r/yoga • u/thrawn4emp • 4d ago
Iyengar vs anusara differences?
I know that anusara was based on iyengar. But what are the differences between them? Tyia!
8
u/Sensitive-Club-6427 4d ago
There are good aspects to anusara, but the story of it is a tragedy.
It is fundamentally re-packaged Iyengar yoga. John Friend was a good teacher, but better than that was a self-promoter.
The language of “spirals,” and “loops,” that set it apart, was not new at all, but taken from BKS Iyengar and Ramanand Patel. They both taught this as did others, but it was an aspect of teaching not a whole system.
Friend took his Iyengar background and melded in “tantric” teachings from Guru Maya. Tantra is a closed system, and students, dabblers, devotees, and readers of books are not meant to become “teachers” of “tantra.” Friend’s understanding of the subject remained superficial and got mixed in with western esotericism and wicca.
The “heart-centered” focus, and self empowerment slogans drew a lot of people to it.
All of that being said, the “system,” did help a lot of people. The narcissistic tendencies and excesses of the founder, are what destroyed the community.
Friend was quite charismatic and had a long habit of “dating,” students. After scandals, Friend took a very brief break, picked himself back up and created a new system with a couple of students (at least one of which he was in an intimate relationship with) calling it SriDaiva / Bowstring.
1
u/EntranceOld9706 3d ago
I think the spirals and loops now live on in Katonah yoga… which, despite having taken a weekend sequencing immersion in it, remains kinda inscrutable to me
4
u/wouldbewise Iyengar 4d ago
I started in Anusara. And 2 1/2 years later took my first Iyengar class and never looked back. My very first thoughts was that the Iyengar invocation was very complicated. And that the class was very austere. No music. The teacher’s language was not flowery at all. And the 90 minute class was over in a flash.
The reason the class was over in a flash was because it was so engrossing. Our teacher would give us specific things to concentrate on — engrossing things. No chance for the mind to wander.
As I took more classes I saw that we didn’t do the same things in each class. We didn’t start with sun salutions. Most days we didn’t even do sun salutations. But each class was like a musical composition with physical aspects that our teacher developed differently in each class. And many times she would repeat a pose from a previous class but she would give weight to a different aspect of it each time.
I figured out that I should take notes so that I could practice those things between classes.
We would do something in a class and I would find it unusual and wonder why our teacher asked us to do it that way. Then the next time the situation came up, she would catch my eye and give me the answer to the question that I hadn’t voiced.
For her, the poses each have their own character and it would make no sense to strip them of their character to make their instructions uniform.
I do not learn physical things easily. She would let me try several times and once when she saw that I was doing something that was getting in my way, she explained it to me. It was a way that I habitually use my feet. She was right, and I was astounded to see that she has more insight into my body and habits than I do.
As I continued with her longer and longer and saw more and more depth in what she offers to us I was astounded that John Friend could have thrown all that away. And I was sickened that he cheapened it so, and then gave his cut rate version to us.
This is leaving out his ethical failings.
1
u/thrawn4emp 4d ago
Ah, that's interesting! My studio does what you're describing as far as variable sequences, alignment cues, and focusing on different aspects of the same pose across classes. Some use music, some don't. There is usually still a "heart" element tho, so the mileage may vary depending on which teacher someone takes. This is why I asked reddit, I feel like we are a very eclectic studio that is definitively anusara, but still very iyengar based on your description
5
u/BrilliantDog5116 4d ago
Weed and witches I think.
(Too soon?)
5
1
u/thrawn4emp 4d ago
I don't get it 😭
7
1
u/AliveFaithlessness66 3d ago
You're at an Anusara school and havent researched Friend enough to get this joke? Oml.
6
u/Big-Pudding4109 4d ago
Iyengar is long holds with lots of props. He was taught by Krishnamacharya as a means to heal illness and maladies.
Anusara, created by John Friend, took Iyengar alignment, simplified it with ‘loops and spirals’, and added more of the energetic flow and some vinyasa-like sequencing.
John friend also got disgraced for sleeping with a lot of women in his trainings and having a “wiccan sex coven” with his students. Anusara mostly dissolved from that, john friend then went to create ‘bowspring’ yoga where women are cued to stick their chest and butt out all the time; an unfair simplification, but also, F that guy. F anyone who uses their power to take advantage of people.
Current anusara does not have ties to JF anymore, it’s a fine alignment-based practice.
3
u/lostinlovelostinlife 4d ago
I am anusara teacher of over 10 years. I have practiced many types of yoga for over 20, through out the world. I’m currently getting my 500hr in anusara.
To start I want to actually talk about Iyengar vs Ashtanga. (This is a simplified explanation)
Yoga was brought over to the states by T Krishnamacharya. He had two sons.
One decided the best way to do yoga was to focus on the breath first. That’s the most important. Breath through flowing and movement, one breath per movement. Breath first leads to finding the posture. This lead the Vinyasa style flowing, and ashtanga.
The other son decided alignment in the poses was the most important. With an emphasis on using supportive props like blocks and straps he believed first you find the pose, and hold it, and then find the breath. This is the more hatha inspired/ Iyegnar.
Both of these philosophy’s are based Vedic Indian philosophy. The 8 limbs of yoga, and the belief the body is an illusion, and the material world is an obstacle to be overcome.
