The Anusara principals for muscular energy are to draw to the midline, hug the muscles to the bone and draw muscularly to the focal point. Do you apply all of these principals every time you go into a pose? I have not found anyone who can answer this question - I hope some of you have knowledge of this - thanks in advance!!
These are “borrowed” from another tradition and reworked for branding.
The first principle is moving toward the plane of the pose. Yes that is executed in all asana unless there’s a particular reason not to - therapeutics for example.
The second principle is used to manifest the first. They are not separate. Again there will be times one does not draw the flesh toward the bone but generally this is a fine principle to apply to one’s asana practice.
Since I don’t know what “focal point” means I can’t really answer. I suspect the terminology has moved so far away from where it’s been co-opted that it no longer makes any sense. But perhaps someone in the Anusara community could expound on that point for you.
Speaking more broadly, the idea that you would do something every single time in your asana practice may be foster dogmatic doing/thinking when said doing is NOT for safety reasons. For example one should always keep the hip and should in joint in all poses, period. One should always lift the bottom of the belly in backbends … etc.
Finally, the best way to suss this sort of thing out is to do it in your own body and feel where it’s making a pathway for movement toward light, wholesomeness, growth, your spirit. If you become very aware (inaccurately called “sensitive” by some) then you will feel when you are moving away from integrity in your practice.
Can you clarify the line that says For example one should always keep the hip and should in joint in all poses, period… Not too sure what this means - thanks
Yes. First it should read “… keep the hip and shoulder in joint”. So I was referencing two “musts” rather than one.
The two actions take instruction and they are not likely to be properly conveyed via text on a forum. That having been said, the basic principle is to properly act on and thus place the femur and humerus appropriate to their respective joint.