I did not want to write this. But hey… pardon the title of the post and the following outburst….
Ok, I was offended when I read this : imperfectyogi.blogspot.com/2007/11/anus-tribe.html
The way he wrote about Anusara was downright insulting. I can understand if he said that Anusara yoga did nothing for him (most likely he don’t understand *&#%^ about the anusara principle ) but to insult? Downright un-yoga like in my opinion…. yes, I am feeling pissed and most sad that such a person is teaching yoga and that I have attended his classes before which (- note I have never criticized before ) I never seemed to learn anything from him even though it was a level 2 class. ( i think I learnt much much more from Bo’s Hatha 1 class… )
Well then, all I have to say is that when I go for his class, I don’t feel the “I am part of the Ashtangis, Iyengar, Vinyasa Flow, Sivananda…” flow from this so called yoga teacher… bleh…. I felt that it is never right to say anything bad about any teacher or any yoga for that matter ( but not now )… as I feel that yoga is really such a personal experience. I may feel more connected on one type of yoga or a yoga teacher but not to another yoga type… but am I given the right to insult that yoga? Or that yoga teacher?
Definitely not!
And to say he is discriminated by a yoga style? funny, aint it? I say he just lacks self confident. Choosing to put down a yoga discipline he cannot understand. I am not very good at yoga and do I feel discriminated during Anusara workshops? no…. ask the rest…. And he talks of being part of an accepting and open system… “I am part of the yoga people who don’t subscribe to the Anus Tribe, because it does not work for them, and because they want to remain in an accepting and open system”…. Haha…and he hides behind putting Anusara ==> Anus(ara) in his blog post — hiding or insulting? … talking about being open….
As to how he hurt his back, well, it shows how much he understands Anusara and his body… the real anusara way is never to go beyond what you capable of. Instead it emphasised on how you express the pose… NOT HOW DEEP you go into the pose…
That is what happen when you are new and you go for an immersion workshop with no experience… it’s like you are new to ashtanga and you go for a Mysore class… let me count the ways you can hurt yourself….
SIGH… Ok.. I gotta to stop writing… I need to move on to a more positive note! 
One great news…. Patrick is coming to Singapore!!! Yesh! ( thanks to Kelvin who brought this to my attention in my facebook… all of us love facebook… great to have a group of yoga friends to hang around with ) I love Patrick’s Anusara’s classes, totally fun and most “chest opening” and handstands! I really missed Anusara yoga… sigh….
Gotta find more time to write down more of what I learnt during Ellen Heed’s workshop.
PS. Now 15min later… I regret reducing myself to his level of name calling… it’s not me…. but it feels good to say something about things that you felt unjust. But seriously, Desiree Rumbaugh is a great Anusara teacher who I am indebted to for her help (she stayed back and went all out after a long day in workshop to help me, a beginner yoga student then, she probably wont remember ) in discovering the reason as to why my knee hurts 1 year plus ago. More recently a yogi friend who just attended her recent two days workshop in Singapore ( same session as the poor soul above attended of which he felt discriminated ) told me how wonderful the workshop is (my friend has no idea who Desiree was before the workshop) and how Desiree helped her in her back problem ( I saw this pure light up in my yogi friend’s eyes when she talked about Desiree ).
P.P.S. I feel blessed that I came to learn Anusara yoga from Bo, Patrick and Desiree. And how welcoming they made all their students felt in each and every practice and also how each individual is special and unique in their practice and how these Anusara teachers accept everyone ( fat ones, skinny ones, unflexible ones, fearful ones, spiteful ones, jealous ones… ) into the practice.
Everyone, handstands!
Technorati Tags: Anusara
Leave a Reply