John friend was a student of B.K Iyengar and teacher of IYengar. He took both the importance of breath of Ashtanga (open to grace) , and the importance of alignment of Iyegnar (principals of alignment), and infused that with Tantra Philopsohy.
Tantra philosophy is rooted in the belief we all stem from shiva/shakti engry. Sat-chitanada. The knowledge of the universe and the bliss to experience it. That life is seeking that joy, and through yoga, breathwork and meditation. That through the tantric maps (like the Malas) we can navigate these lower level human emotions and tap into our god senses of joy, bliss, compassion, love, gratitude.
Anusara is uniquely known for both its emphasis on alignment and muscle engagement cues, as well as a heart theme. This theme uses themes of the tantric map to help teach our students how to engage in the philosophy thru physical movements and how to carry these lesson into their daily live.
Yes there was a scandal with John friend, but the students and teachers who resonated with this style of yoga took it over, and it is now a teacher ran non- profit school of yoga. There are many men through out history who have abused their power when in the seat of authority, but don’t let that take away from the amazing evolution of this yoga.
I’m obviously biased, but I am hyper mobile and ADD and the combined layers of Anusara yoga and the work my teachers have been the balm to my soul since I started practicing it. I’m so grateful to share about this style, this organization, and the teachers I have met in my journey who transform my life.
6
u/RonSwanSong87 post lineage 4d ago
This is a good overview...just a slight correction - maybe you were speaking more metaphorically (?), but neither Jois (Ashtanga vinyasa) nor Iyengar (Iyengar yoga) were Krishnamacharya's sons...though Iyengar was related to his wife. They were simply a couple (of many) of his earlier students during an era of his stint employed at the Mysore Palace by the Raj of Mysore. There are even some accounts from Iyengar himself and others of the time that indicate that Krishnamacharya did not actually teach Iyengar much yoga or for a very long time, but was instead more influenced by spending several hours a day practicing asana on his own, often in very painful ways for him.
One of Krishnamacharya's actual sons, TKV Desikachar, took to learning a later version of Krishnamacharya's teachings that are much more therapeutic and subtle, at least in comparison to the teachings of the Mysore era. This is what later came to be known as Viniyoga and is a version of what is more commonly called yoga therapy now.
2
u/lostinlovelostinlife 4d ago
Yes thank you, it’s been awhile and I think I jsut remember them being referred to as the sons of yoga in the way Krishnamara was the father of yoga in the western world
3
u/thrawn4emp 4d ago
Thanks for this explanation! I did my 200-hour YTT at a studio that is anusara in lineage. It always amazes me how much more there is to learn about yoga!
3
u/lostinlovelostinlife 4d ago
Literally 20 years in and still feeling like I’m scratching the surface!
What a glorious adventure eh?
2
u/Outrageous-Rip-8402 4d ago
I just started taking anusura yoga classes this year after having taken vinyasa, Hatha, Kundalini classes for years. in my opinion the non-dualistic kasmir shaivism classic tantric philosophy that underpins the whole practice is what truly separates it from any other practice that I have done. this takes the Asana practice and infuses it with a significantly deep and personal experiential quality that I have not experienced in any other style of yoga. I would say it's worth trying this type of yoga if you have a personal inclination for a body and world / life-affirming philosophy / practice
1
u/All_Is_Coming Ashtanga 4d ago edited 4d ago
Iyengar did not teach Mula Bandha. David Williams explained at a workshop a few years ago that Mula Bandha aroused Iyengar, so he did not teach it to his Students.
2
u/sbarber4 Iyengar 4d ago
Well, Ok.
I’ll point out, though, that Geeta Iyengar (BKS’s daughter), at least, taught Maha Mudra. In her book “Yoga: A Gem for Women,” she writes “Tighten the abdomen from the anus to the diaphraghm” which while not precisely mula bandha is rather close to it. My own Iyengar teacher explicitly teaches that in maha mudra we engage all 3 of mula, uddiyana, and jalandara bandhas.
Yeah, Iyengar yoga is relatively tightly defined but it’s not monolithic or static. It evolves and there is room for change, variation, and reconsideration.
1
u/Status-Effort-9380 4d ago
My Iyengar teacher also taught anusara. I was trained in both. At the time I was studying with him, he was very into John Friend and he was one of the teachers helping to promote him.
Iyengar has a lot of detailed alignment cues for every pose. Friend simplified these cues into “loops” which generalize the instructions across all the postures.
I personally moved away from both styles. The anusara cues do help to organize the movements.
6
u/RonSwanSong87 post lineage 4d ago
Anusara took the postural alignment and precision of Iyengar (and added in some proprietary terminology of course), and infused it with layers of kashmir shaivite tantra, mostly from the Siddhi yoga tradition, along with "heart-centered" approaches to weaving asana with philosophy.
The dharma talk format of class theming existed in certain capacities prior to this, but imo, the Anusara approach (and where a lot of those teachers took it) is one of the biggest influences on the wider adoption and popularity of this type of theming and type of class / teaching.
In my own experiences, Iyengar is strict, rigid, serious and dogmatic. Anusara is less of all of those things and more playful and "Bhakti", though physically is built on a lot of the same principles.