“Collaborating is a passion of mine. Our highest motivation in this partnership is to serve, wanting students to have a deep experience of their own Divine beauty.”

A leader in the yoga community for over 14, years, Manduka^® is a company with the heartfelt mission of spreading the joy of yoga across the planet and providing yogis and yoginis everywhere with high performance, eco-friendly yoga gear and exceptional customer care.

“With Manduka, I was able to ask, ‘What is important to me in a yoga mat?’ Wider. Light, to fold and fit easily into a day bag or suitcase. Produced in greater harmony with the earth.” - John Friend

John Friend - Eko Superlite Travel Mat

John Friend - Prolite Mat

The Center is located on Hwy 101, just 2 blocks from the gardens of Yogananda’s Self Realization Fellowship and the beautiful bluffs overlooking the great surf at “Swami’s Beach.” With a large dome roof, skylights, and large windows, the Southern California sunshine pours onto a huge hardwood floor designed to accommodate hundreds of students and friends from around the world.

Opening soon, I will be teaching from The Center along with many certified Anusara yoga teachers, scholars, and master teachers in a variety of disciplines including anatomy and Tantric philosophy. Also, with a new home base I will be practicing regularly at The Center, so I invite you all to come join me to co-create some positive energy during this critical period of history on the planet. Enjoy a sunny refuge with a vibrant, mindful, and affirming local community while aligning with the highest through our yoga practice.

I hope you have a revitalizing Spring. Please join me and the Merry Band for a Summer Solstice celebration in Vermont for the Anusara Grand Circle with Wanderlust.

Blessings of love,
John Friend

Dear Friends,

Blessings of love to you from Europe, where I just completed a magnificent 6-week tour of Denmark, Germany, France, England, and Italy. It is so marvelous to witness the luminous evolution of Anusara yoga in Europe in just the last 5 years. This growth in sophistication and excellence of our yoga school in Europe is directly reflective of the outstanding efforts of our certified teachers for whom I am very grateful.

As you all know, last Sunday the New York Times published an in-depth piece on Anusara yoga and myself. It is my understanding that it is the largest article on yoga ever published in a major newspaper. It is deeply honoring to have such an extensive article published in the New York Times on yoga, particularly Anusara yoga. For me, it is another clear sign that Grace supports Anusara.

The overall public response to the article reflected on the Internet has been positive, and given the great scope of the Times readership we can assume that in the least the publicity will positively expand Anusara yoga’s name recognition. As is often the case with major journalistic stories, the article includes positive as well as some negative points about both Anusara yoga and about me. At best, one might say that the article was “balanced” journalism. Yet at the same time, an obvious over-emphasis in the article on Anusara’s apparent business and commercialization focus might — in the worst case — turn someone away from yoga entirely. This negative reaction is due to the irony that today when a business is strictly money-making, commercialization is applauded and the corporate mogul is praised for his acumen, yet when a business is also part of a spiritual endeavor, the same level of success can be seen as suspect.

In helping to create this article over the last few months I met with the author several times and gave her unprecedented journalistic access to my business and to my personal life. My hope was to not only present a great story about Anusara yoga, but to present the greatness of yoga in general so that it would spread Light around the world. I made every effort to work with the journalist and the fact-checker, so that Anusara yoga was represented honestly. In some instances I was able to clarify and correct, while in other instances, my efforts for clarification were ignored and sometimes even argued with. I believe that there were several instances in the article in which information was twisted in order to make the article sensational and juicy.

I have absolutely no problem with others publicizing pieces of information or stated opinions that are not positive about me, if they are true. I take full responsibility for my actions and words, and I am open to having my faults pointed out to me. I don’t claim that I am faultless or that “everything is good” in my organization. My central point with the fact-checker and the journalist when verifying the story was to only print what was true, but unfortunately that did not happen. So, I am proud and deeply appreciative of our community members for responding in a dignified and honorable way to this article by speaking the truth of their own direct experiences and also for clearly noting some of its blatant falsehoods.

