I have a daily yoga practice. Therefore, be sure to expect the following from me:
That I am nice to everyone (even to telephone solicitors, some of whom are now my very closest confidants).
That I never lose my temper (not even with my kids...especially not with my kids).
That my patience knows no bounds (even when I'm driving behind a slowpoke while on my way to catch a yoga class for which I would be sure to be late, except for the fact that yogis are never late).
That I never raise my voice (except in joyous song, and by "song", I mean the tuneful chanting of the names of Hindu gods such as Ganesh - portrayed in statuary as a many-limbed elephant who likes offerings of candy and fresh flowers, and Hanuman - depicted as an athletic-looking cross between a man and a monkey; never mind that as a Jew I am pretty much honor bound not to worship idols or animals or basically anything that is not the one and only "God" of my people).
You should also expect me always to practice "satya", by which I mean that I tell no lies ("What was I so busy with that I couldn't get to the laundry, hon? Well, um, let's see...."), even if doing so might cast me in an unflattering light ("Well, I was kinda tired from my two hour yoga practice this morning, so I scarfed a bag of the kids' Pirate's Booty, washed it down with a pint of Kombucha, became engrossed in this truly compelling Lifetime made-for-tv movie, and then passed out on the couch for the rest of the day") .
And of course, you should always expect from me the consistent practice of "ahimsa", by which I mean that I do no violence with words or actions ("Well, take a look at you in those new skinny jeans! "), even when speaking a truth (satya!) that might otherwise inflict pain (e.g., "Um, do they make you look fat? Actually, they make you look wonderfully feminine, juicy and robust!").
I'm a yogi, after all. And I live my yoga each and every moment of each and every day. Don't you know?
Speaking of which, you can bet that I practice yoga not for the rockin' body it promises, but rather, because I am deeply spiritual and seek union with the universal soul that is in each and every one of us, which is obscured only by the chattering chaos of the human mind. I repeat, not because the yoga makes my arms look good in a tank top. Not because of the way it makes my butt rock a pair of True Religions (well, of COURSE, True Religion is my jean of choice. Just look at the logo!)
Buddha ROCKS...literally!
Yeah, if it weren't for the physical benefits of yoga, I would still be a devotee, you could bet on that. Yes, I would. Yes, yes, yes, I most certainly would.
Because it's not just about the physical, right? I mean, you should expect that I sit in meditation on a daily basis, for at least an hour at a time, and my mind never wanders, particularly to trivial matters. And by "trivial", I mean, like, say, how many calories I ate that day (easy, because I never give into the "baser" urges, such as the urge to overindulge in food, given my yoga-dictated practice of "brahmacharya", loosely translated from Sanskrit as "self-restraint" and often associated with the restraint of sexual urges). Or, say, whether I can convince the Husband that the fabulous pair of Louboutins I'll be wearing on Saturday night has been in my closet all along, as opposed to furtively purchased with cash just this week.
Not that I would ever desire the Louboutins in the first place, given that my yoga demands that I practice aparigraha, or non-greed. And not that I would ever use "grocery money" for shoes, since like all committed yogis, I practice asteya, or non-stealing. And not that I would lie to my husband either (satya!).
Why would I, right? I am a yogi, and I know that these trivialities are just that. Blips on the radar screen of the universe.
Moreover, being a yogi, you should expect me to be fully down with the notion that everything is impermanent. Feelings, - desire, hunger, anger, sadness, envy - they just roll in and out of our minds like the waves of the ocean. Here now? Gone in sixty seconds. Impermanent. Like our lives, like our youth, like our looks.
Which is why plastic surgery is not something a yogi would ever need to consider, you know? Botox? Never. Breast implants? Pshaw. No good yogi who is truly living their yoga would ever. Not if they don't want to be accused of being "unyogic", which is pretty much the cruelest of insults to anyone who practices yoga (ahimsa!)
My friend, R, who is not only a plastic surgeon but also a yogi understands this in a way that a non-yogi could never. For that reason, among others, he employs the utmost in discretion when a yogi comes in for his or her injectables. Or lipo. Or boob amplification. But apparently, by far the most popular reason for seeing R, if you're a yoga teacher, is for the Botox. See, in smoothing out the lines in the forehead, Botox imbues the face with the relaxed appearance that is often associated with inner peace. And who wants to learn yoga from some aging hag with a furrowed brow?
