Home Practice

An Interview with John Friend

by Kathy Carroll

For 15 years, I was a once-a-week yoga practitioner. Week after week my teacher would extol the value of home practice, but week after week I was too busy — too preoccupied — to heed her advice. About four years ago something inside me began to shift and I started to make the time to do yoga at home. At first I felt resistance; it took a lot of effort to get myself to the mat. Over time though, my home practice has become what is often the sweetest time of my day. Doing yoga at home is paying off on many levels. I am enjoying a greater sense of peace, more connection with that silent observer within. My yoga postures are becoming stronger and deeper. Just the other day my sister complimented me. “It’s not just the blue dress,” she said. “You are carrying yourself differently.” The world looks different when you carry yourself differently.

I am honored and grateful to John Friend, founder of Anusara Yoga for sharing ways to help my own practice evolve and to help other students with their practice. This interview took place after an Anusara Teacher Training as we were driving through Washington, DC on our way to a party John hosted for students and assistants at Jane Fryer’s home.

Kathy Carroll: So John, how important is a home practice? What are its benefits?

John Friend: Home Practice is really the foundation of how we grow and improve in our yoga. You can take classes and workshops and they can give a lot of benefit. They provide the details and techniques. They can give a great experience of being in a group with others, which can really inspire us to grow to deeper levels. However, when we are by ourselves we are able to get in synch with our own rhythms and apply the types of actions and the poses that we need for our own individual benefit. So home practice is really what will help us grow the most. It’s the foundation of our practice that we want to keep coming back to time and time again. And, for teachers, through our own practice we get the deeper understanding of the principles that we are working with. Then we can teach and express these ideas from our own experience.

KC: Since home practice is the foundation of our yoga as you expressed so well, when would you suggest that new students begin their home practice?

JF: Well you can guide a new student right off the bat by giving them a few things to do—some of the poses you are working on in class. And give them a little routine, anything from 20 minutes to 45 minutes or even an hour. They can start practicing as often as three or four times a week at home. So getting them into some sort of commitment to try a few poses at home, can make a big difference.

KC: Sometimes it’s hard to get started. How do you suggest that we get out of our own stagnation and start?

JF: Again it’s going to come down to what you feel is really important. What kind of meaning can you put into the practice? If you have something that you are really shooting for, if you have deeper goals that are meaningful, that’s what’s going to infuse your practice and really help to jump start it. If you don’t have a lot of meaning for your practice, it’s going to drop off. So, let’s say you have a deep meaning, just find a period of time, maybe only thirty minutes, something that is really doable. Set reasonable goals that are really achievable. When your goals are reasonable and you can do them, then you infuse your practice with deep meaning. That’s what’s going to help charge your practice and get you out of the tamasic, dull state of mind.

KC: Yes! And it sounds like you are talking about bringing a spiritual dimension in.

JF: You have to bring a spiritual basis to it. Actually you don’t have to. Some people say, “I have this cellulite on my legs and it’s really the bane of my existence.” If that is really important for some people, they’re the ones who will get up every day and do a practice.

So, for them the physicality is giving them a home practice. However, I think that for me the practice is a spiritual art. And so my goals are much more than to bring certain muscular tone to my body.

KC: To get a student started, what kind of space should they have? What stuff do they need? I’m thinking of the physical practicalities of getting started with a practice.

JF: All you need is a sticky-mat sized space in your house. You can literally do a practice just about anywhere. Of course, if you have a space that is without so many distractions (which could be both noise and clutter, visual clutter) and you have more space where you can extend your energy out a bit – of course that is optimal.

KC: What about bringing poetry into our practice?

JF: You could find scripture or inspirational readings or quotes by people you admire and you might read them before you do the practice and remind yourself of the quote as you are doing the practice. You could infuse that kind of poetry into it.

KC: During the teacher training you were talking about dedicating our practice to a person. Tell us about that.

JF: Many times I dedicate my practice to someone that I really love and/or to somebody who might be in need of some extra energy. They might be suffering. So, I make every part of my practice, my breath, the actions in the poses, all of it, totally dedicated to offering back love to this person that I hold in my heart.

KC: Yes, and you mentioned before that sometimes we might want to dedicate the practice to a person we are personally having a hard time with, too – maybe to bring healing to a relationship. On another note, how would you see people progressing with their practice over time?

JF: You want to expand your range of poses — the different classes of poses, like standing poses, backbends, forward bends, twists, inversions, hand balancings, restoratives and so on. You want to keep increasing the variety of those types of poses through a period of a week or two. And then within each of those classes of poses you want to expand your repertoire so that you do more and more variations within those classes. In that way you are going to experience a greater depth of the practice, where you will cultivate deeper opening, deeper strength, and resiliency.