I certainly understand that no article will ever be able to convey the full truth or greatness of Anusara yoga. However, there were several significant falsehoods in the article that I want to directly address:

1. FALSE: Anusara yoga is primarily designed as a business to make a lot of money.

The truth is that I started teaching yoga in the 80’s in order to share my love of Spirit with others. (Back then no one associated yoga teaching as a lucrative business enterprise!) The primary purpose of Anusara yoga has always been to help bring more true happiness, health, and divine beauty to the world. I left a well-paying finance job in the late 80’s to teach yoga full-time, which was an enormous financial sacrifice, in order to work in the field that I loved most.

Fortunately, Anusara yoga became increasingly popular, and so I began hiring people to help me serve the growing numbers of students and teachers around the world. With my business school background I have always run the company in ways that are sustainable and are in alignment with my yoga philosophy and ethics. The business is designed to fundamentally support the yoga school and community, not the other way around. Furthermore, I believe my integration of yogic principles into my business practices is one of the key contributing factors in the tremendous success of Anusara. I live by my yoga principles in everything I do – my personal relationships, my leisure time, and my work. It is not like I practice yoga philosophy only on my sticky mat. Yoga is my life.

Although revenue for Anusara has steadily increased over the years, so have related expenses. I now have 20 employees and a lot of overhead, so annual profits are low, and yet we are financially solid and everyone is happy, which cannot be said by a lot of other small businesses these days.

Although some say that Anusara is “commercial” it is worth emphasizing that in 13 years of business I have done almost no paid advertising in newspapers or magazines for Anusara yoga. Anusara’s tremendous growth has been almost entirely through word-of-mouth or by third party free advertising. The quality of our services and products speaks for itself, and that is what has given us an ever-expanding, positive reputation in the yoga industry.

Another important point to make clear here is that no one is barred from taking class or advancing as a teacher in Anusara yoga due to financial restrictions. If someone cannot pay for services or products at that time, I either offer a scholarship, a donation, payment plan, or work-trade. No one is turned away from Anusara yoga based on their current inability to pay. Again the focus is on helping people, not on making money.

2. FALSE: Anusara yoga has watered down the tradition of yoga.

The truth is that with the integration of Shiva-Shakti Tantra (Kashmir Shaivism) and the Universal Principles of Alignment, Anusara yoga is one of the most sophisticated hatha yoga systems ever designed. In addition, the standards of our certification program are in many regards the most rigorous in the industry. Our curriculum which is among the most extensive of any hatha yoga school is directly supported by some of the preeminent yoga scholars in the world including: Douglas Brooks, Paul Muller-Ortega, William Mahoney, Carlos Pomeda, Mark Dyczkowski, Eric Shaw, Sally Kempton, Christopher Chapple, Christopher Tompkins, and Harish Wallis. No other hatha yoga school in the world has such an illustrious and high caliber assembly of yoga scholars and professors supporting them.

3. FALSE: I ‘trash talk’ other yoga styles, and I have bad feelings with Iyengar Yoga.

The truth of the matter is that I find the good in all styles of yoga. I never negatively speak about other yoga styles, nor does any other Anusara yoga teacher. At the same time, the truth is that some styles are physically-oriented, while others are more spiritually-oriented. Some styles are more sophisticated in terms of methodology while other styles are very simplistic. That is the context of the analogy that I spoke of in the article when I said that students can choose “fast food” vs. “refined dining” when choosing a style. (And I do eat fast food on a special occasion!) Of course, I think Anusara yoga is more effective than other styles of yoga, and that is why I practice it! Yet, all styles have something positive to offer.

I left Iyengar Yoga because I have significant philosophical differences with Mr. Iyengar. Yes, Mr. Iyengar can be very tough, but I do not have a problem with his fierceness. I have never had ill feelings toward Mr. Iyengar or his family. I think Mr. Iyengar is one of the greatest hatha yoga teachers of all-time. In my opinion after studying with him and his senior teachers for 10 years, I think Mr. Iyengar is incredibly generous with his knowledge and energy; he is a virtuous man; and he is an innovative yoga genius. As my students will confirm, I publicly honor Mr. Iyengar in almost every workshop I teach.

The article also claims that I have “distanced myself from Gurumayi.” This is completely unfounded and in fact I privately invited the author to my “puja”, (my altar in my home) and my library where Gurumayi’s pictures are abundantly displayed. Gurumayi pulled back from public view in 2005 for unknown reasons to me, and I have not seen her since. However, even if I ever have disagreements about how the SYDA Foundation (Gurumayi’s religious organization) is operated, my love for Gurumayi is unwavering.

