Words from the Professional Development and Operations Director

Dear Anusara Community,

As we continue our journey together, I'm excited to share some of the insights and developments that have shaped our community this year.

A Year of Deepening

2024 has been a year of profound growth and transformation. We've delved deeper into the heart of our practice, exploring the philosophical underpinnings and practical applications of Anusara Yoga. One such exploration has been the rich tapestry of Tantra.

Lorin Roche, a renowned teacher and scholar, offers us a beautiful reflection on the word "Tantra." He invites us to see Tantra not merely as a tradition or practice, but as a profound invitation. It's an invitation to celebrate life in all its fullness, to embrace the divine within ourselves and all beings, and to live with a sense of sacredness.

Tantra and Anusara: A Harmonious Union

Our core Anusara teachings are deeply rooted in Tantra,

The Divine Within: Recognizing the sacredness of our bodies, minds, and spirits.
Embracing Unity within Diversity: recognizing our intrinsic goodness and allowing ourselves to see beauty first
Living in the Now: Cultivating mindfulness and presence.
Celebration of Life: Finding joy and gratitude in every moment.

Our Journey Continues

As we continue to deepen our understanding of Tantra, we're also excited to share these developments:

Enhanced Online Offerings: Our Anusara Live Studio and Anusara Rises programs continue to grow, offering a variety of classes and workshops to suit your needs.
Community Building: The Train the Trainers Forum has fostered a vibrant community of teachers, sharing insights and best practices.
Expanding Our Reach: Our Anusara Affiliated Programs have expanded, connecting us with like-minded organizations worldwide.

Looking Ahead

In the coming year, we'll be focusing on:

A New Website: A more user-friendly platform with enhanced features and resources.
Curriculum Updates: Our immersion and teacher training programs will be refined to reflect the latest insights.
Deepening Our Understanding of Tantra: We'll offer more opportunities for exploring the rich tapestry of Tantra through workshops, retreats, and online resources.

Thank you for being a part of this vibrant community.

Your dedication to the practice of Anusara Yoga inspires us all. Let's continue to grow together, embracing the beauty and complexity of life.

With love and gratitude,

Gianni Chávez

Professional Development and Operations Director

The Anusara School of Hatha Yoga

"Tantra: Connecting our individuality with our universality"

Weaving together a symphony of Love

Written by Lorin Roche

When I first heard the words tantra it was a delightful physical experience, similar to walking out into nature after a rain, when the Sun is shining through, everything is glistening, and the scent in the air is magically fresh. I was a teenager then in 1968, and even now 56 or so years later, this word conveys a sense of utter delight and a path to freedom.

What I began to learn in this first transmission I received from the Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, was to attend lovingly to the rhythms and pulsations of life manifesting as the connective tissues in my body, and the delicate energetic, vibrating connections between me and the world around. The song of tantra and mantra conveys a path of attending with almost-unbearable tenderness toward the energies of the life force, pranashakti, as she flows.

Tantra also points to the ordeals we undergo whenever we commit to the path of love, where we are called to learn more and more of how to tolerate intensity, feel into the rhythms of love and of healing, and the continual surprising challenges in the dance of intimacy.

This is the realm of tantra. This word points to a universe of tactile skills for weaving together all the elements of our life into a coherent symphony, adjusting and tuning the strings, the connective energies and connective tissues out of which we are made. I still find it useful, every day, to let my awareness be educated and enriched by the full meaning of tantra, and maybe you will find it useful also.

Into these two syllables, TAN + TRA, the ancients packed a world of principles and techniques intended to help us navigate this adventure called life on Earth in a body.

The root tan in “tantra” has a range of meanings including to stretch, extend, lengthen, spread, diffuse, compose, weave, continue, confide, trust, assist. Tan refers to strings, tendons, connective tissue, any material or energetic connection between this and that.

Tan points to the principle that in a musical instrument, you can stretch strings across a framework, and tune those strings so that when you touch them, they transmit that tension through sound waves. In our bodies, tendons are strong and flexible bands of tissue — connective tissue, that act as a bridge to transmit power from muscle to bone.

