tantra

Connecting Hearts to Their Source… In China!

Often when people begin to practice Anusara Yoga and they first hear about the philosophy, the life view, and the approach, they find themselves thinking, “Wow, this is exactly what I believe and how I try to live. I can’t believe there is a system out there, a group of people who have the same beliefs.” This is precisely how it happened for me when the Anusara method found me in 2002. It was as if some part inside of me already knew these ideas to be true but I did not yet have the words to articulate it. My heart felt blissfully at home in a community of like-minded and like-hearted people. Over the years, many of my students have shared these same feelings that the Anusara philosophy truly resonates deep within their hearts. Recently this same theme was illuminated while I was teaching a 50-hour Anusara Immersion in […]

A Touch of Shri

Sigh… I have arrived in Bali. Though I love to travel and explore new places there is something very special about this island and I am delighted to be back. I could feel it right away. What struck me the most when I was here for the first time three years ago was the extraordinary beauty in everything. In addition to the magnificent natural environment the Balinese people revere art and creativity which seems to be woven into every aspect of their culture. Even the most basic everyday items are presented in an exquisite way. The word we use for this kind of beauty in yoga is shri. Like most Sanskrit words shri cannot be defined with one English word. Shri is the goddess Lakshmi; she is divine beauty both elegant and graceful. Shri is splendor; the magnificent light that shines from the rays of the sun, gleams off the water […]

What is Your Art?

I have just returned from the Anusara Yoga Certified Teacher’s gathering. This year we were in beautiful, lush North Carolina. Thank you to the North Carolina Kula for being such wonderful hosts! I have attended these gatherings for the past several years and each time it always amazes me how much more cohesive the group becomes. It is clear the practice works! During the past year John got super clear about his vision of Anusara yoga and it’s philosophy, Shiva Shakti Tantra so he spent quite a bit of time articulating and sharing with us candidly. When John wrote his vision in 1997, he said, “Anusara Yoga is a Merry Band of bohemian artists…”. While this vision and the Universal Principles of Alignment remain constant, our experience of them deepens and continues to unfold inside us to become us. At the gathering John asked us, “What is your art?” He […]

Celebrate Freedom

Today our country celebrates the 233rd birthday of our freedom and independence! Tantric yoga teaches that the essence of our nature is perfectly free. The word in Sanskrit for freedom is svatantrya, which literally means self-looming. The idea behind it is that we have complete free will to act, engage, participate, connect, and play in the world as we wish. The Tantric path of yoga is not a path of isolating our self in a cave but rather a path of participation – we are invited to pursue our own vision and create relationships based on what is most important to us, what holds real value. In other words, we are weaving our selves into a world that everyone else is freely weaving them self into too! Therefore, the tantric universe is infinitely expanding. In fact, the word tantra actually means a tapestry or a web. The world is one […]