Estes Park 2010

I was honored to attend the Fall 2010 yoga conference in Estes Park. Hundreds of yoga students and a collection of top yoga teachers from around the world congregate annually at the Estes Park YMCA for the annual Yoga Journal conference. I go to these conferences to stay current in the world of yoga and to enhance my teaching by being with these great teachers.

John Friend, one of the leading teachers in the world, taught to a class of almost 700 people. The energy in the room where 700 yoga practitioners are moving through a challenging and dynamic practice is exceptionally vibrant. John teaches what he has coined Anusara yoga. Anusara translates from sanskrit as “stepping into the currents of grace.” The primary intention of this form of yoga is a spiritual one, to connect with something bigger than ourselves, grace, and then move through the challenging poses with serving that intention as the ultimate purpose. It is a very inspiring and uplifting practice.

At the conference, John discussed the three A’s of the Anusara teaching method, attitude, alignment, and action. Attitude is the intention you do the practice with. There are two motives for doing yoga: simply to express the radiance of the heart in each pose and to reunite with the bliss and love in your heart if you are feeling disconnected from it. Alignment refers to the outer form of the pose as well as the how the physical pose reflects the attitude. The openness of the heart is expressed in the physical pose. Action refers to the balance of muscular energy and the organic energy of the pose. The muscles draw in to the skeletal structure to create stability and organic energy carries the expansive, energetic qualities of the heart and radiates from within the pose outward and represents freedom and expansion.

John discussed in depth that the teacher in yoga is not better than the student. They are of the same divine nature, yet the teacher has been on the path up the mountain before and is the guide. The teacher guides the student safely up the mountain with the intention that the student will feel better about themselves along the way. The teacher sees the beauty in all students serves that beauty and recognizes that we all are on our own path to free ourselves from pain. Without judging, there is recognition that each person moves along their own path to free themselves from suffering.

The teachings that John offers are woven amidst a strong and dynamic yoga practice which at this conference focused on deep backbends and intense hip openers. It is fun to contemplate these bigger, spiritual ideas that he offers while walking around on your mat upside down in a back bend. It is hard to do anything but breathe and possibly laugh.

Jill Barker