Yoga with Larry

I begin taking Yoga in 1997 and it has since become a integral part of my life.  In October 2002 I completed a year long yoga teacher training program  at the Health Advantage Yoga Center in Herndon, VA which also certified me the 200 hour Yoga Alliance registration and at the time Anusara.  I have primarily  studied the Anusara yoga style.    Anusara Yoga was started by John Friend. 

NOTE
In early 2012 significant ethical issues were brought forth about John Friend which caused a major upheaval and fallout of the Anusara community and teachers.  In the following months John had publicly admitted to and apologized for many of the ethical issues that were bought forth.  John subsequently left the Anusara community.  Anusara does survive, but in my opinion,  in a much diminished form without the many top senior level teachers it previously had.

For myself, I had already “separated” from Anusara in 2006 when I gave up my “Anusara Inspired Teacher” status due to Anusara new focus of putting more emphasis on “heart oriented” teaching which did not fit well with my own style of more “technical” teaching.  I witnessed the falling out of between John Friend and two of my main teachers Susan Van Nuys and Doug Keller.  I also had several awkward conversations and interactions with John Friend at various workshops which caused me to question the intentions and direction John was going with Anusara.  Even so I continued to study Anusara yoga with many certified and inspired Anusara teachers because I still believed the Anusara method has a lot to offer.

John’s creation of the Universal Principles of Alignment (UPA), founding the Anusara community and creating a network of certified and inspired Anusara teachers was an amazing feat and was a tremendous gift to the yoga community.  The Anusara principles and the teachers that taught them helped, and inspired, many of people in the practice of yoga (myself included).  For this I am very thankful.