Cell Phones In Yoga Class?

This is What Effective Advertising Looks Like: Lululemon

...on Yoga & our All-American Busy-ness.

[9th in a Series]

Yoga apparel fave Lululemon's latest ad is spot-on when it comes to yoga practice circa 2009. I'm at the amazing, Valhalla-like Yoga Journal Conference right now, and we allll seem to have our cell phones in our classes. Many of us turn 'em off, many of us mute them (so you can still hear still vibrating phones from time to time, and the subtle radiation from phones is everywhere), and some of us, like yours truly, have given up the notebook and pen and started taking notes on our iPhone's "Notes" program.

But what happened to the "retreat" part of yoga retreats? Can we still manage to put aside a few hours, or days, to practice and develop our openness, compassion, and ability to come back to the present moment? Or is yoga but a bump in the road of our workaholic, distractable, hypersocial daily lives?

How many of us have texted from a yoga class, while the teacher is talking?

That said, I'd love to see Lululemon continue to add more eco options (they do have more and more) to their stylish, super-popular lineup. After all, if our intention isn't to live and play in harmony with our environment, our environment will support a healthy, happy lifestyle less and less.

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Comments

[khanti]

Sign says; 'Please leave your hand phone(s) at the front desk before entering classroom.'

[Nancy A]

Gotta say, I am not into cell phones in class even on vibrate. Having said that I have a yogini pal whose son is deathly allergic to tons of food and feels she can only participate in classes w/ her phone nearby on vibrate just in case. I suppose there are exceptions.

In general I believe that the mat is a place for looking inward and not focusing on life outside. We are all so addicted to our phones now that we can get Twitter, Fb and our emails on them. Let's face it they are our connection to the world. I will fully admit that is me too! But sometimes it's nice to let that go.

I have two little kids and relish the chance to have an hour and a half of peace. At first it was hard to turn off my phone. Now I look at it as a gift, and a lesson in unplugging my always hectic life for a few minutes.

[Paul108]

Yoga is a life commitment, not something done in classes or on retreats.

In Bhagavad-gita, chapter 6 (http://vedabase.net/bg/6/en), Krishna, who is known as Yogesvara, the "Master of all yogic mysticism" instructs Arjuna on the yoga process:

BG 6.11-12: "To practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should lay kuśa grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat should be neither too high nor too low and should be situated in a sacred place. The yogī should then sit on it very firmly and practice yoga to purify the heart by controlling his mind, senses and activities and fixing the mind on one point."

BG 6.13-14: "One should hold one's body, neck and head erect in a straight line and stare steadily at the tip of the nose. Thus, with an unagitated, subdued mind, devoid of fear, completely free from sex life, one should meditate upon Me within the heart and make Me the ultimate goal of life."

Secluded. Sacred place. Controlling mind, senses, and activities, and fixing the mind on one point (Krishna). Sitting properly, completely celibate, meditating on Krishna exclusively, making Him the ultimate goal of life.

Modern "yoga" is a complete joke.