Yama Talent

Anusara (a-nu-sar-a), means “flowing with Grace,” “flowing with Nature,” “following your heart.” The Tantric philosophy of intrinsic goodness underlies the methodology of teaching Anusara yoga. Consequently, Anusara yoga teachers, first and foremost, look for the good in all things, especially within themselves and their students. Anusara yoga teachers help enhance and reveal the beauty and Divine qualities that are already present in the students' poses. They do not try to "fix" or "correct" students' alignment. Instead, they are dedicated to serving each student and helping them unveil their innate goodness, worthiness, and Supreme nature. Furthermore, Anusara yoga teachers are committed to helping build and empower each student's self-esteem, while inspiring light-heartedness, playfulness, and joyful creativity within the yoga practice. Each class begins with an invocation or centering as a devotional recognition of the grace-bestowing power of universal Spirit within and around us. Each class has a heart-oriented theme, which has a meaningful connection to the grand spiritual purposes of the asana practice. The theme usually centers on cultivating a virtue-a quality of mind or heart, which is a microcosmic reflection of our Divine nature. Each theme gives a direction for the attitudinal energy that infuses every action and breath in the poses. Effectively, all the poses in Anusara yoga are expressed from the "inside out." An elegant, concise set of alignment principles called the "Universal Principles of Alignment™" is applied to each asana. A central idea within the Universal Principles of Alignment is the 3 A's: Attitude, Alignment, and Action. This refers to a foundational concept within Anusara yoga in which every pose is infused with a meaningful intention connected to the grand purposes of yoga, awareness of specific postural alignment, and balanced action between stability and freedom. The specific principles include Muscular Energy and Organic Energy, which are the two complementary forces that provide each pose with a balanced action. Other alignment principles include Spirals and Loops, which help to bring refinement and precision to each pose.