Anusara yoga is a modern school of hatha yoga started by American-born yoga teacher John Friend in 1997. Friend derived his style from the Iyengar style of yoga and reintroduced elements of Hindu spirituality into a more health-oriented Western approach to Yoga.
The Anusara style emphasizes a set of Universal Principles of Alignment which underlie all of the physical asanas and are connected to philosophical aspects of the practice. According to the official Anusara Yoga website, the school's ideology is "grounded in a Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness". Friend states that the term "Anusara (a-nu-sar-a), means 'flowing with Grace,' 'flowing with Nature' and 'following your heart,'" as interpreted from the Sanskrit anusāra, meaning "custom, usage, natural state or condition".
Instructors who are certified to teach Anusara Yoga are associated with the private corporation Anusara Inc. that Friend also founded. In 2012 John Friend and Anusara Inc. were embroiled in a scandal that resulted in Friend's stepping down from his role in the organization.
Read more about Anusara Yoga: Philosophy and Principles, Anusara Invocation, Founder
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“Depend upon it that, rude and careless as I am, I would fain practice the yoga faithfully.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)