Okay, so maybe R is not just any plastic surgeon. Maybe he's my plastic surgeon too. Okay, alright, fine, he is. But for the record, there's been no Botox. And the nose job was completely justified for yogic reasons, in that by straightening out my deviated septum, it helped me to breathe better in yoga class. And so was the tummy tuck, which helped me to master certain yoga poses in which the excess "stuff" around my waist was getting in the way. In the way of enlightenment, that is.
What else might get in the way of enlightenment besides a bit of a spare tire?
Well, if you're one of numerous yoga teachers who has (now how can I put this in the most delicate way possible?) dallied, with a yoga student, then you might say that it's not desire, but un-actualized desire, that is the problem. You might go as far as to say, "Brahmacharya? Feh. That's for yogis who aren't as sexy as me.". Just ask media-friendly yoga teachers, Rodney and Colleen.
On the other hand, for what it's worth, Rod and Colleen have been quoted as saying, essentially, "Do as we say, not as we did." And in reality, they are just the same as the rest of us yogis (no, make that "the rest of us", period): human, vulnerable, fallible. Practicing yoga, even daily, does not ensure adherence to every aspect of yoga doctrine. A lot of the changes that make a yogi seem "yogic" happen just by virtue of coming to the mat each day; some of the changes are more consciously made. But none of the changes are set in stone. And we all have our moments.
We scream at our kids. We tell a fib here or there. We might choose to indulge in a trashy magazine rather than rereading the Bhagavad Gita. We might savor "American Idol" on a large screen television. We might concern ourselves with how to make a good enough living so that we can afford the large screen television. We might be committed to the practice of ahimsa, but then when it comes to acquiring a canine companion, we might choose to patronize the local pet shop, rather than saving a doomed doggie at the animal shelter. Or we might enjoy a steak now and then. Or an egg. Or wear fur. Or leather.
It's so easy to be "unyogic". It's even easier to accuse someone else of it. Especially when we don't really know them all that well. But maybe, just maybe, the "yogic" outweighs the "un", and if not, maybe the "yogic" is a work in progress. You could do worse than assuming the best of someone. It's actually kind of nice, nay, yogic.
Follow Lauren Cahn on Twitter: www.twitter.com/yogachickie
What I see today being taught in gyms and in some Yoga studios is just a trendy joke. Must of the time the instructor has no idea what he or she is doing and the danger of injuries for the participants is great. I used to like to go to classes because the energy in the room and the guidance of the instructor helped me to relax better. Now I do my Yoga alone at home listening to some good tapes.
Ummm, regarding "yoga as babe magnet"...
I (a guy) took yoga once. I thought maybe it would be a way to limber up and strengthen my body. It might have been, but I didn't stick with it.
One interesting fact was that in a group of about 25 people, there were only 3 men. One of the men was clearly there with his (frankly rather bossy) wife, and not really happy about it. One of the men was me (rather confused about the whole thing). And one of the men was a middle aged guy clearly on the prowl.
Frankly, it was surreal... the estrogen in the room was off the charts. The idea of flirting never even occurred to me (party because that wasn't really what I was there for, and partly because the ladies in the room formed a fairly tight clique that made it clear that us few males Weren't Welcome There). The instructor referred to us ALL as "ladies."
Yeah... no. I think I'd leave yoga alone. A more male-hostile scene I can hardly imagine.
[Of course, to be fair, this was just ONE class in ONE neighborhood; your mileage may vary. Still, yoga seems so new-agey and estrogenic that I doubt it's particularly male friendly, except to that particular brand of Sensitive New-Age Guy who thinks he can "pick up chicks" by out-womanning all his woman friends.]
I'm a dude who has been doing yoga regularly for 6 years. At first it sucks because you are the worst, least flexible one, and the "girls are beating you." But you get over that.
Most classes I've taken have a majority of women, but often there are 40% men. Of course, that is in New York City--in the middle of the US, yoga is much more perceived as a feminine thing. It doesn't help that Yoga Journal is basically a women's magazine.
Try another class, maybe one that is taught by a man, or a vigorous practice like vinyasa or Ashtanga that tends to draw more men. And it is a potential way to meet women, provided one isn't obnoxious about it-- just keep going and you'll make friends chatting before and after, and eventually maybe get a coffee, if she seems like she's into it...It is actually also a good couples activity in that it is very positive and rejuvenating, but like anything else you can't really MAKE your partner like it.
