John Friend, founder of Anusara yoga, kicked off his World Tour, named “Melt Your Heart, Blow Your Mind”, the week of February 8th, 2010. First stop on the tour, San Francisco, to launch the Immersion, Part 1. John debuted his revised curriculum for the Immersion, and I had a blast, a big Shakti Blast.
John Friend Kicks Off his World Tour
It was a slow build for me, starting off the week feeling more resistant/cloaked, bracing myself for 7 days with John, the Immersion Monday-Friday and the Workshop over the weekend, but by Wednesday, I began to feel the cumulative effects of the practice and John’s teaching. By Friday afternoon, I reached a crescendo of brightness and exuberance. I felt incredibly rooted in my body, feeling a bit fatigued and worked, but not sore, and I felt highly alert and energized, as though my brain was operating on all cylinders. I was feeling much smarter than usual! This must be what Rooting to Rise really feels like! In essence, it felt like I was experiencing an awakening. For the first time in a decade of practice, I could relate more fully to how one could experience a Kundalini awakening, a hit of enlightenment, if you will. Energetically, I could imagine what the Kundalini serpentine coil of energy would feel like if it were to unwind and ascend my spine, the central channel of light, Sushumna Nadi. What I think is so masterful about John’s teaching is that he seems to know just when the cut-off is for how much is enough shakti, enough shri, enough expansion, and what would be dis-harmoniously unstabilizing, too much light, known as a shakti-bomb. I emerged from the Immersion deeply joyous and extremely bright, and perhaps more importantly, still capable of functioning in the “real” world, though the world did feel techni-color and new.
And all of this expansion, it seemed, not only from John’s sensible and down to earth teachings, but from highly aligned poses like triangle pose (trikonasana) and extended side angle pose (parsvakonasana) held for long durations so that you really have a chance to feel the pose and work your hardest. It amazes me how truly difficult a seemingly basic pose like triangle pose can be, the more you know about it, and the more you strive to align with the divine. John is incredibly gifted and skilled at inspiring you to actually 100% really care about the quality of your pose and your alignment, imploring us at one point not to pace ourselves (guilty!), that this life is not a dress rehearsal, we don’t want to have any regret on our death bed, if we only had one go, what would it be? Full Blast! The poses over all were approachable, do-able, but it is so nice to go so much deeper with the so called “basics”. I feel I understand the Anusara action of Rooting to Rise all that much more, as though the Sushumna Nadi, my column of light, was accessed on some level. I am hoping, much like riding a bike, I never forget how wonderfully delightful and radiant this place of expansion can be and never forget how much the “basic” poses can be a gateway to the heart and a place of deep offering back to the world.
Marni Sclaroff in Urdhva Danurasana
John Friend
John Friend in Handstand
Kenny Graham in Eka Pada Rajakapotasana (King Pigeon) on his way to Valakhilyasana
John Friend in Ardha Chandrasana
Richelle Donigan dances
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