The tra of tantra indicates an instrument, device, tool, with the sense also, "to protect and preserve."

Human being have been loving this sound tantra and its wonderful range of meanings for many thousands of years. As the root words were spoken in different parts of the world, sometimes people introduced changes in pronunciation. In modern English, this ancient root sound TAN is pronounced TEN, and we use it all the time when we speak of tendon, tension, attention, tender, and even tennis. In Persian, TAR means string, sitar is setār, where se means “three” and tār means “string.” The English word guitar is apparently an independent evolution of this TAR sound, coming to us through Greek kithara and Spanish guitarra. People just love the sound of tan and tar.

In English, we are in the realm of tantra whenever we speak of attention, tension, tender, tendon, extension, temple, and tent. All of these words point to and emerge from embodied experience. It’s the same basic sound shape, pointing to perceptions of how the universe is woven together, how everything is connected to everything else, and how we are called to enter into the music and the weaving.

As bodies, we are a system of bones, tendons, muscles, nerves, and senses, with electricity flowing everywhere in symphonies of tension and release. Rhythmic pulsations of electrical tension stimulate our muscles to extend and contract, creating the beating of the heart, the motion of breathing, and the whole dance of life.

The root sound of TEN is everywhere in our language: attention, intention, extension, continue, entertain, maintain, center, guitar, tendon, temple, tension, tent, tonic, spread, weave, shine, lengthen, compose, endure.

This is where we can educate ourselves, becoming aware of the presence of “ten” in our language as a doorway into tantra’s call to attention. Tantra calls us to attend to life’s majesty—the miracle, the artistry, the textures and connections of our internal and external worlds, woven together in trillions of ways.

Tantra is an invitation to develop this attention and tolerance, to endure the intensity of life responding to challenges. As we walk, run, hike, or play, our bodies engage in a dance of tension and relaxation. When we rest, the body assesses: What has it learned? What adjustments are needed? And then the body repairs and strengthens itself, tuning up to play the song we are each called to sing in the symphony of life.

When we practice something—whether a language, an instrument, or any new skill—our body and mind work in phases.

While we’re actively practicing, we engage one way. Then, when we shift to another activity, our brain begins rewiring, consolidating what it has learned. The same principle applies to meditation: during meditation, when we adopt a restful attitude, we give our body-mind system permission to retune itself. Our nerves, brain, and tissues rewire and consolidate, releasing what’s obsolete and bringing what’s relevant to the foreground, so that needed skills flow effortlessly.

Meditation has many phases like sleep. As with sleep, in meditation we cycle through busy and restful phases. Scientific research, notably from Harvard Medical School, suggests meditation is an instinct built into the human body. When we appreciate life’s beauty or embrace something we love, we activate this instinct. Welcoming whatever arises within us—whether heartaches, longings, or the processes of healing—this gentle, loving attention brings us to a rest deeper than deep sleep within minutes.

For decades, physiological research has shown this astonishing fact, that meditation is a built-in capacity of the human body. This accessible resource is available to all human beings, as millions have experienced. When we take an attitude of welcoming life and its processes, meditation offers us a deep, nurturing rest, allowing us to tune ourselves as integral notes in the grand symphony of existence.

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The Meanings of Tantra in Meditation

In this practice - Lorin invites us to explore the origins and deeper meaning of Tantra, tracing it back to the art of weaving and the delicate tuning of musical instruments.

He emphasizes how tension and tuning are integral parts of our meditation practice, encouraging us to embrace the electrical and emotional energy that naturally arises. Rather than resisting this intensity, he likens it to a kind of conscious surrender, where we allow ourselves to feel without fighting.

Lorin also highlights the power of generosity and hospitality, especially when it comes to welcoming our thoughts and desires. By approaching our inner world with an open, kind attitude, we can begin to transform the way we experience ourselves.

He further invites us to honor the intelligence and instincts present within our bodies, encouraging a harmonious integration of all aspects of ourselves.