Category: Anusara Yoga

Anusara Yoga: Weaving The Shamrock Within (by Cat McCarthy)

Katrina Ariel2 Comments on Anusara Yoga: Weaving The Shamrock Within (by Cat McCarthy)

CatMcCarthy Note from Katrina: This post is from my dear friend and teacher here in New Orleans, Anusara® yoga instructor Cat McCarthy. I love the way she words things. Have fun reading!

The Saints won the Super Bowl…
Mardi Gras has come and gone…
We’ve entered the Chinese Year of the Tiger…

NOW it’s time to get off your asana!

March is the month of activity, refinement, and St. Patrick’s Day… a celebration of luck, shamrocks, and beer in various shades of green. With the slow shift towards sunny and warmer spring weather, I’ve noticed the recent reemergence of clovers along my dog walking routes. The shamrock symbolizes the luck of the Irish.

Ever since I was a kid, I have had the uncanny ability to find 4-leaf to 8-leaf clovers, which is considered serendipitous. One would think that as a member of the McCarthy clan, I have been given a double dose of good fortune in my clover hunting. But is it really luck? If you think about it, one finds a 4-leaf clover by purely seeing the shift in pattern amongst typical 3-lobed leaf plants.

Therefore, what is considered to be fortuitous is actually an ability to spot the breaks in the woven fabric of a quilted clover field. Perhaps there’s luck involved. But I see it as an empowering skill to see changes in patterns and shifts in perspective, so that the full spectrum of life can become favorable. This is the alchemizing foundation of the tantric philosophy of Anusara Yoga.

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Shift Into Beauty: Wisdom From John Friend

Katrina Ariel

spring-clean-asian-woman-lavendar10038702“All actions are directed by one’s viewpoint.” – John Friend

This quote is in my notes from a training with my teacher, John Friend; the founder of Anusara® yoga. There is such wisdom to this. The way you perceive what you experience creates your understanding of it, as well as your feelings and actions.

One of the things that can become challenging about deepening your ability to be sensitive and open is that you can get rocked out of your center by the apparent horrors of the world. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

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Who Dat! New Orleans Teaches Us About Community Of The Heart

Katrina Ariel5 Comments on Who Dat! New Orleans Teaches Us About Community Of The Heart
new-orleans-saints-super-bowl-parade
Yep. That's me in a tree above the vast crowd gathered to enjoy the Saints Super Bowl Parade

True togetherness brings a sense of belonging that still allows for self expression; something New Orleans, home of the Saints and joyful leaders of the Who Dat Nation, knows how to do very well. And I invite you to consider yourself a part of it.

All the excitement is not just about football, rest assured. The spirit of community here goes far beyond that.

We can all learn a lot from the culture of community in New Orleans.

In fact, I think part of the purpose of this city and its people is to teach us (the rest of the world) how to support each other, and at the same time allow each individual to express themselves as they choose.

A sense of being a part of something bigger and also free to be who you choose to be is what Mardi Gras is all about, and every other celebration that happens here.

“Let’s all get together and have a good time,” New Orleans says. “Be yourself, or try on a new identity as you don your costume – just remember it’s all in good fun!”

And that’s what’s so great about this place. Sure, natives are proud of their culture, but it isn’t exclusive or elitist. Instead it’s a sense of co-participation that says “The more the merrier!”

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The Anusara Yoga Invocation: An Exploration

Katrina Ariel11 Comments on The Anusara Yoga Invocation: An Exploration

lotus-yogaWhen you unfold the treasure of the mantra that has become known as the Anusara Yoga Invocation, you see within it the philosophy that informs freedom and awakening which is the reason hundreds of thousands of people have been drawn to this path of celebrating and refining the self.

This mantra is the first part of the Niralambaya Upanishad.

Anusara yoga has its roots deep in the soil of ancient tradition. The chant itself is very old, and carries with it a resonance of powerful wisdom and transformation. Yet, while this school of hatha yoga joyfully honors that which has comes before, it also opens up to the unlimited possibilities of evolution.

One of the many strengths of Anusara yoga is its innovative spirit. There are Universal Principles of Alignment, which guide both the thought and action of the yoga. Using these guiding principles, you can do anything! Invention happens daily. Creative expression and beauty are a part of every practice, on and off the mat.

So let’s take a look at how a relatively short little song can describe an entire system of thought and practice.

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The Anusara Yoga Invocation: A Story

Katrina Ariel

me-oaktree-lotusMy first experience with the Anusara Invocation mantra was a bit of a surprise, actually…

I’m referring to the Opening Invocation used by Anusara yogis all over the world. It’s a beautiful song that brings you into the energy of light and truth, and it has become my companion over the years.

But the first time I heard it I had no idea it was coming.

I’d just started teaching yoga at the request of my yoga teacher, who was moving away and asked me to take over her classes. I guess I’d been teaching for 6 months or so when I went to my first Anusara® yoga gathering.

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Anusara Yoga: Rocking Ripples Of Light Through 2012 And Beyond

Katrina Ariel

2012-starsEveryone I meet seems to feel it. There’s a sense of urgency at this time in the world. A collective feeling that whatever we do right now has so much impact that our fate is being decided.

At a recent Anusara® yoga training with John Friend, the topic of 2012 came up. There we were rocking with energy and light, working transitions and shifting energy, and since it’s all interconnected it was natural to speak of transformation and shifts on a global level.

2012 is the end of many ancient calendars. Do you feel the crescendo? It’s like we’re at a climax of energies that have been creating friction for ages. I must say I’m very much excited to be alive right now.

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For The Fun Of Yoga

Katrina Ariel2 Comments on For The Fun Of Yoga

shiva-shaktiOne of the reasons Anusara® yoga is so wildly popular is because we have fun!

Sure, we go deep, we meditate, we ponder things like the meaning of life and how to save the world. We have compassion for tragedy and suffering, and we serve from our hearts to bring more light into the world.

Yet through it all we also laugh, play, interact with each other, applaud people’s new discoveries and make beauty through creative expression in beautiful, empowering poses.

Think about it; you’re much more likely to do something if you’re having fun, right?

Here’s proof that making things fun, even things that require effort, really works! Have you seen this video yet?

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Walk The Talk With John Friend

Katrina Ariel2 Comments on Walk The Talk With John Friend

I just came across this excellent video with John Friend, founder of Anusara® yoga. It’s an interview with Waylon Lewis from Elephant Journal in Boulder this past May. The video is fun and really light hearted, yet they touch on a lot of very important, serious topics while having a good time.

Watch The Video To Hear John Speak About:

Deeper Into The Mystery: Anusara Yoga With John Friend

Katrina Ariel

Beauty-SkyThe magical light of Santa Fe was a constant companion as I went on retreat with Anusara® yoga founder, John Friend. The light from the sun, the sparkling blue sky, the radiant trees, the clear starry night; it was a truly illuminated experience.

Technically the event I attended was an Advanced Therapeutics training and Weekend Workshop. But I’ll call it a retreat because I stayed on campus, and wow did it feel like a complete shift from everyday life.

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