Fred Busch started to teach Yoga in 2001. Two decades later he’s the director of the Teacher Training Programs for Yoga in several cities like Miami, New York, Buenos Aires, Madrid and more. Fred’s journey is very interesting and he shares it with us in this interview for MysticMag, also explaining the purpose of the style of Yoga he created (Healing Sequences) and presenting his wellness center in Medellin (Colombia).
Check out the interview below.
When did you discover Yoga? And when did you visualize working with it?
I never really visualized a life to work with it, it just all unfolded as it did. I first found the Spiritual part of Yoga when I was 14 or 15. After this initial exposure, I found Yoga again in 1998. I started to teach it a few years later, around 2001.
You are the director of teacher training programs in several cities around the globe. Are there differences between students in each country and city or is it uniform?
I think people are more similar than they are different. I think most people are struggling with the same challenges, at least in the places I go, such as Europe, South and North America, which are not far out culturally.
Of course, there are cultural differences between these places but most people are looking to find technology to help them feel more connected to themselves and Spiritual nature and more well-being.
Do you need to change your approach or is the same for everyone?
It’s the same for everyone.
Regarding Healing Sequences, how does your teaching allow more healing?
Most Yoga teachers don’t understand how to heal situations and injuries. Healing Sequence is a style of Yoga therapy that I created over the last 20 years because I had to heal myself from injuries I got in Yoga and advice I was given by teachers was not effective enough to help me – in fact, it was making my injuries worse.
I developed Healing Sequences as a way to changing the sequences of Yoga, so that you never stop practicing Yoga but allow your body to heal itself.
What injuries did you have?
I’ve had a shoulder injury and lower back injury – I wrote a book on lower back pain. I’ve also had a knee surgery. I’ve had enough injuries and I’ve healed everything with my system and then I’ve used it with hundreds of thousands of people over the years and it always works.
What about the Mixed Martial Yoga? Can you explain it to us?
I have a partner who is a martial arts’ master and who has created this system with me. It’s based in Lima, Peru, and it’s the perfect fusion of martial arts and Yoga. You get the best of both worlds: all the benefits of Yoga plus the dynamic, powerful expression of energy that you get from various Korean martial arts.
How did you establish a wellness center in Medellin?
I always worked on having wellness centers. I used to have one in Colorado but discovered it was not the perfect environment for a healing center, so I decided that the best place is in Colombia, and Medellin is the best part of Colombia for many reasons, in my opinion. So, I chose that area to get this finca (ranch).
My whole vision is to have a place where people can come and heal themselves and utilize the Medellin Wellness Protocol, which is the subject of my newest book. People come and use the technology that we provide, in this case understanding how to eat, exercise, use the mind, rest and restore and how to live without poisoning yourself.
We incorporate those teachings and give everyone a chance to heal themselves, mostly through food. It’s paradise: there are natural springs of water coming from the Earth for us to drink, there are 20 acres, horses and the whole place is a dedicated hummingbird sanctuary.
It’s the perfect place to do Yoga or meditation. We do Yoga teacher trainings out there too on October 13th. That’s for people who want to learn Yoga and learn how to teach it and transform their life.
How did you discover Medellin as the ideal place for the center?
I’ve traveled all around the world over 80 countries. When I came down to Colombia and saw the fincas down there and the water resources, I realized it was very valuable. After a long search for places there, I found the one that became Finca Bienestar.
When you explain Yoga to someone, what do you believe are the biggest strengths of that activity?
When someone asks me what is Yoga, ultimately questioning what are its benefits, I usually answer by saying that it is a multidimensional practice that has benefits in many levels.
Then, I usually break down the benefits. Let’s say, from a physical perspective: it makes you lose weight, makes you stronger, lower you blood pressure, gives you mental energy, helps you sleep better… I give the laundry list of benefits of Yoga.
Then, I’d say, at the level of the mind, it makes you experience equanimity, more compassion, patience, qualities of concentration. Sometimes, Yoga is even a Spiritual practice for people.
Besides taking Yoga lessons, what is the starting point for a healthier lifestyle?
I eat plant-based food and I suggest people to eat it too. The start is to start exercising and start eliminating meat foods. Yoga is the best exercise, in my opinion, which is why it is often suggested.
