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This is a response to an earlier article, Why I Left Yoga (And Why I Think a Helluva Lot of People Are Being Duped).

I’ve read this article a few times now because various people have sent it to me asking my opinion. Many people I know have raised similar concerns. The only difficult thing in all this is what can be defined as yoga.

I’ll go through the points raised in the article to see if I can help clear the air a little, addressing only what applies directly to yoga.

1. “Yoga in the West is increasingly becoming a trendy diversion for the affluent and bored—or those who are obsessed with the body beautiful and the cult of hedonism which follows that.”

It takes a level of discernment and a desire to search for truth and wisdom—to see through the labels, misnomers, brands, etc. of our culture.

This is marketing.

People have put billions of dollars into research on how to package things and sell them. Yoga has not been exempt. It is up to the individual to establish their own desires and then to pursue them with discernment.

Remember that yoga is just a word, and words are misleading. Without defining our terms, we often get caught up in confusion.

Case in point: yoga.

If you want to find out exactly what that word means, prepare yourself for a lifetime(s) of intensive work and study. We must always be aware of the intention behind the words. If in doubt, ask for a clarification of terms and intention.

2. “It is extremely classist. It lacks plurality and inclusiveness”.

Perhaps this has some truth to it, but we must look deeper.

It’s not yoga that’s classist—it’s our culture. It’s the world, our societies that comprise it and, ultimately, us as people. The teachings of yoga should be free and available for everyone but given the state of our world, this is very difficult to achieve.

In fact, this is an excellent mirror for the way things are in our world. Elitism and classism exist and if impoverished people don’t have access to a form of holistic health (body, mind, spirit), then that is very telling of the society that limits access. It does not, however, say much at all about the actual system of health in question (yoga).

3. “It is really annoying to watch some white people try to act ethnically brown, when they are not…and will never be”.

Cultural appropriation has never been cool.

The teachings of yoga have been preserved mostly in India, Nepal and Tibet. It can be a difficult and slippery endeavour to sort out what part of the teachings are cultural heritage, and what is universally applicable to people as a tool for spiritual growth.

If in doubt about the value of something to your own practice, leave it alone until you have utter clarity.

If you want to experiment, then do so, but don’t blame the system if you see any adverse effects. Ask everyone a million questions.

4. “Sanskrit, like Latin, is a dead language. Let it go already”.

I think the subject in question here is mantra chanting.

If you don’t understand a mantra, the reasons to chant it, or what it is doing, then do some research and ask around. Experimenting is fine as long as the intention is pure. If you are uncomfortable chanting a mantra, then there is no need for you to chant it. If the teacher leading you in the mantra seems to do so just because it adds to their credibility, then be wary.

A name in Sanskrit carries a meaning. They are comprised of one or more actual words and are usually bestowed by a guru. The meaning can help a practitioner stay true to their nature. However, if you think a teacher has taken on a certain name to boost their yoga credibility, then be wary.

5. “Just because it’s exotic does not mean it’s real or more authentic. Real Indians, in India, make fun of many Westerners behind their backs and are making money off of their ignorance”.

All I can do here is give some advice. If you find someone who you feel can teach you, test them. Test their reactions to things. Those reactions will be very telling. Keep testing them over time. Some people have waited upward of twelve years before finally, fully accepting someone as their “guru”.

Also remember that even saints can make mistakes. Don’t write someone off completely for a bout of anger. Just remember that a truly sincere person is not going to be using their influence to manipulate people into having sex with them, or to make huge profits.

Ideally, spiritual teachings should be free because they can’t be owned or traded by anyone. If the teacher is sincere they will be using income for propagating a benefit to as many people as possible. They will do their best to find a way to let you learn if you can’t pay. For a true spiritual teacher, your happiness and growth should be their only desire.

6. “Yoga can become cultic—very quickly—and the levels of self-absorption and narcissism can sky-rocket easily if you don’t watch it…so keep your radar tuned in”.

People become cultic—not yoga. It’s one of the pitfalls of being human.

We must constantly be checking ourselves to see whether we are engaging people equally, or if we are shutting certain ones out for their current situation, beliefs, actions, or ideals.

It takes time for us to shirk off old patterns of living. If we had a tendency to be cliquey before, that’s not going to change overnight just because we started practicing yoga. If we ate three steaks/day beforehand, it’s going to take some time to realize that the body, mind and spirit function better without meat when practicing yoga.

People who practice yoga are still people. Best you remember that. The words “yogi, yogin, yogini, etc.” don’t depict a person who has a daily asana practice. Sorry, you (probably) and I (definitely) are not yogis. These words essentially mean someone who has attained superconsciousness, divine union, or whatever else you want to call it. They can go into this state at will. They have realized their true nature and true potential.

Think Jesus or Buddha, etc. The vast majority of us are not there or are not even close to being there. We all have this amazing potential but we still have a pile of work to do. Be kind, compassionate and forgiving. Especially in the face of any adverse situation.

7. “The level of cultural awareness among some of the yoga set is pitiful at times. And yet, this is the same crowd that tries to come off as cultural and spiritual mouthpieces for Indian sub-continent”.

My response from above applies to this point as well. If somebody is ignorant about your culture, be kind, compassionate and forgiving. Do your best to gently show them their error.

We should be constantly striving to learn and educate ourselves, being wary of misinformation, disinformation, outright lies and manipulation.

There’s a lot of it. Yoga philosophy tells that we are in a state of delusion, that we have “forgotten” our true nature. So remember to be kind, compassionate and forgiving to everyone, because they, like you, like me, have forgotten.

There’s plenty that I haven’t been able to cover here, but I hope that I have helped the situation.

Also, I should note that if you are only interested in yoga as a physical health practice then, by all means, keep using it as such.

The rest is there when and if you come to want it.

*

Read another Relephant response to aforementioned article: A White Girl’s Response to “Why I Left Yoga” 

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