Category: Anusara Yoga

An update on what’s going on with John Friend, Anusara yoga, and the liberating force of destruction.

At the end of nearly every yoga class, we take savasana, which translates as “corpse pose.”

This signifies a transition between the practice of asana on the mat, and the practice of being human off the mat.

It is also a symbolic death which is followed by an inevitable rebirth.

At the moment the yoga world, and especially Anusara yoga, is reeling from public exposure of private and business choices John Friend has made in less than perfect integrity. We all make mistakes. I am not agreeing with John here, I’m just stating a simple fact: no one is perfect, no matter how much we expect them to be.

So Kali, goddess of destruction, has shown up in a big way here. People are reacting with everything from compassion to anger . . .

But I’m actually smiling because I have an overwhelming feeling of hope!

Our community of Anusara yoga teachers and students is closer than never before. In the middle of this controversy and the death of how the organization of Anusara has existed up until now I see the promise and beginning of rebirth.

We have some very strong teachers stepping up to lead the restructuring of Anusara yoga, and a promise that there will be a more democratic process to come.

This is incredibly freeing. And I am glad for it, though my heart goes out to everyone—including John—who is experiencing hurt right now.

I’ve just had an article published on elephant journal that explains why I think This Might Be the Best Thing to Happen to Anusara Yoga.

Perhaps you’ll like it.

When in doubt, practice.

Anusara yoga, as a practice, is the most effective, empowering, liberating, delightful, healing and revealing approach I have personally found. It has absolutely helped me transform and recover from a lot of my own issues and emotional baggage I’d been dragging around for most of my life.

Every single Anusara yoga teacher I have studied with has been of the highest skill, and I think it is important that this controversy not reflect badly upon them.

Everyone has their own path. There are as many ways to practice yoga as there are people. What your heart says is right for you is, in fact, right for you.

When in doubt, practice. It is in the breath that transformation happens. It is in the stillness and quiet of savasana where we sometimes grow the most.

Kali is insperable from Saraswati, the goddess of beginnings, and Lakshmi, the goddess of sustaining and abundance.

2012 promised to bring change. Here is one perfect example of the power of transformation.

As I sat in meditation this morning, I got this message:

Be both the rock and the water rushing past.

Be still, patient, steadfast. 

Anchor yourself in your Self.

Feel and witness the world unfold around you.

And, at the same time, flow.

Change in every moment. 

Delight in the swift current and the movement of life.

Be both the rock and the river, the shore and the ocean.

To me, Anusara yoga teaches this so clearly.

Steadfast and spacious, strong and sensitive. Yoga is both the path beneath your feet and the way you choose to walk, dance, meander, and otherwise be human along the way.

And, when all else fails, breathe and move—roll out your mat and embody the qualities you seek.

Breath is life, and it connects us to all that lives around us. This is why one of the main focuses of yoga is the breath, including the practice of pranayama.

Can you recall the feeling of your breath really opening up in a yoga pose? Or the shifting of your mind and emotions into a state of peace when you pause and just turn your focus to your breath?

So much of yoga is about the breath, for breath is infused with prana, which is literally the energy of life. Here’s what my teacher, John Friend, has to say about prana in the Anusara® yoga Teacher’s Manual:

“Prana is the vital force in our bodies. It interpenetrates and pulsates within every cell – giving life to our body… Every particle of the physical body, every molecule of DNA, every cell, every organ, and every gland pulsates with prana.”

One of the practices of yoga is pranayama, which is often referred to as ‘breath control’, however I much prefer to consider it a ‘co-created dance’ with your breath.

To me, the concept of control calls in the hardened attitude of domination and separation with one being in control over another.

But we’re speaking of Nature in one of her most essential forms; the movement of life! For pranayama to bring joy and equanimity, doesn’t it make sense to deeply honour the relationship between yourself and your breath? And, when you think about it, where does the breath end and you begin?

Read More “Pranayama: Yoga As A Dance With The Breath”

Why is it that Anusara® yoga has changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, including myself?

Because it shows you how to radically change the way you look at life.

One of the most powerful aspects of Anusara yoga, and its first principle, is choosing to look for the beauty in every moment. Even in the most difficult and painful times we can find a way to turn towards the light.

It’s being open to the purest essence of life that guides this ability; knowing that intrinsic goodness lives in your heart. This fundamental knowing that you and everything around you is interconnected, and that the choices you make to be kind to yourself and others ripple out to make a big difference.

This looking for the good in life might not come naturally at first, but it’s something you can learn, and it can shift your life in the most empowering way!

Read More “How Anusara Yoga Helps You See The Light in Dark Places”

Today I changed my name. Legally.

Well, okay, it’s not totally official yet, but that’s just a matter of the paperwork getting processed. It’s in motion and happening.

What’s my new name?

Katrina Hokule’a Ariel.

Hokule’a means ‘Star of Gladness’. It’s Hawaiian, and this feels like a rebirth. I’m really and truly living my dreams…

I’m so inspired and feel so ‘right’ on my path, that I sang out loud on my walk home. Om Namah Shivaya to the trees, birds, and some surprised people. Did I mention that Hokule’a is the essence of my heart song?

When people need inspiration, I hope to be a part of the light that reminds them who they truly are. I hope I’ve been able to do this for you at some point. It’s very likely you have inspired me…. I’ll get back to this in a minute.

What does this all have to do with Wanderlust?

Well, it’s really all Divine Timing. You know, when things line up so perfectly you couldn’t have planned it better?

Read More “Hokule’a Goes To Wanderlust: How To Follow Your Dreams”