KC: Do you see people doing an overall practice with some standing poses, some inversions, some twists, etc.? Or is it better to have a different practice each day, where one day is my hip opener practice and another day might focus on shoulders?

JF: Well, it’s going to depend on a lot of things. It depends on how much time you have, how many days a week you’re practicing. So, doing an overall practice is a good idea if you are only practicing a couple times a week. Then it might serve you better just to do a general practice, where you include a little bit of everything. It’s what I call a potpourri class. Now if you are practicing more regularly, say, six days a week, you might want to have one day with a focus on backbends and stronger poses and one day with a focus on forward bends and twists. There are some standard types of poses that you might want to incorporate every day that include sun salutations (Surya Namaskar), standing poses and inversions. So you have these standard things within the template of your home practice. And then you add within that; you could still do a forward bend practice on one day and on another day a backbend practice. Then, maybe one day a week, you could do a restorative practice.

KC: Would you see a teacher’s practice as their way of working out their class plan?

JF: Yeah, sometimes the practice can be the same sequence that you would teach and in so doing you could learn a lot. You would learn the actions and the attitudes that you want to cultivate for the students. And you would also get a direct experience about the type of pacing that would be effective and how many poses and the sequence that would fit into your time limit. You would learn a whole lot. So you definitely have to be practicing to what you are teaching. On the other hand, as long as you are able to practice the poses separately, you can then combine and compile a variety of sequences. So you don’t always have to practice a particular sequence.

KC: That’s helpful. Now, back to a yoga space. If a person were to set up an ideal space for their yoga practice, what would it be like?

JF: The practice space that I have is a room that is really dedicated to yoga. It has a hardwood floor and high ceilings and lots of wall space. It is an uncluttered space and it has a big impact, a positive influence on my mind. It is beautiful and it has windows that open to the trees. I have inspirational things displayed like devotional pictures, pictures of teachers, saints, deities, and sacred symbols like Om.

KC: How do you do your own yoga practice?

JF: What I do is have a general template that includes Surya Namaskar, standing poses, some inversions. So as many days as I can within the week (many times I practice almost every day) I’ll dedicate a minimum of an hour and a half to two hours. Many times a three-hour practice is really best for me. And then I’ll do this wide variety of poses with those basic postures as a template. I’ll mix it up so that on one day I’ll do backbends, maybe hand balancings for a stronger practice and then the next day do forward bends, twists and hip openers.

KC: You have a pretty intense schedule. A lot of times you’re on the road. What do you do then?

JF: I still try to make the time. So then you look at what the schedule entails. Many times I just do it during my lunch break. The students get a two-hour break and that’s my practice time.

KC: What about Yoga off the mat? How can we bring our yoga practice into our daily lives?

JF: By putting feeling and meaning into it – make it more of a spiritual art on the mat. All the different challenges that we are faced with on the mat, the limitations of our body and mind on the mat, they’re a perfect metaphor for how we deal with things out in life, how we deal with others. So how you are expressing and treating yourself on the mat completely reflects how you will be off the mat.

KC: Tell us more about that.

JF: I take certain qualities of heart that I want to cultivate and then I focus on that during an intense two-hour practice and I physicalize or embody that quality of heart. By doing that, it puts that energy into the cells of my body.

KC: On a physical level, what about standing in Tadasana when you are waiting in the grocery line?

JF: Absolutely. Presenting yourself off the mat is just a continuation of what you’ve done on the mat. You wouldn’t do the alignment on the mat and then just forget about alignment later. You don’t have to use so much muscle to hold yourself, but you’re aware about your alignment.

KC: How can we make sure that people don’t hurt themselves? How can we strike a balance between appropriate challenge and not getting hurt?

JF: First, starting with a right attitude, being sensitive and tuning to a greater energy from the beginning allows us to line up in a way that injury is going to happen less. Second, you have to know the principles of alignment. Even with the best intention and the best attitude if you don’t know the alignment, you have a higher chance of injury. So knowing the alignment principles, including the proper actions and the proper forms, will enhance your experience and will reduce any kind of injury. An alignment of heart, body and mind is the way you prevent injury.

KC: So, along with knowing alignment, intention is really important.

JF: Your intention fuels the energy behind all of your actions. So you can have good alignment and yet if you have an attitude that is really aggressive and full of self effort and you push yourself, then you’re not being sensitive to yourself.

KC: Of course sometimes we get so gentle with ourselves that we don’t really take ourselves to the edge.

JF: It is a balance — a balance of effort and surrender. If you are too releasing, you can get injured that way too.

