Every Day is a Holiday

Written by John Friend

“It is all so wonderful,” she weakly whispered with her sweet Alabama-accent. Those were my mother’s last words before she slipped into her final sleep. The morning light sparkled triumphantly through the cracks in the vertical blinds as I sat next to my mother’s hospital bed holding her cold hand. For the previous hour I had watched her breath get slower and her exhales longer. My whispering encouragement of “Go to God, mom” culminated with one last, softly beautiful breath. It was the grand end to a life in which every day was lived as a celebration of Spirit.

Getting More Men on the Mat

Written by Lyn Mettler

Joe DeSena is not your average guy. He's a major player in the business world, as the founder and CEO of Burlington Capital Markets, who also finds time to travel the globe competing in adventure races as long 300 miles. What does this 34-year-old New Yorker credit in large part with enabling him to compete in both the grueling business and athletic world? Yoga.

But unfortunately, DeSena is the exception to the rule when it comes to men practicing yoga. While yoga was originally created as a practice solely for men, 2500 years later most of its practitioners are women.

Sitting Down with John Friend - Interview

Written by Julie Deife|LA Yoga, Volume: May 2006|LAyoga_sittingdownwithjohnfriend.jpg

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When a new yoga method called Anusara hit the scene in the mid 90's controversy around the increase in branding of yoga overshadowed Anusara founder John Friend's story. Today, in California alone, there are 90 Anusara affiliated or certified teachers. John has trained them all while working almost non-stop for ten years building a kula, or community to hold the dream. On a recent visit to Los Angeles he took time out to share the history and vision for Anusara yoga, clearly inseparable from John as a person.

Checking in with John - Interview

Written by Amber Huttner|Arizona Yoga, Volume:Spring 2003|arizonayoga_checkinginwithjohn.jpg

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AH: How long have you been doing yoga workshops in Arizona?

JF: My first workshop in Arizona was in Tucson 1990 and was one of the first national workshops that I presented. Katherine Maltz, a fellow devotee of Gurumayi Chidvilasananda, sponsored my first workshop in Tucson at the Zenith Center, which is now the Living Community Center. Through Katherine's generous sponsorship over the next seven years I met so many wonderful students, including Carol Mitchell, who then sponsored me to teach in Phoenix beginning in the mid '90's.