Follow Your Heart

I am forever a student of yoga.  I love being in that place of not knowing very much.  

Also, I will confess to being a workshop/teacher training junkie :)

I believe there is more than one way of knowing. 

The kula has been slowly growing and I have asked myself, how do I maintain its quality and integrity?  I know there is more potential within this community for something big, for all of us.  I know there are many of us who hear, who feel this internal call.  Be fearful, be fearless...it does not matter!   I believe the bottom line is to honor the spirit in each other.  And to  consistently seek and feel the spirit all around. 

Through the 1000's of hours workshops/trainings/certifications I have completed, I have been involved in so many different communities.  Many of them have really great points and things to offer.  And as a result of studying within these communities I have grown and expanded and have cultivated a GREAT life! But being a "forever student" I crave ways to improve upon what I am doing. 

I strongly considered studying more deeply with my last teacher.  But when I got an email describing a class she was teaching with life animals in the room and there was a picture of her on the flyer in a bikini with snakes draped around her body, something within me instantly shifted.  To me, yoga is a celebration of the heart, an awaking to our personal power and beauty.  And then feeling empowered in expressing those qualities in our poses and ultimately off the mat as well as we shift from doing yoga to living/being/embodying yoga.  I just didn't feel that the image in that particular picture aligned with my personal "mission" (please see prior blog) as a yoga teacher. I will continue to study Prana Flow, however I am following another tributary within the stream of my heart.

I have been curious about Anusara yoga for quite sometime.  It is Iyengar based, which I love.  The majority of workshops and certainly teacher trainings I have done have been vinyasa flow with ashtanga roots.  My very first teacher was an Iyengar influenced teacher, this feels a bit like going back to "the source" for me.  Aunsara is not as strict as a traditional Iyengar practice. Difference and diversity is encouraged.  There is not a set asana sequence, classes are based on a themes (which I love) so there there is a lot of creative freedom. Anusara has its own methods of alignment which is strongly based on stability and awareness.  Anusara's roots are based in Tantra and there is in depth tantric studies.  Anusara means "to flow with grace", it is a heart opening practice with the fundamental principle that all of life is intrinsically good.

Teacher standards are HIGH.  

Teachers are highly trained.  

This will be the most intense, in depth studying I have done to date.  t took nearly 3 years to complete the Prana Flow Certification. It will also take me years to complete this certification...100's of hours of training, an exam that I am told takes 30 hours to complete, and a video critique.  I am particularly interested in diving into learning more about Tantric philosophy and refining the art of teaching yoga.  The Anusara community is tightly knit and from what I can see so far, incredibly fun-loving!  There is strong networking between teachers in helping each other grow and learn. To my knowledge there are no Anusara Certified teachers in the Harrisburg area. I am very excited about being able to share this work with our yoga community and perhaps beyond.  

You can learn A LOT more on the official: ANUSARA WEBSITE

Perhaps, after reading more about Anusara, you'll really get it....it seems like an obvious evolution for me ♡