is a public statement made by Martin Kirk, I feel it is appropriate to mention it here. I believe Martin speaks with integrity and candor. And I feel his experience and observations lend further credence to my essay, written before the John Friend scandal broke.<br /><br />"We now believe that the systemic dysfunction in the Anusara yoga community was/is greater than just John Friend. The entire community has been a mirror of the power inequities and secrecy that allowed his behavior to flourish. So many were long-term complicit in the Anusara culture and a minority seems to be seeking the profound healing and introspection it would take to truly start fresh. We do not believe that simply getting rid of the leader and moving on can solve these deep intrinsic issues."<br />--- Martin Kirk<br /><br />http://www.kirkyoga.com/Poep Sa Frank Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13609272991412471770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-34418457102529024842012-05-27T11:42:07.816-07:002012-05-27T11:42:07.816-07:00Kim,
Hmm, I only JUST saw your heartfelt comment....Kim,<br /><br />Hmm, I only JUST saw your heartfelt comment. Thank you for your courage and honesty. <br /><br />As we all know, shortly after my post, what a friend has called the "John Friend Shit-Storm" hit, and many teachers and practitioners are still reeling from the sense of betrayal and confusion.<br /><br />I was not at all surprised, for as Jung has written (paraphrased): "What is denied becomes your fate." The Shadow will find its way to expression if it is ignored. Sadly, this is just what we've seen in the Anusara community, and John's particular willful blindness so far has not seemed to have let him really 'atone' or as my zen teacher says, become 'at-one' with his karma and own it. <br /><br />Time will tell...<br /><br />Again, thanks so much for sharing your truth.Poep Sa Frank Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13609272991412471770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-54820170457674007602012-02-18T03:44:43.949-08:002012-02-18T03:44:43.949-08:00Thank you for attending this situation Frank, bril...Thank you for attending this situation Frank, brilliant and thoughtful as always.<br />During my journey with Anusara many years ago I left classes with a sense of neglect of something deep inside of me that I really needed to look at. I knew I was "meant" to be "blissed-out" but I felt sad, and longing for a richer, deeper transformation that, as you write, lasted. Coming from a lot of suffering in my childhood and teenage years, I did not find a way to be with my own suffering until I met teachers pointing in another direction than bliss. They told that I need to stay with dukkha, accept it as well as cry it out, over and over again. It wasn´t until my yoga-mat was more often soaked in tears rather than sweat that some real transformation was happening.<br />I believe that as long as I´m not an enlightened being, I will not be able to come solely from "a state of bliss", as Friend said (and apparently he could´nt either, in the end!). Before enlightenment, dukkha will always be there and we need to bravely walk right into the storm. And if we ask ourselves, isn´t our dukkha the primary reason and motivation to why we keep coming back to practice? (Kim)Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02231258949856876914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-63521542685790451402012-02-18T03:42:43.527-08:002012-02-18T03:42:43.527-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Kimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02231258949856876914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-57106905346905348012012-02-10T22:58:22.351-08:002012-02-10T22:58:22.351-08:00And for those within the Anusara Kula who may stil...And for those within the Anusara Kula who may still think I'm completely coming from left field regarding the tendency to ignore the shadow that I wrote about in my piece, here's an Anusara teacher, Todd Vogt writing in his blog:<br /><br />"Let's use the painful transparency of this situation to engage in a large-scale conversation that enhances life and raises consciousness. Truth be told, the Anusara community tend to prefer cloaking reality in a shroud of shri. We've been taught to "look for the good," and this is a valuable practice. But there comes a time to look for the truth, and the truth is this: the shadow is real. We've been a group that commonly beats around the bush and avoids it. Here's the result: jfexposed.com. Let us all take a good look now and get real clear about our own accountability. Let's attempt to live with the highest integrity and hold each other to it. When I slip and I don't see it because I'm shrifully gazing into the eyes of the divine, I want to know someone's there to wake me up and say, "Hey buddy and get real!" I'll do my best to make sure that doesn't happen, but I can't make any promises. I AM human, and I'm going to make mistakes like everyone, but without the checks and balances of relationships, I may start to feel like I'm on an island when I'm not. I'm down here like the rest of us, in this tangled web of relationships where the teachings begin. The practice of yoga starts now."<br /><br />http://yogaunioncwc.com/blog/Poep Sa Frank Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13609272991412471770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-50118477748610508822012-02-09T09:58:32.411-08:002012-02-09T09:58:32.411-08:00aplausos!!!! brilliant article!!!
