Transformative Power of Yoga: From Ashtanga to Anusara and Beyond
This episode offers deep insights into the interplay of yoga disciplines, meditation practices, and personal growth. Cindy shares her unique experiences transitioning from Ashtanga to Anusara yoga, her profound meditative practices, and the life lessons learned along her spiritual journey.
In this episode, you’ll discover how yoga and meditation can transform your personal challenges into pathways for profound inner growth and spiritual awakening.
Ashtanga Yoga, founded by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois during the 1950’s is a methodically structured style of yoga that emphasizes synchronizing breath with movement and a progressive series of postures that become more difficult with each series. The practice (especially in the beginning) produces an intense internal heat that may create a “purifying” sweat, which is believed by many to detoxify the body’s organs. Ashtanga yoga has an addictive quality to it, where a student are “given” the postures one by one from their teacher. With each new posture a sense of pride and achievement develops (a little dopamine hit occurs and makes the student feel special).
On the other hand, Anusara Yoga was developed by John Friend in 1997, making it a relatively new form of yoga, similar to the dynamic flow developed by Pattabhi Jois and the Ashtanga yoga lineage.
However, Anusara is characterized by a "celebration of the heart," and focuses on a set of “Universal Principles of Alignment” that underpin all postures, intertwined with a "non-dual" Tantric philosophy.
John Friend began his yoga journey studying from many famous Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga teachers, like Chuck Miller and Richard Freeman. It seems he took many of the energetic principles of alignment that Richard Freeman was famous for teaching, and re-branded these same “Universal Principles of Alignment” as his own creation and made a unique style of yoga called Anusara, “flowing with grace.”
His classes had a way of integrating postures with philosophical teachings, linking creative sequences from simple postures to more difficult ones. Anusara became known for its emphasis on heart-opening, attention to alignment, and the creative freedom it offered practitioners.
In 2012, it came to light that John Friend was having multiple sexual affairs with several married Anusara employees and teachers and may or may not have been the head of a sex-cult called “Blazing Solar Flames.” He was also charged with the offence of trafficking marijuana and violating federal ERISA regulations.
The history and relationship between Anusara and Ashtanga Yoga illustrate how yoga is a living tradition, dynamic and evolving. This tradition can be confusing for the new student. This is why Cindy began writing her book. While teaching over several decades, she realized that many students step onto the path of yoga seeking a more fulfilling life, but become overwhelmed by the contradictory messages in the modern yoga scene.
She wanted to create a resource and guidebook, grounded in the authentic teachings from the texts of yoga, that could synthesize these philosophies in a systematic and accessible way. Her book includes many exercises and thought experiments to help bring the philosophy down to earth and make it applicable for our modern, householder lives. "Align and Refine: The Journey of Yoga and Meditation" considers the human condition, the impulse for something more, and how yoga and meditation allow us to refine our beings, align with our highest self, and embody yogic qualities for the benefit of our everyday lives, our society, and the world at large!
Cindy Lusk, PhD, is an acclaimed author and yoga teacher. Her personal yoga journey began in 1985. She has personal experience going deep into various dimensions of yoga, including Ashtanga and Anusara, and has taught numerous courses in yoga philosophy. She is also an authorized teacher of Neelakantha Meditation. Cindy’s approach integrates deep academic understanding with practical experience, offering students a comprehensive path to spiritual and personal development
Key points in the conversation:
Cindy Lusk's transition from Ashtanga to Anusara yoga and the reasons behind it
The influence of injuries on Cindy’s yoga practice and philosophical outlook
Insights into Tantric philosophy and its application in modern yoga practices
Cindy’s experiences and lessons learned from studying with renowned teachers like Richard Freeman
The role of meditation in yoga and its transformative potential
The process and inspiration behind Cindy Lusk's book, "Align and Refine: The Journey of Yoga and Meditation"
June 16, 2024
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