4. FALSE: Anusara yoga is essentially Iyengar yoga.

Yes, there are many similarities between Iyengar Yoga and Anusara yoga in terms of asana sequencing, emphasis on precise postural alignment, and discipline as a basis of studentship. Yet, the truth is that Anusara yoga differs in two fundamental and significant ways from Iyengar yoga. Anusara yoga is based on Shiva-Shakti Tantric philosophy, while Iyengar yoga is based essentially on Classical Yoga (Patanjali Yoga Sutra). Tantra focuses on removing the differences between the world and Spirit, while Classical Yoga tries to separate Spirit and the world. Secondly, Anusara yoga uses principles of alignment universally as the basis of aligning the asanas, while Iyengar yoga uses discrete, separate alignment points for each asana. In terms of fundamental philosophy and key methodology, Anusara yoga and Iyengar Yoga are distinctly different.

5. FALSE: Anusara yoga is a cult around John Friend.

The truth is that Anusara yoga was designed by me to be defined as a kula (close-knit community), not as a guru-oriented yoga school. I consciously named it “Anusara” (‘following your Heart’), not “Friend Yoga.” It is fundamentally composed of a community of yoga teachers and students aligned to the same philosophical vision and principles. The emphasis in Anusara yoga is clearly about community and not about John Friend. The statement that ‘John has his teachers proselytize’ about Anusara yoga is a ridiculous falsehood. All of our teachers enthusiastically teach the method and then let the results and the students’ direct experience speak for themselves.

Also, the statement that ‘men and women press hotel-room keys into his (John’s) hands at workshops’ is flat-out not true. That has never happened. This statement was NOT presented to me by the fact-checker for validation, and if so, I would have said, “Hell no!” I would never publicly say that a student has offered me unconditional sex, even it were true, since that kind of Rock Star behavior is not something I support, and it clearly gives the wrong impression of Anusara’s ethics. The other anecdotal references intended to paint a particular picture of my relationship with the Anusara staff and Anusara yoga teachers are also so off the mark that I can only assume that the author may have skewed certain incidents to fit her predetermined assumptions about me and Anusara, or in an attempt to “balance” the story.

Of course, the Times story will have “legs” and will undoubtedly be referenced for a long time to come, which means some of the misrepresentations will be repeated again and again. If you practice Anusara yoga, then simply remain steady in the truth of your own direct experience of our yoga. Do not be swayed by rumors or comments of those that have little knowledge of Anusara yoga. Purely respond to what you know from your own experience of your Heart. In this way, we all represent the voice of our own truths.

Lastly, may we wish all yoga styles blessings of well-being and success. Any increase in yoga is good for the whole planet. All yogis need to unite as a global yoga community. If the yoga schools can not get along in harmony, then how can we expect world peace?! Please focus on the light of your own teachers and community, and avoid getting involved in conversation about other styles that you know little about. If you have never practiced Anusara yoga before, then tell your local Anusara yoga teacher that you read this blog, and I will cover your first class as a gift. Then you can make your own opinion. In any case, may you all be happy and have love in your lives.

Blessings of the Truth,

John

The original article can be read here

One of the most common questions that I get in interviews is, “John, when you founded Anusara yoga in 1997, did you ever expect it to grow so abundantly in such a short time?” Looking back at the beginning of Anusara, I was very confident that the method would be highly effective and so the style could become popular, but I never envisioned it spreading around the world into over 70 countries with 200,000 students by the end of its 12th year. On August 15, 1997, the day that I wrote the vision statement of Anusara yoga, I put all of my future ideas of Anusara into present tense as if we were already manifesting the vision. I focused on embodying the quality of the ideals and the intention at the essence of Anusara. Number of students was never a relevant factor. I knew that if I clearly presented the radiant Anusara method, then the right students would start to naturally form the Merry Band—my ideal of a harmoniously creative community of like-hearted students. I knew deep inside that the power of the Anusara principles were infused with Shakti and Grace, so it never entered my mind that it won’t be a successful hatha yoga style. From the beginning, the destiny of Anusara seemed much bigger than me, so I just took a ride with the powerful flow of Shakti and never worried about the size of the school.

