Tags
debate, full-bodied reds, kittens, Meditation, pilates, wine tasting, Yoga, Yogini
Oh boy! Seems like there’s no end to the debate on the rights and wrongs, limitations, the age and ownership of yoga. Everyone has an opinion and reserves the right to be offended by the opinions of others (I’ve done it, too).
These days my view has relaxed considerably. While I still might think someone is stark raving crazy (haha) for having certain opinions (which they are of course, entitled to), I’m much less likely to get angry about it. We may not see eye to eye, but we can still be friends, right? Doesn’t mean I won’t get sucked into the odd debate though, *sigh*.
On the topic of what yoga is and isn’t, I really love Nadine’s latest post, since I very much resemble what she’s written.
But I was also reminded last night just how off-the-mark the perception of yoga can be from the “outside” (not even taking into account the fact that asana is only one part of everything called “yoga”). Sometimes this is the case even when a person has been to a few (or more than a few) classes.
That’s cool though; it’s kinda how it goes, right? In my first few years of yoga practice, I couldn’t have told you what yoga was either. And I’m thinking that’s no fault of the teachers I practiced with, because it can take a while to shake off the numerous veils and filters that cloud our perception and our thinking. In fact, I’m still working on that! But I do see yoga a lot more clearly than I used to. Which, y’know, you’d hope would be the case considering I’m now a yoga teacher! *giggles*
Last night’s conversation happened while I was at a ladies-only wine tasting session (because while I may be a yogini, I’m also a lover of fine wines. Especially full-bodied reds.). 😉
There was a bit of that “what do you do” question being thrown around, and when I mentioned my plans to start teaching yoga, one of our group asked what the difference between pilates and yoga was.
Before I could answer, someone else at the table piped up and described yoga as… “stretching”.
At which point, I looked that sweet young chicky in the eye and said:
No, yoga isn’t *just* about stretching. It’s a deeply profound practice that incorporates the body, mind and heart, linked by the breath.
But isn’t that meditation? she queried.
Well, sort of. Although yoga includes body movement, whereas meditation is generally done sitting still. But then, there’s also walking meditation…
And that was my five seconds before everyone’s attention span shifted to a discussion on how many pairs of shoes you really need in your wardrobe in order to be a) functional; and b) fashionable. I can only hope they at least registered the bit where I said yoga isn’t just “stretching”!! (heehee!)
So while those of us who’ve been around the yogic traps for a while might like to argue the ins and outs of the finer points, it’s good to keep in mind that there’s still plenty of people out there who have NO idea what we’re talking about whatsoever…
(Peace out, kittens!)
~Svasti
Svasti: A Journey From Assault To Wholeness 
Having grown up in an yogic household, practicing as a child alongside mum, my attitude to the great “what is” post is pretty relaxed. Yoga is surely anything we are mindful to. Eating, dressing, laughing, shopping, dancing, breathing. It’s all yoga. And yoga is all to me.
An awful lot of the debate I find tends to actually be “what is asana”? Is this asana a classical posture or is it just stretching? To me, what with asana practice being a means to an end and that end being meditation surely all mindful movement could be asana. I just think we are now so far removed from what yoga was 8000 years ago (when there didn’t seem to be any asanas at all!) that the argument is barely worth the breath used.
I think everyone finds something different from yoga. Some people come along for a stretch yes, but they usually go home with a hell of a lot more! 🙂
(sorry to waffle on!)
Oh, you know how all this arguing tires me, Svasti. 😉
And yes, I love this point you are making here. We live in a yoga bubble, that is certain. I get totally confused when people know NOTHING about it. ((laughing at self))
Yep, I have heard the “Yoga is fancy stretching” quite a bit.
I usually let it go. People will slowly discover more as they attend more classes (usually, depending on where they go).
Like you said, my journey has changed quite a bit from those first ashtanga days. And I know I still have far to go. 🙂
I’ll be starting my 9th year of teaching this summer and have been yoga-ing longer than that. I truly believe that as “mainstream” as we teachers and students like to think yoga is (or is becoming), it’s really not.
I’ve also heard the “yoga is like pilates” and “yoga is just stretching” phrases so many times that it just passes over my head. I just smile. and usually keep my mouth shut (believe it or not) when people start talking about it.
years ago I used to be one of those teachers who believed everyone should yoga. not anymore. in fact, in the public setting you describe, I usually don’t even talk about my own practice because it is too personal.
