John Friend (yogi)

John Friend (born May 30, 1959) is an American yoga teacher and creator of Anusara Yoga.

Friend first learned of yoga at the age of 8 in Youngstown, Ohio when his mother, Ann Friend, read him stories of yogis with hidden knowledge and supernatural powers. By age 13, he began studying yoga philosophy with the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads, and also began an asana practice by following Swami Satchidananda's book Integral Hatha Yoga.

At 17, Friend began a regular practice of sitting meditation with a Sufi group as well as members of the Theosophical Society. At age 19 he moved to Houston, Texas where he studied various styles of hatha yoga including Ananda Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, and Yogi Bhajan’s 3HO. He also began teaching yoga part-time while working as a financial analyst.

In 1984, Friend began practicing the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Primary Series and, in 1986, quit his analyst job to teach yoga full-time. In 1987, Friend graduated to Secondary Series while studying with Ashtanga founder K. Pattabhi Jois in California where he also studied with Iyengar Yoga teacher Judith Lasater. That same year, Friend attended an Iyengar Yoga convention in Boston, where he met B.K.S. Iyengar, after which Friend focused his studies and practice mainly in Iyengar Yoga. Between 1990 and 1995, John earned Iyengar's Introductory and Junior Intermediate teaching certificates and also served on the Board of Directors for the Iyengar Yoga National Association before departing in 1997 to found Anusara Yoga.

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