I wish there wo...aplausos!!!! brilliant article!!! <br />I wish there would be more people honoring their inner teacher as much as they do with their yoga teachers.DAN FUENTEShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04185581923603824885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-62849073589598558472012-02-08T19:48:28.558-08:002012-02-08T19:48:28.558-08:00Anusara is a high standard for training and I will...Anusara is a high standard for training and I will always honour my education w respect and gratitude. Sinead, I remember you; I left because I wanted to share more with my students of relevant influences such as Tibetan Buddhism, life coaching and other practical sources and ideas for how to raise the frequency of my own body and heart. <br /><br />I also had heard murmurings of all of the recently-exposed activity within the community, and while I will always honour my training, that was not the place for me going forward.Elenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10925072922818739235noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-69451034818534660522012-02-08T07:37:19.476-08:002012-02-08T07:37:19.476-08:00As this blog limits the length of comments allowed...As this blog limits the length of comments allowed, I had to split the above into two:<br /><br />This particular student also shared the following:<br /><br />"I was shocked at how little they actually understand Tantra and how little they embody the tantric teachings. I found people who are drunk on Anusara messages are extremely not self-aware of their actions and words and their impact on the rest of the world. The only-talk-about-the-positives method increases people's ego and ignorance to new heights. It is very disturbing to experience their lack of consideration for other people's welfare when they claim they love everything. <br />I did learn some technical stuff about hatha yoga during the TT, but I couldn't run out of the door fast enough once it was done. I have distanced myself from the Anusara Kula in every way possible. Most Anusara teachers who left claimed "differences in dharma"...in my opinion, that means "I no longer believe in your sh*t!" (excuse my language.)"<br /><br />I'm pretty sure John really believes and has greater depth of understanding of tantra than these teachers the student is talking about. Perhaps more emphasis on the philosophy and not such a grand emphasis on 'feel good' group-think is in order? <br /><br />Another Anusara teacher sent me the following:<br /><br />"I have been reading the comments on Christina Sell's FB and most of the time I can't help feeling the similarity between the Anusara kula and the Republican/Tea Party...feels like they live in a bubble. There is no doubt Anusara has an elegant way to describe the technical stuff but the defensiveness and mob mentality is so there."<br /><br />Many senior Anusara teachers have privately shared with me unease about the Pollyannish, egoic celebratory quality that I am speaking about. Worse, they are concerned about the more dogmatic aspects of the "culture." I would think anyone concerned with the health and strength of Anusara (and it is a wonderful system) would welcome the chance for some group inner investigation.<br /><br />Finally, let me reiterate: I am speaking of this tendency as it exists in particular in Anusara only because I was basing my post on Elena's blog. HOWEVER, it is a tendency rampant throughout contemporary hatha-yoga which to my mind has been almost completely co-opted by the capitalist, consumerist status-quo.<br /><br />And this is a sad state of affairs for what could have been a radical, counter-cultural force!Poep Sa Frank Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13609272991412471770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-3515722693576601602012-02-08T07:36:28.176-08:002012-02-08T07:36:28.176-08:00This comment -- and others like it -- represents w...This comment -- and others like it -- represents what researchers in cults and cultic behavior refer to as "true believer" syndrome. The Buddha taught that attachment to "rites and rituals" was one of the attachments that must be seen through. One reason is that it is through our attachment to specific practices that both 'self identity' and 'group identity' arise.<br /><br />I don't know how many times I have to say it, but John Friend has been a huge influence on my teaching. That doesn't mean I have to agree with everything he says nor does it mean that I leave my critical faculties at the door when I enter an Anusara studio!<br /><br />I refused to be brought into the gossip that has been circulating about John because I don't believe in such idle talk. Show me the evidence! BUT, I have always, and will continue to speak up as a dharma teacher.<br /><br />John's lack of sophistication in speaking about the reality of duhkha (not just as spoken about in Buddhism, but also in Patanjali and the wider yoga teachings) HAS indeed infected the broader "culture" of Anusara.<br /><br />Cannot you see that when people feel intimidated to express their true feelings, when they are made the object of ridicule, this is the sign of a dysfunctional community? You cannot say that such reticence is "the anxieties of the individual." There is no such thing! All of us exist within relational matrices. As the Buddha said: "This is because that is; with this arising, that arises." There is always mutual causality at work. As such, societies and groups must take some responsibility.