When I told friends I was going to China it seemed most would share their own experience or inform me of what they had been told by a friend. I heard the whole spectrum of opinions from the food, to the pollution, to the people. One friend even asked if I could get arrested for teaching yoga there. Not wanting the judgment of others to color my experience, I tried to stay spacious and open. I had been to Asia before but never a developed country, and China was not really a place at the top of my list for visits. Being in Beijing was not at all like I could have ever imagined, in fact it wasn't too different from being in any other big city in the world. It felt, dare I say, pretty normal--of course with a few exceptions!

Anusara Yoga is all about making a heart connection, how could I teach an Anusara Immersion if our hearts did not have a rapport? In hindsight I can see how my teaching got very spacious in the weeks prior to leaving in preparation for this experience. From the first day, I took a seat in my heart and modeled speaking from this place. I was blessed to have an amazing translator who was enthusiastic about the teachings and mirrored my own passion. Though the students were a bit shy, they quickly caught on and began to unfold and share their hearts fully.


Day by day the immersion students were opening in their bodies, minds and hearts.
They loved the Anusara philosophy, a few even said, "This is exactly what I have been looking for."  The Universal Principles of Alignment helped them to connect to their back bodies and find more stability and grounding while creating more freedom. They were grateful to find relief from injuries and balance within themselves. It was beautiful to watch the students embody the principles and each day their inner light shone through with more resplendence.  They were literally transforming before my eyes! There were moments that even though I did not speak Chinese it seemed I could feel what they were saying before the translator could get the words out. My assistant Ben would joke with me that I was learning to understand Chinese quite quickly.

The forth day of the immersion was Anusara's thirteenth birthday. The students were excited to have the opportunity to celebrate their newfound practice. We opened the class to other students at the studio, and I led a class for about 50 people. It was wonderful to see the immersion students putting what they learned into practice while sharing their joy with the others. We finished the day with chocolate cake and a round of the happy birthday song in Chinese.


By the end of the training, the community that formed was unlike what any of them had experienced in the past. We all felt the camaraderie of sisters and brothers, or Kula.  On the last day I asked the students what they will do with what they have received. Many talked about how they had been selfish with their family, especially their husbands or wives.  They were excited to go home and share the Anusara philosophy with their families and put what they had learned into practice both on and off the mat.

As I prepared for my journey back home I felt a profound shift in myself. This experience fulfilled one of my deepest desires; which is to share the teachings of Anusara Yoga with people who don't have access to it. I feel certain that each one of us is better for our time spent together, and that the teachings will extend far beyond those who were in attendance.  What a beautiful blessing! In addition my calf muscles have never been so sore as they were after climbing up The Great Wall - check out those stairs!


With love and gratitude to John Friend and all of my teachers.  Namaste.

Stacey Rosenberg is a Certified Anusara Yoga teacher in San Francisco and around the globe.  Her classes are dynamic and playful and provide a fun, safe, and nurturing environment that invites students to move deeply into their own hearts and transform their lives.