KC: Finally, what else do you think people should know about home practice, John?

JF: Even though you might set certain goals, make it a time for self-nurturing and enjoyment – self enjoyment. Play! Get on the mat and play without getting stuck in trying to make the form so perfect. Have fun with it!

KC: Thanks, John. You are an inspiration!

Reprinted from anusara.com

Yoga – You’re Never Too Old To Start

by Adrienne Fortey

What does the word ‘yoga’ mean to you? Perhaps you associate
it with an Indian mystic sitting in a trance high in the Himalayas, or
with seemingly impossible contortions of the body. But, in fact, throughout
the world millions of ordinary men and women have transformed their lives
with the practice of this ancient science. Yoga is a system of postures,
special breathing techniques and relaxation which act together to harmonize
all aspects of the individual. It originated in India some 5,000 years
ago and in our century a few forward thinking yoga masters have revised
these teachings into the form we know today, making the benefits available
to all humanity regardless of race, religion, nationality, occupation
or age.

Twenty minutes of yoga is worth hours of ordinary exercise. It is the
way to good health and longevity, and will lead you to feeling youthful
in body, mind and spirit. Yoga is the natural way to free yourself from
the pains and nervous tension which sap away the strength and vigour of
body and mind. Everyone is capable of doing enough yoga to experience
great benefits almost at once. This is true for those aged eighty and
beyond as well as for people of all ages who have allowed their physical
condition to deteriorate. Many yoga practices can be done in a comfortable
sitting position, standing up or lying down. Yoga is not ‘exercise’
in the ordinary sense. With the slow, gentle movements of yoga you are
able to stimulate and relax every part of the body from the toes to the
scalp and from the muscles and tendons inwards to the deepest internal
organs and glands. Yoga awakens the vital force within and, in addition,
it is very enjoyable.

Definition of age

If we think we are too old to do something, what do we really mean by
‘too old’? Is age really anything to do with the number of years
that have passed since our birth into the world? What do we really see
when we look at a person and decide whether they are young or old? Some
of the characteristics normally associated with youth, on the one hand,
and old age, on the other, are listed below:

Characteristics of youth	Characteristics of age
suppleness	stiffness
agility	immobility
calmness	tension
sound sleep	insomnia
vitality	fatigue
endurance	weariness
proper blood circulation	inadequate blood circulation
firm muscles	flabby muscles
good skin tone	poor skin tone
normal weight	obesity
alert mind	senility, poor memory
optimism	depression
courage	fearfulness

So really it is having many of the characteristics of youth which makes
us ‘young’ or having many of the characteristics of age that
makes us ‘old’, not chronological age. A properly planned yoga
program, if followed with sincere and regular application, will reverse
the characteristics of age and give you a new lease of life.

How yoga can turn back the clock

Yoga is a scientific method which deals with every aspect of an individual,
that is, it is a holistic approach. The regular and dedicated application
of yoga techniques removes the underlying cause of many ailments and diseases
because it has the following effects:

• balances energy

• removes toxins from the body

• improves blood flow

• increases oxygen flow in the body

• stretches and tones muscles

• increases flexibility of the body

• reduces physical, mental and emotional stress

• improves sleep and mental outlook

In other words, yoga creates harmony between our physical, mental, emotional
and spiritual aspects. So we can say that the above effects would start
to reverse the characteristics of age and gradually lead us back to having
more of the characteristics of youth. If you meet an older person who
seems to be aglow with health and vitality, there is every chance that
a daily yoga session is their secret recipe.

Yoga and common diseases

More and more these days, health care is changing as the medical profession
realizes that to cure illness and disease, just treating the symptoms
is not enough; the underlying cause needs to be treated and remedied.
What is disease? Dis-ease, the absence of ease, indicates we are unbalanced
and must make some changes to become healthy and more joyful. Illness
can be a springboard for change and evolution; nature is telling us we
are transgressing her lanes.

To regain health and vitality you do not even need to know or understand
the cause. Regular practice of yoga postures, breathing and relaxation
techniques will effect the cure automatically. Let’s look at some
of the common ailments that trouble many people: headaches, obesity, poor
eyesight, haemorrhoids, bronchitis, traumatic menopause, period pain.
It may seem miraculous but all of these conditions can be improved or
cured with yoga, and all those pills, ointments, lotions, potions, drops
and drugs can be thrown away.