I went to a not-so-great yoga class once where the instructor completely neglected breathing and any mental aspects of yoga — to the point that it didn’t feel like a yoga class at all. Talking with another student afterward about what we thought, one of us said something like, “That wasn’t yoga. It was just stretching.”
EcoYogini is right, once you’ve been doing it for a while your idea of What Yoga Is changes. Before you start, though, all you know is what you’ve seen and heard, and yoga marketing has done a lot to promote this perception. It’s hard to ignore all of the skinny bodies striking fancy, stretchy poses.
Yep, “yoga” is as broad as the sky… And there is some stretching involved… I have known people who seem to cling to this definition of yoga, as if they just can’t handle more before they start making “yogurt” jokes.
Amen to all of you! I sometimes get pissed off, as I know you do too. I’m lucky enough that most people around me get what yoga is, but sometimes I get tired of people asking if I teach pilates as well, or whether I am very fit (of course I freakin am. I walk everywhere) or very flexible (I am, but who cares?).
You know?
Yes, yes you do. xx
I echo others here, I rarely engage in passionate discourse about yoga with non-yogis. I have been known to tell people that yoga is what you want it to be. If you want it to be just stretching, then that’s all it will be! And if you want it to be more, just open that door…
Interesting thought, Svasti–you know, to me, yoga *is* a very subjective term because yoga is an art–and art is always subjective. To some people, yoga is a way to strengthen their body but to others, the most important aspect is probably the focus that it can bring to one’s mental organization. And to others, it is a way of healing (such as for myself). I think yoga is to each person her/his own experience–and that it is up to each of us to find out own definition that we are comfortable with.
I love that photo! That’s so beautifully done!
Melinda
Wow! I didn’t expect such a HUGE response to this post, so thanks everyone!!
@Rachel @ Suburban Yogini – Same for me, I’ve always been taught (and practiced) asana as a means of opening up for meditation. It’s very true too, that whatever yoga once looked like, this is what we practice now. If this planet survives another 8,000 years, yoga that far into the future won’t look they way it does now either.
@Christine (Blisschick) Reed –
@EcoYogini – Anyone who thinks they don’t have a long way to go is either delusional or super-duper-enlightened. But then, if they’re enlightened, they’d probably never admit to being enlightened and so would probably agree they have a long way to go. Essentially, viewing ourselves and life as an ongoing process of learning and growth is the only sane way through this life, I suspect. And thank goodness that yoga (in whatever form) supports that!
@Linda-Sama – I agree. Yoga is mainstream amongst those of us who know what yoga is! There’s a sub-community of people out there who are familiar with yoga and that’s cool, but it’s definitely not as ubiquitous as we’d like to think it is.
I generally don’t talk about my personal practice either, but I don’t shy away from talking about yoga in general in a public setting. While yoga may not suit everyone’s tastes, there’s no harm in sharing five minutes worth of yoga talk with those who aren’t in the “know”, yogic-ly speaking 😉
@Alex – It’s true that the skinny bodies in fancy poses and yoga clothes gives yoga a certain image. I once met a guy who told me he’d never try yoga because it’s just a fad, and he doesn’t get into fads! Hehe!
And I’ve been to really bad yoga classes, too. Ones where the focus is on military style commands and where breathing was mentioned a handful of times only. I couldn’t believe it and I walked out of that class feeling so angry! Then, this guy’s classes were apparently very popular, so I guess that style of ‘yoga like’ movements has it’s audience.
@Brooks – Oh, the ‘yogurt’ or the ‘yogi bear/boo boo’ jokes. Hilarious. Of course yoga includes movement of the body which causes it to stretch, but that’s not why we do it, right? 😉
@Nadine – Its because of these kinds of stereotypes that I do take the time to explain. Even if I only get five minutes, and even if I only get the chance to say a small part of what I’d like to say. Who knows? Maybe a few of these ideas will sink in and spread? Here’s hoping!
@LaGitane – There’s probably no harm in that I guess. But still, there’s nothing wrong with letting people know it’s a little more than stretching, heehee!
@Melinda – It’s absolutely fair enough to suggest yoga is an art form. I see it as an expression of who we are as human beings. And as long as people are getting something out of their practice, then it’s all good, right? I guess there’s a part of me though, that just wants to make sure people understand that there is more to yoga than just ‘stretching’, even if stretching is all they want/get from it. You know what I mean? And yeah, I loved the photo, too!