As it is said in the Brihannaradiya Purana and elsewhere, "In this Age of Kali, the holy name of the Lord, the Hare Krsna maha-mantra, is the incarnation of Lord Krsna. Simply by chanting the holy name, one associates with the Lord directly. Anyone who does this is certainly delivered."
http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/adi/17/22/en
Yoga simply means to surrender to Krishna. As He says in B.g. 18.66, "Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." How is it done? "In this Age of Kali there is no other means, no other means, no other means for self-realization than chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name, chanting the holy name of Lord Hari (Krishna)." CC Adi Lila 17.21 http://caitanyacaritamrta.com/adi/17/en It's such a nice process, purely divine. Nevermind the demigods. Just as feeding the stomach supplies food to all parts of the body, chant the holy names of the Lord, and all the demigods are automatically satisfied.
Good article.
http://vedabase.net
It is the modern idea of yoga that is bogus. When people think of yoga, almost invariably the postures come to mind. Postures are simply the third step in an outdated system of yoga, which people tend to use to increase their ability to enjoy the senses, the opposite of yoga's purpose. The fifth step of the hatha-raja yoga system is withdrawal of the mind from the senses. If someone is doing it for personal enjoyment, then it is not yoga.
Yoga begins with restrictions - nonharming, nonstealing, greedlessness, truthfulness, and celibacy. The next step are religious observances - cleanliness, contentment, austerity, study of scriptures, and surrender to God. Then come postures, and after that, breath control. Postures are meant for austerity and allowing sitting undisturbed for a very long time. Asana means "seat." Raja yoga begins with the fifth step, withdrawal of the mind from the material senses, then concentration, meditation, and absorption (samadhi).
The chanting of holy names without offense achieves the goal immediately and without any difficulty. This chanting begins with samadhi and proceeds to the ultimate goal of life -- love of God. There is no other authentic method of spiritual realization in this age.
krte yad dhyayato visnum
tretayam yajato makhaih
dvapare paricaryayam
kalau tad dhari-kirtanat
"Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Visnu, in Treta-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvapara-yuga by serving the Lord's lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Krsna maha-mantra."
Bhagavat-purana 12.3.52
A similar verse is found in the Visnu Purana (6.2.17), and also in the Padma Purana (Uttara-khanda 72.25) and the Brhan-naradiya Purana (38.97):
dhyayan krte yajan yajnais
tretayam dvapare 'rcayan
yad apnoti tad apnoti
kalau sankirtya kesavam
"Whatever is achieved by meditation in Satya-yuga, by the performance of sacrifice in Treta-yuga, and by the worship of Lord Krsna's lotus feet in Dvapara-yuga is obtained in the age of Kali simply by glorifying the name of Lord Kesava."
Brahma-vaivarta Purana:
"Thus in the age of Kali the practices of austerity, yoga meditation, Deity worship, sacrifice and so on, along with their various subsidiary functions, are not properly carried out, even by the most expert embodied souls."
Skanda Purana:
"In this way the most perfect penance to be executed in this world is the chanting of the name of Lord Sri Hari [Krishna]. Especially in the age of Kali, one can satisfy the Supreme Lord Vishnu by performing Sankirtana [congregational chanting of holy names]."
The next step, beyond what we have seen with foreclosures, is that we will need to be self-sufficent or create an energy internet of renewable energy, or life will not be pretty.
No, none of us are perfect. Maybe it's fun to flaunt our imperfections. But when it adds up to such a degree, we need to do a little more than laugh at it.
Facial exercises will do us all much better than surgeries or botox. Good luck to you. Sorry about the TV thing, it was just an opportunity for a soapbox moment.
This is the tone of someone throwing a fit because they know they can't have it both ways and the F*&^ Y*&%$ attitude is the expression of this. This is a very young adolescent tone. The tone of one who lives on the "unyogic" extreme where it starts to become very uncomfortable b/c it is out of line with core values AND the tone of one who is then submerged in yogi-ness (core values) in an unskilled way and begins to feel uncomfortable and restless because the altitude is too high to quick.
This cannot last long. This is the spiritual tourism. Or as one teacher has put it, "Spiritual Materialism." Just as young minded individuals search frantically for what fits in the moment, the "yogi" swings like a pendulum between two notions of oneself.
Don't be either/or. Just try to rest somewhere in the middle or whatever your definition of the middle is. Most importantly, if you find where you lie comfortably, you will no longer have the urge to give the finger, you will lose interest in acting out this way as all teenagers do when they grow up.
Thank you for the article.
Aren't we all, really? :)