<br /><br />One recent 'graduate' from Anusara certification wrote me (but feared posting publicly) the following:<br /><br />"At first, I was attracted to Anusara's uplifting messages but very soon I realized the shallowness of their tantric slogan-chanting tactic is completely meaningless and even harmful. John Friend's disrespect for Buddhism definitely passed on to his students...my Anusara teachers. One once said to the whole class that "K. thinks life is suffering because she is a Buddhist!" ...I was speechless."<br /><br />I think this is despicable, and this teacher would not be saying such demeaning and shallow statements, publicly humiliating this student, if John modeled better behavior. The more charismatic a teacher, the more responsibility he holds for how his message is taken. My zen teachers have always called out any students who seem to mimic the teacher.Poep Sa Frank Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13609272991412471770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-84275191175956185352012-02-08T03:39:56.610-08:002012-02-08T03:39:56.610-08:00I can’t believe this article.. I am slightly shoc...I can’t believe this article.. I am slightly shocked that someone who believes in Buddhism to this extent would slander. It’s just worng!.<br />To inform you the Anusara philosophy is about accepting every situation and trying to find a positive out of a negative experience. Anusara teachers do talk a lot about bliss, the joy of life etc etc and one does leave a class feeling very positive but I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Anusara encourages people to embrace life especially joy. <br />The philosophy ties in well with Buddhism, the ultimate goal is to realise your true divinity and feel eternal happiness and freedom. As my Vipassana teacher says "Come out of your misery, come out of your pain and suffering". The practice of Vipassana is a tool to reach a state of true happiness... Same, same but different!. <br />Maybe this Frank Jude went as far as he could with Anusara yoga but that does not mean it's not mindful. It’s just not mindful the way he expected it to be. We must remember often people enter a yoga class with their own baggage and expectations. In fact out of most of the styles of yoga I have tried, Anusara is probably the most mindful. You cannot tell me the UPA’s are not a mindful way to approach your body-? You cannot tell me that teaching a class with a positive approach, helping people to feel good about themselves is not mindful-? Come on! <br />If Elena Brower felt she had to hide her true feelings away from her yoga students (and I am not entirely sure that is true) That is her insecurity, not the blame of Anusara Yoga. I have never pretended to be anything but exactly how I am in any yoga class. That said, when going through a tough time I try to be as positive as possible when teaching yoga because the class is for my students not me.. I will at those times centre the class around my own practice such as letting go, acceptance and always point out that we must be grateful for all our experiences especially the most challenging ones as it is then that we really learn grow. Now, if you are telling me Elena Brower couldn’t do the same and that is the fault of Anusara yoga, well that’s ridiculous. <br />The teachers who recently left Anusara loved it, grew through it and became famous yoga teachers because of what they learned through Anusara. I think there's a lot of drama going on that we are not aware of. <br />As you write above John Friends opened a talk "I know you've just had a Buddhist scholar here, and they are always talking about duhkha. But I come from a place of bliss." I wasn’t there but would like to point out that John Friend is very charismatic and has a sense of humour that may not always be heard correctly, especially with a crowd of people who are looking for fault immediately. <br /><br />Most of my experience as a student of Anusara yoga has been through teachers coming to Dublin. I also spend time in NYC a few years ago taking classes at Elena’s studio. I found Elena to be a beautiful teacher, friendly and compassionate. In Dublin we have had all kinds of Anusara teachers visit here from the overly zealous you describe above to the very down to earth, compassionate beings. I warm to the more grounded Anusara teachers than the ones who seem to try to imitate John Friend. Which is what happens! Again… not the fault of John Friend!. <br /><br />Sinead O'ConnorHush Yogahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09152196300133120918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-66077974543177131592012-02-07T16:14:49.467-08:002012-02-07T16:14:49.467-08:00Well Bruce, I can respond to your comment from sev...Well Bruce, I can respond to your comment from several angles, but what I will say now is that to say "they all point to the same place" is a particular ideology. Many practitioners in the various traditions would argue with you.<br /><br />This is part of what I am speaking to: the unquestioned ideology, metaphysics and cultural norms. There is nothing to be frightened about in good, open, honest debate. Such debate itself was a central practice of the ancient sramanas and yogis. New Age "feel-good" uncritical thinking seems to have infected contemporary yoga to such a degree that any dissonance seems threatening. If it threatens anything it just may be our comfortable identities.<br /><br />For instance, the Buddha honored "critical thinking" and yet many (perhaps most) modern day Buddhists unquestioningly accept what they are told without doing the work of questioning and seeing for themselves. They are more interested in being buddhists than being buddha!