What about the more serious illnesses that cause severe distress, disability
and even premature death; the modern lifestyle diseases such as hypertension,
heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, cancer, arteriosclerosis, asthma etc.?
Yes, even these can be greatly improved and even cured with yoga. Of course
yoga is much more effective when applied to a newly occurring condition
rather than as a last resort when all other treatment methods have failed.
Psychological disorders such as depression, phobias, anorexia nervosa,
anxiety etc. can also be successfully treated with yoga. What about the
‘inevitable’ ageing process – loss of memory, failing eyesight
and hearing, progressive stiffness, incontinence, general feebleness of
the body? As already stated, these effects of advancing years are not
inevitable and can be prevented or reversed with yoga practices. Yoga
is the way out of the cycle of pain and illness.

The importance of relaxation

Many of the problems which people experience are caused by stress, anxiety
and tension which eventually manifests as mental or physical illness.
So by relaxing the body and the mind, the vital energy is brought back
into balance, vitality is restored and a completely fresh and optimistic
outlook on life is experienced.

What do we mean by relaxation? When you watch very young children at
play, you will notice that they are totally absorbed in their games, oblivious
to other events around them, and when they become tired, they simply lie
down and sleep, flopping like rag dolls. However, when most adults say
they are relaxing, they are usually just engaging in another activity
which uses energy, either physical or mental. Think about how long ago
it was that you last experienced true, deep relaxation. Was it a few hours
ago, last week, last month or so long ago that you can’t even remember?

The relaxation techniques used in yoga are extremely simple and yet the
benefit is felt immediately. You do not have to ‘try’ to relax
or ‘believe’ that the practices will work; you simply follow
the procedures as instructed and all your tensions disappear as you learn
to ‘let go’. That childlike ability to completely relax will
be yours again and the benefits will be with you twenty-four hours a day.
When tension and anxiety melt away, the willpower becomes stronger, so
you have the strength of mind to tackle other aspects which may be effecting
your health, such as overeating, smoking, overindulgence in alcohol etc.
Usually the yoga practitioner finds that the addiction to these habits
just disappears by itself without any real effort.

How to get started

You should learn yoga in the beginning from a qualified, properly trained
yoga teacher. While many books are available, these should only be used
for reference and additional information, not to teach yourself yoga from.
This is particularly important if you have any health problems. Yoga courses
for beginners are often available at community health centres and adult
education centres. Classes many be advertised in your local newspaper
and some yoga teachers and yoga schools are listed in the yellow pages
telephone directory.

Classes are normally conducted for small groups of mixed age and gender,
but special classes for particular groups, i.e. women, retired people,
or antenatal are often available also. If you are unable to get to a class
or would prefer private tuition at home, this could probably be arranged
with a teacher, but would naturally be a little more costly.

If you are being treated for a specific ailment or are on strong medication
you should discuss your wish to commence yoga with your doctor, who will
most likely be delighted at your decision and may even know a yoga teacher
that he/she can recommend. If you are confined to a nursing home (or have
a relative who is) and would like to learn yoga, discuss the possibility
of a teacher visiting the home once or twice a week. They may even be
able to organize a group class if enough residents are interested.

Once you start classes, make sure you keep that time slot free very week
so you don’t miss a class. Particularly at the beginning when everything
is new, regular practice and attendance at class are essential. This is
your special time for looking after yourself. Your teacher will advise
you to do some of the practices that are being taught at home between
classes, to get the full benefit, so you may need to alter your daily
routine to fit this in. Usually just missing one hour of TV viewing each
day gives the necessary time. When you start to feel the benefits, you
will be very keen to do the practices at home anyway!

So whether you are twenty five, forty five, sixty five or eighty five,
you are never too old to discover what yoga can do for you.

Reprinted from YOGA MAGAZINE

Recorded Classes (Podcasts) Audio classes with images on the web

Recorded Classes (Podcasts)

March 14, 2009
Vista, California – Breathing Anatomy / Gentle Inversions

Breathing Anatomy / Gentle Inversions

1:00 – 4:00 pm   Breathing: Anatomy and Practice 
5:00 – 8:00 pm   Gentle Inversions and Alternatives

Location:
Yoga Vista 
319 E. Broadway 
Vista, CA 92084 

Contact: Danielle Osicki
Phone: 760-630-9642
E-Mail: yogavista@gmail.com
Web Site: yogavista.net/

Weekly Yoga Classes
Del Mar, California – Iyengar Yoga classes every Tuesday evening

Iyengar Yoga classes every Tuesday evening

Intermediate 6:00 – 7:25 p.m.

Beginners 7:30 – 8:55 p.m.

Last Tuesday of the month is restorative class, all resting poses

Drop-ins welcome or click here to make reservations online.

Location:
Yoga Del Mar
2652 Del Mar Heights Road
Del Mar, California 92014

Phone: 858-720-0076
E-Mail: yoga@yogadelmar.com
Web Site: www.yogadelmar.com

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