Bet there’s a few of you who can’t wait to get the Wanderlust 2011 party started. I know one person who will be there: Anusara Yoga founder John Friend. I really quite enjoyed this fairly long but entertaining clip from John Friend at last year’s Wanderlust Speakeasy about the purpose, power, and diversity of the yoga community.
In the midst of exploring the world of Anusara, I discovered this gem of a yoga reading list on the Anusara website. Lots of good yoga books to contemplate (and buy…Yikes!). And since I’m a bit of an Anusara novice, I also enjoyed listening to this interview of John Friend by Drishti Point, discussing the expansion of hatha yoga around the world, John’s approach to developing teachers, and the underlying principles of Anusara.
In case you missed it or just want to relive the verbal punch/counterpunch between The New York Times and John Friend (aka “The Yoga Mogul”), here are the juicy links: New York Times – The Yoga Mogul; John Friend – Response.
To read the press release for John’s 2011 World Tour, Dancing with the Divine, click through the break.
John Friend Kicks off 2011 World Tour, Dancing with the Divine
Creatively Inspired Workshops Span the Globe – Including USA, Japan, Australia & New Zealand, Europe, along with the Anusara Grand Circle at Wanderlust Vermont, and the Anusara Inspired Gathering at Wanderlust Lake Tahoe.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (February 18, 2011) — John Friend launches his 2011 World Tour today in San Francisco, Dancing with the Divine. This year’s theme is a celebration of artistic choice, focused on bringing more beauty and light into daily living. The tour will open with a Talk-Experience in which the theme of dancing with the Divine will be expressed through John’s spoken word poetry, live music, and inspiring dance expressions. Weekend workshops in the US and around the world include opportunities for all levels, beginner to advanced, focused on the Universal Principles of Alignment as means to Dance with the Divine. To view the full schedule, visit www.anusara.com.
“Each day we wake up with a choice, ‘Will my actions today be life affirming, or will they be life diminishing?’” said John Friend, founder of Anusara yoga. “It is this artistic choice, made daily, that will awaken our spirit, our creativity, and our freedom. This year’s tour will focus on channeling the wisdom of daily, conscious decision-making into all of our relationships.”
John’s next stop on the Dancing with the Divine tour after San Francisco is a 10-day sojourn in Miami from February 23rd to March 2nd, including his Advanced Intensive with teachers gathering from around the world. Japan will be the first international event, in alignment with the cherry blossoming of the Sakura trees in Kyoto and Tokyo, followed by Friend’s visit Down Under in Australia and New Zealand.
The Dancing with the Divine 2011 World Tour will also feature the debut of the Anusara Grand Circle in Stratton, Vermont June 23rd – 26th, prior to Wanderlust’s first festival gathering in the extraordinary mountains of green Vermont. The Summer Solstice community gathering will include Master classes with John Friend along side of workshops and light-infused conversations with top scholars and the Anusara Kula.
The Anusara Inspired Gathering in Squaw Valley, California, will take place prior to the flagship Wanderlust Festival in Lake Tahoe, July 25th – 27th. The Inspired Gathering is open to certified Anusara yoga teachers and Anusara-Inspired yoga teachers, and will feature curriculum, mentorship, and inspiration from founder of Anusara yoga John Friend and other senior teachers.
John Friend’s joyful spirit and heart-centered approach to yoga and life is enjoyed in over 100 countries around the globewith more than 500 thousand students worldwide.
About Anusara
Founded by John Friend in 1997, Anusara yoga is a school of hatha yoga, which unifies a life-affirming Shiva-Shakti Tantricphilosophy of intrinsic goodness with Universal Principles of Alignment. Present in over 100 countries, Anusara yoga has become one of the most highly respected schools of hatha yoga with over 1,000 licensed yoga teachers, thousands of teachers in training and a half a million students worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.anusara.com.
2011 World Tour Schedule, Dancing with the Divine
Date Location
Feb 18, 2011 San Francisco, California
Feb 28 – Mar 2, 2011 Miami, Florida
Mar 3-4, 2011 North Miami, Florida
Mar 16-17, 2011 Grand Rapids, Michigan
Mar 19-20, 2011 Detroit, Michigan
Apr 1-3, 2011 Tokyo, Japan
Apr 15-16, 2011 Kyoto City, Kyoto, Japan
Apr 23-24, 2011 Hong Kong
Apr 27-29, 2011 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
May 7-8, 2011 Brisbane,Queensland, Australia
May 14-15, 2011 Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand
Jun 19-22, 2011 Stratton Mountain, Vermont
Jul 6-8, 2011 Geneva, Switzerland
Jul 12-13, 2011 Madrid, Spain
Jul 16-17, 2011 Athens, Greece
Jul 25-27, 2011 Olympic Valley,California
Oct 15-16, 2011 Montclair, New Jersey
Oct 29-30, 2011 New Orleans, Louisiana
Daily Cup of Yoga 