<br /><br />Thank you for writing.Poep Sa Frank Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13609272991412471770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-48743045344950564782012-02-07T15:24:55.865-08:002012-02-07T15:24:55.865-08:00Folks, study your Buddhism, study your Tantra (and...Folks, study your Buddhism, study your Tantra (and everything in between) and see they all point to the same place. Each individual (teacher) will have their own emphasis and their own blind spots. Each has their own path to walk. Don't worry too much how someone else's path looks (or versions of these teachings look). Their path is their path. No one else need define you. Their samskaras are their's to sort out, and yours are for you to visit over and over, and over....Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01588264888133856595noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-9943596257780080422012-02-07T12:31:25.051-08:002012-02-07T12:31:25.051-08:00I think no matter the faith tradition or spiritual...I think no matter the faith tradition or spiritual practice, this group of people and this ideology exists and pervades. I remember when I was a practicing Catholic, we used to talk about "retreat high." The thing was that I never really bought it. The euphoric artifice of 'let's just smile and be happy' and 'life's too short to waste any minute being unhappy.' It isn't real. Life is way too complicated for that. Human beings are way too complicated for that. And I think furthermore, if someone is sri-ing out or smiling because that is what they feel are supposed to be doing rather than how they actually feel, this can cause even more dukha. To live authentically, in touch with myself and the present moment, is the most I can hope for and trust in. Lisa O.Lisa O'Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964090354428784899noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-15920470931160809252012-02-07T10:52:58.978-08:002012-02-07T10:52:58.978-08:00No one needs to go to India to awaken. It's al...No one needs to go to India to awaken. It's all here now.<br /><br />As the Buddha said upon awakening: "How marvelous, all beings, just as they are, perfect, whole, lacking nothing." How's that for shri? <br /><br />The caveat is that nothing is excluded -- including the shadow -- and THAT is all too often ignored. AND, as I write above, not just by Anusara. It is a pervasive tendency in our culture: the hyper, almost pornographic fetishization of the shadow and the attempt to avoid it where it exists in our lives.Poep Sa Frank Judehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13609272991412471770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-84345850096992851342012-02-07T09:02:07.696-08:002012-02-07T09:02:07.696-08:00Thank you for discussing this topic. For me perso...Thank you for discussing this topic. For me personally, I have learned that it is only through fully feeling your emotions that you are able to release them. If we acknowledge all that is us, good or bad only then can we bring about change. Denial and suppression never got a person anywhere! I like to go to my dukkha in my personal practice. Hold it at the edge, sense where I need to go to release it. Then I create an affirmation that I can continue to say during the day that helps me learn to apply that release that I just did on the mat. Works for me like a charm! ~ Elle Bieling at <a href="http://www.bodywindow.com" rel="nofollow">The Body Window</a>Elle Bielinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06931198483144817874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-76882917562665443012012-02-07T07:58:37.617-08:002012-02-07T07:58:37.617-08:00James reminding us of NAMASTE....IS ALL
my exper...James reminding us of NAMASTE....IS ALL <br /><br />my experience is <br />that when i finally untangle <br />the ball of worldly yarn <br />that is my body,mind and SPIRT<br /><br />IS that <br />JOY IS MY NATURAL STATE<br />that<br />JOY is the highest form of WORSHIP <br />and also the highest expression of GRATITUDE<br /><br />HAVE FUN<br />if Yoga becomes an argument and essay competition<br /><br />it just proves that you guys are American <br />and should go to India for a few months <br />to cleanse yourself of the day to dayevolvingsoulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07583182151009293183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-14551086291307485542012-02-07T02:49:57.491-08:002012-02-07T02:49:57.491-08:00Yoga is the union with your higher Self. Get rid ...Yoga is the union with your higher Self. Get rid of this narrative... find the Self, that's where yoga happens.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14750348847526891675noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-89600751335033002102012-02-06T23:04:00.062-08:002012-02-06T23:04:00.062-08:00I appreciate the willingness to expose any kind of...I appreciate the willingness to expose any kind of shadow in any organization and/or teacher. EVERY organization and being for that matter has a shadow, with the rare exception of avatars who are seamless in their expression of duality. Even they have shadow with perhaps a lack of schism or fragmentation in the psyche expression of it. Dukha, in hindi we call "pain" "dukh", is a part of life, whether pain becomes suffering is tempered by the level of consciousness we are residing at and perception. Deepening levels of enlightenment, that is awareness and compassion allow for the embracing of all experiences and as I experience it, a capacity to metabolize the mental/emotional bodies through naming, stillness, and self-regulating practices. Hatha yoga is such a small slice of the pie, and is more often that not ego-enhancing for the untrained person, untrained in