Kula Scoop

June 2008

“The greatness of Anusara Yoga is largely due to the bright contributions of each member of our illustrious community. I am so grateful to Grace for bringing each of you to Anusara Yoga.”
       --John Friend

What’s new this summer in our community?Big news this fall is the Grand Gathering in Estes Park, the first Anusara Yoga Conference ever, which is sold out and promises to be amazing and inspiring. We'll post a full report in October. Below read Julie's preview of that event, plus welcoming our new certified teachers, and other community news.  Read on...

Saprema (with Divine love),
The Trikula News Team

Congratulations to newly Certified Teachers Lara Demberg, Tara Glazier, and Marjorie Nass!

The Grand Gathering
by Julie Dorhman

The much-awaited first North American Anusara Yoga Gathering will take place from September 22–24, 2008, in Estes Park, Colorado. This extraordinary three-day event will feature Anusara Yoga founder John Friend and many of the top Anusara Yoga teachers in the United States, including Denise Benitez, Elena Brower, Betsey Downing, Sarah Faircloth, Suzie Hurley, Amy Ippoliti, Naime Jezzeny, Martin Kirk, Noah Maze, Todd Norian, Ross Rayburn, Darren Rhodes, Desirée Rumbaugh, Ellen Saltonstall, Christina Sell, Sianna Sherman, and Michelle Synnestvedt. In addition to these fantastic yoga teachers, the Gathering will include internationally renowned Tantric scholars Douglas Brooks, Sally Kempton, and Paul Muller-Ortega. The offerings of all of these teachers have helped to create the vibrancy of this community over the last 10 years since Anusara Yoga was born.

Each day, the Gathering will feature early morning meditations, a master class with John Friend, inspiring philosophical talks by the Anusara scholars, choices of classes with top Anusara Yoga teachers, live music by Shantala (Benjy and Heather Wertheimer) and Special Guests, and evening entertainment.

This is the first Anusara Yoga gathering designed for all levels of students, including those new to Anusara Yoga as well as intermediate and advanced students. The Gathering will also offer special classes for Anusara Yoga teachers at all levels – aspiring, inspired, and certified.

“This event is such an honor for the Anusara Kula around the world” says Sianna Sherman, a Senior teacher who travels the world sharing her poetic expression of the teachings. “It is such a tribute to the bright and courageous vision of John Friend that has brought immeasurable joy into people's lives and hearts.” “There will be a diversity of voices expressing the core of the Anusara teachings and Tantric philosophy. This is so powerful because we remember that the essence is flowing as diversity, and in this way we can give great respect to the many creative voices of living wisdom.”

Yoga conferences are designed to invite students to sample from various teachers and styles, and generally promote yoga as a healing way of life. Many encounter Anusara for the first time at these events, “It’s been very heartwarming to meet students who are experiencing “Anusara miracles” and breakthroughs for the first time ever in these conference classes” offers Desiree Rumbaugh, a long time presenter at conferences around the country, “and then to inform them that Anusara Yoga is available now everywhere is an even better feeling!”

Transformation happens for everyone, including the teachers. Sianna offers, “I remember assisting John Friend at the early conferences when Anusara was just being born, and all the students' faces completely lit up with hope, laughter and love”. When students light up, the teacher lights up. Everyone receives a positive hit. “In the conferences the sheer impact of hundreds and thousands of committed and soulful yogins coming together to unleash potentiality and raise the vibration of inner light makes a difference in people's lives, even if they can't explain it. It's this teaching at play: "Keep great company because you become the company you keep." “
This promises to be an amazing event for the entire Anusara Yoga community! Register at
www.yogajournal.com.

John Friend teaching in the Northeast this fall

John will be teaching a Level Two Teacher Training and a Weekend Workshop in Cambridge, MA in late October. Then in November he'll be in Pennsylvania at The Bryn Athyn College for a Thursday evening Dharma talk on Nov 7, followed by a Weekend Workshop on the 8th and 9th. Check all details at www.anusara.com, under "John's schedule" . We look forward to having him in our neck of the woods after his European tour and the Grand Gathering in Colorado.

Yoga Works in New York is now offering a special training for yoga teachers who have done a 200-hour training and wish to add hours to become registered at 500 hours. This program includes components of Anusara Yoga taught by certified teacher Rama Patella. Rama extends an invitation to any teachers who have completed a 200-hour training in some other method, and who wish to learn about Anusara in a teacher training context. If any of you meet teachers in this situation, please refer them to Rama for more information.