The birth of Anusara 12 years ago on this auspicious day was the culmination of an evolution within my yoga studies and practice that was many years in the making. It was through my Iyengar yoga studies in the 1980’s that led me to my first visit to India in October of 1989. In turn, it was during that journey to India in ’89 that I met Gurumayi at her ashram in Ganeshpuri. That encounter radically shifted the emphasis of my yoga practice from intense individual willpower to opening to Grace. I continued to teach Iyengar yoga until 1995, but all the while I was evolving from a classical yoga view to a Tantric philosophy. Finally, I realized that I was not fully aligned with Mr. Iyengar philosophy and method, so it was not dharmic of me to continue to use his name to describe my teaching style. So, for 2 years from 1995 - 1997 I simply taught “yoga” with no affiliation to any style. This only created mass confusion among the students since many thought I was still teaching Iyengar yoga while the others didn’t know how to classify my style to be able to properly describe it to someone else. So, it became evident to me that I must name and clearly define my yoga style for it to be understandable and honest with everyone.

For months I contemplated the name of the style and its foundational differentiating elements. In early August 1997, while during my annual summer sojourn in Shree Muktananda Ashram in upstate New York, my friend and Tantric scholar, Douglas Brooks, suggested the name, “Anusara, for my style. As soon as I heard Douglas say the word I knew that it was the name for the new yoga school. When he told me that it meant, “flowing with Grace”, I was assured that it was the right name. The 3 a’s in the word, Anusara, also further confirmed that it was meant to be!

Then on August 15th, I wrote the Anusara vision statement at my desk in the ashram. It was a grand holiday in the ashram that day since it was the 50th year anniversary of India’s independence from the British Empire. Also on that same day in 1947, Baba Muktananda received a life-changing spiritual initiation from his guru, Bhagawan Nityananda. So, in Siddha Yoga, August 15th is celebrated as Baba’s Divya Diksha Day, the day of his divine initiation. It was truly a perfectly auspicious day to formally birth the vision that I had been formulating in my head for so many years prior.

Now on Anusara’s 12th birthday one key reason why we continue to grow more harmonious and brighter every year is that the members of the Merry Band continue to become more sensitive to seeing and perceiving the Universal Shakti in each other and in everything. Typically, as organizations grow larger, increasing dysfunction tends to occur because the members lose their connection to the foundational ideals that serve to sustain the integrity of the organization. However, with Anusara the first principle of opening to the Universal is constantly referenced and returned to in our teachings. By everyone aligning to the Universal first and foremost the community has less of a chance of breaking up into disparate individual intentions. With the regular emphasis on the first principle, Anusara has continued to become more harmonious and more Shri even as the numbers of the Merry Band have grown exponentially over our first 12 years.

Within the first principle there is the implicit reminder to primarily look for the divine auspiciousness (Shri) in each other and all things. This was a key part of my vision for Anusara, and it is evident in the opening paragraph of the vision statement. “Anusara Yoga is a hatha yoga system that unifies Universal Principles of Alignment with a philosophy that is epitomized by what I call “celebration of the heart”. In this philosophy we take the premise that each of us is essentially good, so there is a lot of acceptance and allowance in this system for difference and deviation. We practice looking for the good in things, especially in ourselves and our students. As Anusara Yoga teachers we are not trying to fix or correct the students, we are trying to help enhance and reveal the beauty and divine qualities that are already present in the students’ poses.One of the other key aspects of this attitude or philosophy is that we are all co-creators with Nature or the Supreme in this life, and this creative freedom makes life fun, exciting and inspiring. Life is seen not as a hard labor assignment without chance of parole, but as a fun game that can be celebrated each day. “

Then in the last paragraph of my 2-page vision statement I presented the key for Anusara to be sustainable and have a bright longevity over many years. “The system is held together by everyone’s implicit agreement to the principles, particularly spiritual precepts such as celebrating Beauty in all Its diversity, Truthfulness, and honoring the Divine in all Beings. Without a rigid dogma, the system is open to continual change and restructuring. Self-examination, scrutiny, discovery, and openness to new ideas are foundational to this dynamic system. Anusara grows with harmony and integrity through the combined vision of the Merry Band.”

All that is born will die, so there will be a day when Anusara is no more. Yet, until that day we will rock out every day in the celebration of the unbounded creative delight-filled Shiva-Shakti at the essence of our hearts!

