John Friend, Yoga Mogul

Someone asked me what I thought after the first time I attended one of John Friend’s Dharma Talk speaking events. My first response off the cuff was, “He’s no bullshit”.

I’ve trained in a variety of martial arts, fitness, and other physical arts schools over the years, some more or less cult-like in their behavior, but what I see in John’s modernization of yoga is really a refinement of the ancient teachings and practices, presenting them to students in an easily accessible and non-exploitative way, that sheds some of the more questionable master-servant mentality of the old way of doing things. Some people may say that’s commercialization, but I say sign me up for another class please!

At the last workshop I attended with John he concluded by having each student look into a mirror at themselves and telling them to listen to their bodies and their hearts and remember that that person in the mirror is their Guru, their teacher. He also said if anyone else tries to tell you they’re your Guru, run away screaming. As one of my old Tai Chi teachers used to say, “Masters have servants, coaches have star players”. I think of John as a coach more than a master.

After a run of weird teachers in other physical arts systems, John’s fresh, unpretentious, and entertaining style of teaching encouraged me to give meditation, eastern spirituality, and all the other happy touchy things those usually entail, another chance. It’s really helped me reach my highest and best intentions physically and mentally.

Also worth mentioning is John’s gracious appreciation for other yoga styles, including those teachers he’s studied with in the past. The Anusara teachers I’ve studied with consistently celebrate the diversity of various yoga schools (often coming from many diverse yoga lineages themselves) and all the strengths those various styles bring to the yoga community at large.

I walked into my first Anusara class because a coworker recommended it. He knew that I was into parkor, martial arts, weightlifting and other challenging workouts and he told me I had to check out an Anusara class. He said he always got an awesome workout, even when he started out a little tired. What started as a desire to get a great workout turned into a religion for me, and now I have a greater mind and body awareness than I’ve every experienced.

After three years of witnessing and experiencing the high level of quality control that Anusara requires of it’s teachers through the classes my teachers and their subs taught, I was inspired to enroll in a yoga teacher training course lead by Anusara instructors. I hope to one day teach with the style, knowledge and grace that John shines out in his classes.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my comments. Namaste!

So beautifully said, Ryan! I do not think that the NY Times article was entirely accurate in portraying John Friend. I encourage anyone who read the NY Times article to also read John’s response. http://www.anusara.com/index.php?option=com_wpmu&p=107&blog_id=2&Itemid=250