How to Prepare to Chant the Anusara Invocation

a woman with hands in prayer position, anjali mudra, preparing to chant the anusara invocation
Learn “how to prepare” when leading or participating in the Anusara Invocation.

Chanting the Anusara Invocation

Anusara yoga classes, workshops, and gatherings often begin with a centering. Learn how to prepare to chant the Anusara Invocation.

Just like when we begin any endeavor, it’s nice to prepare – whether we are participating or leading.

Begin at the Beginning

The fundamental starting point of Anusara yoga is Attitude. Attitude is one of the 3 A’s of Anusara yoga and is a central tenet of our School’s methodology or “how we impart” the teachings of yoga.

Attitude may also be considered – Approach. Another way to ask this question is, “How do I approach the Anusara Invocation?”

To discover your approach to the Anusara Invocation, it’s good to study the definitions of the Sanskrit words as well as embody the invocation through dedicated practice.

Practice Asana with a Focus on the Anusara Invocation

Join Madhuri Martin, ECAT Certified Anusara, as she leads an evening yoga asana practice that places import on the beauty of setting our intention for practice with the Anusara Invocation.

Jaye Martin (not related to Madhuri – yet another phenomenal ECAT Certified Anusara teacher) demonstrates the asana while Madhuri cues the practice.

The offering was recorded live in December 2020 for Samudra Shakti Online – a free continuing education program open to all that occurs on the 2nd Sunday of every month. Feel welcome to join us for our next free live event online.

Roll out your mat and practice invoking the Anusara Invocation in your asana practice.

Try these cues to help you prepare to chant the Anusara Invocation.

While Anusara’s Invocation is viewed as a way to set the intention for our practice, we also set the intention for “how we begin.” Try these cues to see if they work for you before you sing the Anusara Invocation.

Time needed: 5 minutes

How to lead the Anusara Invocation

  1. Feel your presence.

    Give yourself to the weightiness of your body. Allow each cell to settle into its fluid stillness. 

  2. Soften and Open to Grace.

    Increase your level of sensitivity. Soften your ears. Hear the settling of the body.

    Wait for your body, mind and heart to adopt the same rhythm, the same pulse. 

    Find the optimal frequency. The frequency is always there. We often miss its presence.

    Take a moment to orient yourself to this vibration of joy, of gratitude, of acceptance for what is. Orient to your divine nature. 

  3. Connect with Life’s energy.

    Close your eyes and allow your inner gaze to soften and discover. You will see light.

    Let your vision and awareness float. Like holding a bowl in the rain, become a receptacle for this Shakti.

    Orient and open to the grace and let it pour in. There is nothing to do except enjoy this. Simply become filled with light.

  4. Receive Grace.

    Set yourself up to receive grace. Feel that subtle vibration until you become a conduit for grace. Grace is the energy of entrancement that flows through us, that moves in our lives and in the universe.

    Grace holds the power of transformation. Line up with grace – attune to grace, attune to the magic.

  5. Anjali Mudra

    Keeping your eyes closed, let the hands come together, palm-to-palm, in front of your heart. This is Anjali Mudra.

    Every form is considered a mudra. Every mudra is a form of an inner pose.

    Anjali Mudra is a gesture of offering from the heart. It is done with deep respect, deep honor, complete generosity.

  6. Begin

    Allow the words and their meaning to emanate from your heart.

An invitation for connection as you prepare to chant the Anusara Invocation

By singing together, we build connection. We harmonize.

To align with grace, we align with each other. This chant allows an alliance, it allows us to integrate regardless of the distance that separates us.

As Anusara practitioners, we pause for a moment and feel into this alliance. We are one community of the heart. 

When we chant, our voice is beautiful, exquisite. Our sacred sound is a gift back to that Shakti that breathes us, that beats our heart, that makes possible our participation in this exquisite unfolding life.

About the Content Creators

Madhuri Martin

A part of Anusara Yoga’s merry band from its inception, Madhuri enjoys playful practices that keep her connected to serious teachings. When not traversing mountain peaks, you’ll find her swimming in the ocean rediscovering Grace.

Lisa Long, M.A.

Lisa wants to live in a world where Love gives you a permission slip to drop the mask and be who you are. She enjoys practicing near water to remind her to remain in Love’s flow.

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