The Art of Feedback starts with the intention of both the person giving the feedback, and the person who is receiving the feedback. In the Anusara community both the presenter and the receiver of the feedback are first and foremost considered part of the same kula, basically on the same team. We’re in the same community and therefore we have the same intention, which is really to serve the spirit of each other and the spirit of all of life as fully as possible. Our common intention is to artfully and effectively make things more beautiful, and to help bring out the goodness that is inherent in everything. We want to keep evolving in every way. Our vision is not just seeking a revelation of the intrinsic goodness, but it is seeing that goodness as an evolving power of creative energy (Shakti) in our lives. Therefore, we’re always striving for improvement. It’s not like, you have a revelation or an opening into your heart, and then you quit your sadhana since you think that you have it now. Instead it is, “Yes, I see that I’m good and I can also expand and evolve that goodness in its artistry”.

The fullness of Shiva-Shakti is ever-expanding in its creative delight. In the Shaiva-Shakta Tantric idea of Purna, (the idea of fullness, even perfection) you don’t just stop at the edge of fullness. Your essence is ever-expanding the embodied boundary of creativity and consciousness. So, within community one way we expand our consciousness is through creating beauty and love in relationships.

Interpersonal relationships are the most effective path to the Heart of everything. Of course, you can do things by yourself and it is totally necessary to have a lot of solitary practice and experience, yet at the same time, when we share Shakti with others—especially those that are similarly aligned with the same intention—we are doing it as collaborators and co-participants on a path of awakening.

So, in the feedback sharing each participant is aligned with the intention of wanting to help each other experience the ultimate freedom in every expanding moment of the artistry of life.

Anusara yoga community members mutually want to help each other. Each friend realizes that the only way we are going to more delightfully expand the revelation of the intrinsic truth is through communicating with each other. Expanding freedom can be gained through each other’s feedback. Feedback simply means that whatever I’m presenting, whatever I’m doing, whatever I’m saying, whatever I am putting out to the world, is going to reflect back to you. You must be open with the eyes of your Heart, so that the reflection is seen as clearly and as truthfully as possible.

We try to be radiantly clear mirrors for each other, so we reflect each other as truthfully as possible.

The Presenter of Feedback
The presenter of the feedback has the highest intention to enhance the good, and enhance life. So, the first thing that the presenter sees in the recipient is the Good. From the beginning of the feedback session the presenter points out the Shri in the recipient. If the presenter feels that it could help, then a restatement of the unified intention of the kula members can be made.

The basic structure of the presenters feedback is: “So, here’s what I think you are really doing well, and here’s what I think can be improved.”

The feedback is not a presentation of what’s wrong. It is never about discrediting, diminishing, dismissing, or discouraging. Presenting feedback is never to diss. at all. It’s only about expanding into more freedom of the Heart.

There’s no reason to give feedback if it can’t expand somebody’s consciousness with it. In fact, if you have somebody who makes it clear that you two are not aligned in your vision or in your hearts, then it is questionable if any feedback would be effective. If someone tells you that they do not want your feedback, then it is good to be silent and wait to see if the friend could become open to new information or energy, which could help to expand the Shri.

The Recipient of Feedback
The person receiving the feedback has to simply just listen initially. It is the first principle. In the beginning of a communication with someone, contracting or tightening down will reduce the connection. Instead, open softly and become vulnerable to what you’re about to hear and see. You know from the beginning that the reflected light is not always straight and true. Even though you know that the feedback is filtered light and is not perfectly accurate, it is still useful feedback. It will certainly give some indication how your intentions are being manifest and perceived. If you are getting feedback that your results are quite different than your intended effect, then that is very helpful.

Rather than immediately being defensive or blocking the feedback, simply pause in silence and receive it fully. Take it inside, assimilate, and then contemplate it. In the pause, simply say thanks for the feedback. Then reiterate back to the person giving the feedback, try to say what they said. “What I hear you saying is that I had strengths in some particular aspects, and I have some aspects to improve. Correct?” Become very clear about what exactly the presenter is expressing in the feedback by repeating back what you understood to be expressed.

