By: Anodea Judith

Anodea Judith — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:15:39 +0000

From Anodea Judith, written Feb 17 – who just discovered this site. It was suggested I post this here. I have another blog that follows, but let this one stand for now.

An Open letter to the Anusara Community:

To the Kula who cares so much, I offer my sympathies for all that you have been experiencing as a result of the recent tsunami in the Anusara community. The depth of pain is always equal to the love maintained and I know how much love there has been, so I can imagine the pain for all concerned. I am reminded of an old Charlie Murphy song:
THERE ARE THOSE WHO WANT TO SET FIRE TO OUR WORLD, WE ARE IN DANGER. THERE IS ONLY TIME TO MOVE SLOWLY, THERE IS NO TIME NOT TO LOVE.
We must all proceed carefully. Everyone is on trial here as yogins, as compassionate and wise beings, and as stewards of yoga, Anusara or otherwise.
I am an outsider, so I speak humbly. I am perhaps a de facto member of the Kula, but not an official one, having never been certified as an Anusara instructor. I haven’t traveled with the merry band, but I have shared experiences on and off the mat with so many of you. I love Anusara, the Kula, the principles, and the teachings I have received from John and all whom I have had the pleasure to study with – you know who you are. John gave you something rich to shape and uplift your lives, and that is no small thing.
Instead I speak as a psychologist, somewhat of an elder/wisewoman, and as someone who has also been involved in communities that have risen and fallen as a result of human foibles. I speak as someone that, like you, has loved and admired John, and watched from afar as Anusara grew from seed to flower to garden. I believe Anusara has made a significant contribution to changing the world, through its community – which is beyond the power of any one man. John may have been the instigator, but you are the stewards. How do you wish to proceed?
Founders Failure – as it is called by those who study these things – is an inevitable stage in the evolution of a lasting organization—meaning an organization that is to leave its legacy past the life of its founder. An organization can only survive past its founder if can evolve and grow. By nature, founders are brilliant at conception and implementation. They are hardworking, driven, visionary, extroverted, and have the charismatic capacity to spark a movement. These very qualities required to start something are often the qualities that get in the way of the organization’s long term evolution. Founders inevitably fail in the eyes of a community – if only from the sheer pressure of holding it together for so many years. Eventually something has to give.
If you look at all this systemically, this tsunami may be right on target – an opportunity for everyone to grow up and stand up as sovereign beings in the light, seeing each other’s shri shine brightly. It is a chance for all of us to practice our yoga in the truest sense of the word, and walk with equanimity and compassion.
Carl Jung said that one of the marks of maturity is the ability to hold the tension of opposites. Each one of us has light and shadow. The bigger we are as a being, the brighter that light needs to be, and it follows that its shadow is equally intense. When a leader is loved, people have a hard time imagining they can be any less than perfect. There seems to be some human need to exalt others beyond ourselves, to see them as more than human. In spiritual communities, that borders on divine projection. When a leader fails in some way, usually by some ethical shortcoming – the same people often have a hard time seeing anything but the darkness.
I saw it happen in my own past community with a man who was much loved, then exposed for his shadow, and ended up mysteriously dead- a crime that was never solved. Some saw him as light, others saw only black once his shadow was revealed. In truth, he was both. It’s just that both sides were bigger than most of us.
I write this letter from Kripalu, where the same thing happened back in 1994. Kripalu is a great organization. Its founder, Amrit Desai, had enough Shakti to start something profound that still exists today and has benefited hundreds of thousands. But he had to fall from grace for Kripalu to grow up. Kripalu made it through the transition and is thriving today. But not all organizations make it.
I don’t know the details of the allegations against John or of his admissions. It matters less to me than the behavior of a community that has received so much grace and guidance in its formation. As he takes his leave of absence, it is up to you to become stewards of that community.
The danger in this stage of an organization’s development, is that a community can fracture. Sides can be taken, factions developed, lesser people often step up to take control. We see it in Egypt as the country struggles to find democracy.
Let’s rise above that. Ethical misconduct is a serious issue, but let’s all grow up and hold the light and dark in an integrated way. This by no means condones whatever has been happening, but instead is a call to our own behavior. John has been giving tirelessly to this community for fourteen years. It ain’t easy being on the road. It is right that he gets to take a break. Maybe this is the only way that could happen.
And that leaves all of you to step up to your highest, most ethical, compassionate and wisest selves. That will make Anusara something you can all be proud of.

With love,
Anodea Judith
Feb 17, 2012

By: Interview with Garth Stevenson

Interview with Garth Stevenson — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 12:02:39 +0000

[...] About this site [...]

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 02:11:00 +0000

Thanks, Tom!!

By: Tom Clark

Tom Clark — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 16:46:00 +0000

What a sweet seat – holding you both there bathing in the glorious mountain sunshine – it’s shri to behold!

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