consciousness work that is, with no real understanding of their own presence. We all start out here at some point and end up there again in and out we go. Hatha-yogis who are not engaging depth-consciousness work or relational mindfulness, who don't even understand projection at a basic level are lured and seduced by the euphoria of an endorphin rich nervous system, as well as the devotional bliss of bhakti yoga and chanting- kirtan and the like. All of which is the cream on the top, beautiful and communal, and yet one drop of the deeper mystery of shadow birthing and deathing itself will reveal the immensity of power in the Shadow. I recall Kahili Gibran here on Love:<br />"But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,<br />Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,<br />Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears."<br /><br />and<br /><br />"For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.<br />Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,<br />So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth."<br /><br />BTW Ana Forrest stays with catharsis- process through the mental and emotional bodies through tapas. Too much tapas can suppress and one may actually experience more efficiency by tracking at a deeper nervous system level through fluid instead of always sweat lodge fire. Knowing when to honor masculine ways and when to honor feminine openings. You cannot take heaven by storm, one teacher use to say.bellymoondrophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17057448777416997915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-77128799958501864662012-02-06T22:24:40.699-08:002012-02-06T22:24:40.699-08:00You should try Forrest Yoga. Ain't no denying ...You should try Forrest Yoga. Ain't no denying your dukkha there. They only way out of dukkha is through (feeling) it fully with breath, body and mindfulness. Which is why we always have tissue boxes in our classrooms. You never know what might come out! <br /><br />Love,<br /><br />Kristin Kiki Lovelace<br />A Forrest Yoga Teacher, Vipassana Meditator and Real-Live Human who dances with (rather than denying) all kinds of emotions.Kristin "Kiki" Lovelacehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12833688660556597640noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-50610982935292140952012-02-06T22:23:26.429-08:002012-02-06T22:23:26.429-08:00I am a student of Anusara and I am under the impr...I am a student of Anusara and I am under the impression that by "bliss" John Friend is refering to the whole package that comes with the gift of embodiment. So "bliss" we are given this gift of life, gratitude for the challenges life serves us with because ut us through these challenges that we learn and grow in life..during these difficult times in Greece ( I am Greek) we are learning a lot..that does not mean we are blissful all day. Due to the practice of Anusara Yoga I find I do have a more open heart in these times and I also manage to see the teaching, maybe not immediately when the bad news hits me but given some time to think things over I do and that is where the term "bliss" comes in. The post yoga bliss will not stay if we wait for it to passively stay with us for the whole day and then start to wear off as we go to our next yoga class. Post Yoga bliss is about the way you view and deal with lifes challenges being able to take your practice off the mat is something you need to cultivate everyday it won't just happen as an effect or side effect of the practice. The practice strengthens your ability to pause..breathe..hug into your midline and your values..and remain expanded in the midst of challenge."Bliss" we can accept and take the whole package of life as good..i.e. it is ok your are not feeling well today, don't fight it away with pills, accept it breath, align your body and you will be better tomorrow.<br /><br />I have had my share of serious challenges and Anusara has helped me hugely both on (dealing with injuries ..those U.P.A are amasing) and off the mat. <br /><br />As far as the teachers leaving Anusara are concerned. There are no life contracts. Freedom to grow and follow ones heart is important and I totally support them in their choice. May they continue to grow and serve the world with an open heart! <br /><br />Last but not least is that I don't think it is the right time to have this discussion. I would have personnaly valued this discussion much more had it taken place a few months or even weeks ago.Nefeli Makri Yogalifehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17847378740913931948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5782640369398595619.post-55117671677527984812012-02-06T20:01:52.576-08:002012-02-06T20:01:52.576-08:00Also, the insinuation of Stepford wive's is no...Also, the insinuation of Stepford wive's is not accurate in my case. My husband and I are working artists & small business owners with a lot of debt & low income. I basically attend my studio on scholarship, and have received gjenerous scholarships every time I've applied for them for John's workshops. <br /><br />I'd also like to comment on Elaine's courageous new path: she is doing what she needs to do, and her example is a good one. To have integrity & be honest about who you are is hard, especially if you have a long history & publicly known affiliation with one group.<br /><br />Again though, so far, my experience is different from hers. The lessons and practices I've learned in Anusara have helped me become a stronger more mindful and person.audrey l.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08381102766846022352noreply@blogger.com