In the beginning of the feedback session the recipient should pause a lot to contemplate, “Why is the presenter thinking these are my areas for improvement”. Again, the presenter might be really off in their perspective, but what if several people have the same viewpoint? So, although your intention was perhaps not at all understood, you get the benefit of knowing what some people are thinking about your actions or words. The feedback helps you to adjust the expression of your intention, so that you get the desired results that you wish.

***
So in summary, I think the best way to receive feedback is to simply:

• Reiterate what you’re hearing.

• Thank the person for their feedback.

• Thank them for offering the positive feedback first.

• Reaffirm what you understand needs to be improved.

• Reaffirm the collaborative vision of the community.

Ask how you could be more effective is expressing your intention the next time. Let the presenter offer ideas on doing it another way. This can spark a wonderful dialogue about future visioning. Learning to expand the dance goes both ways.  You might get some new, great ideas of expanding your art, your dance.

• Excuses don’t help. If our mutual intention is to dance for awakening, then spacious listening and a willingness to grow through the reflection of our well-intentional kula members will provide the basis for harmonious dancing.

“All right, I hear you. It’s not what I meant. Thank you for sharing your feedback with me. Can you please offer any additional suggestions for better aligning myself now and the future. How could I have done better?” In this conversation the community friends facilitate each other’s improvement.  When everyone in the community flows in the feedback loop like this, then we’re all going to grow and improve. If the structure of the art of feedback is not followed, then we’re just diminishing the power of our community and we’ll create fragmentation and disunity. Ultimately, the feedback process is part of the art of helping each other to awaken.

• Be clear with the presenter that you will go consider the feedback, and that you will always try to improve yourself.

The presenter and the recipient in the Art of Feedback can help each other awaken to our highest potential of creative delight by aligning with the Universal flow of Shiva-Shakti. Step into the current of Grace, and be Anusara.

Bhagawan Nityananda in Ganeshpuri in 1950's

The bed that Bhagawan Nityananda laid for 15 days before his Mahasamadhi on August 8, 1961

Bhagawan Nityananda as a young man

Murthi of Bhagawan Nityananda in the center of my puja table

In my house, my library / meditation room is the most important room, the spiritual focal point of my home. In the meditation room, my altar (puja table) is the most important piece, and in the center of the altar is a murthi (statue) of Bhagawan Nityananda. The altar in my meditation room is the receptacle of Anusara’s power, and the source of that power comes through the gateway of Bhagawan Nityananda’s Grace. Each time time I sit at my puja before his murth I remember Bhagawan’s immortal teaching: “The Heart is the hub of all sacred places. Go there and roam.” May the Grace of the Supreme guide you to your Heart. Jay Bhagwan! Sadgurunath Maharaj ki Jai!

Mythologically, there is a story from the great epic poem, the Mahabharata, where Yudhishthira (Arjuna’s eldest brother) asks Shri Krishna how he can guard himself against impending negative energy and catastrophes in the coming year. Krishna tells him to observe the Raksha Bandham ceremony. To illustrate the power of the Rakhi Bandham, Krishna recounts the tale of how Indra’s wife, Shachee Devi put a Rakhi Bandham around Indra’s arm before his battle with a terrible demon king, Daitya Raja. In the battle Indra was protected against this mighty demon, who had previously humbled Indra, and consequently Indra was able to vanquish him.

Rahki Day is a holiday that I began celebrating every August starting in the early ’90’s when I lived in Gurumayi’s ashram (Shree Muktananda Ashram) in South Fallsburg, New York during the summer. For almost every summer from 1992 - 2004 I lived in SMA offering seva in the Hatha Yoga Dept. and the Professors and Scholars Dept. On Rahki Day, the full moon in August, there was often a special program with Gurumayi, and a festive meal was served. Rahki bracelets, usually colorful strings, were given openly and freely between friends, so they were like friendship bracelets especially among the teenagers in the ashram. In the highest, Rahki Day is a holiday to celebrate the invincible power of Grace, which surrounds us and fills us every moment. Grace comes in many forms: as the teacher, the community, and the teachings themselves.

The photo below is of some of my Rahki bracelets that I saved from my days in the ashram.

So, on this Rahki Day 2009 I renew my commitment with all my heart to serve the Anusara community to the fullest of my ability, and to help take care and protect of all my students. I will wear a bracelet this year to remind me each day of this pledge to our Anusara kula.

Happy Rahki Day!