Monday, October 18, 2004


it's hard, hard work

"but leaving the gym sore, frustrated and jaded, my experience made me much more in tune with my hostile 'inner spirit.' "

girlfriend, lemme tell ya why you're not gettin' many dates! but seriously, i love these kinds of yoga (anti-yoga?) articles, where an arrogant person gets their butt kicked by a tough yoga class and goes crying on home.

why? because yoga worked for them. here's what i mean:

why did she think yoga wouldn't make her sore? newsflash: yoga isn't just lying on the floor murmuring in sanskrit.

i guarantee that if you go into yoga class with an "attitude," you will be frustrated. . .because very few people can do it all in their first class.

this is such a good thing, because it violently demonstrates to you that your 'tude, which you think is protecting you in daily life, is actually a massive hindrance. it's a fake shell that silently irks other people and blocks your way.

yoga literally body slams you with an emotional self-confrontation not everyone is prepared to handle. and this is just one reason yoga is different than spinning.

on the other hand, with all due respect, it does sound as if she got stuck in a really bad, new-agey class (bugmenot, if asked for a password) -- at a gym of all places.

most gym yoga is just terrible stuff: many of the teachers just aren't properly qualified. they hire too many former aerobics instructors who've taken some kind of quickie-weekend course. . .

more generally, it's a shame really: so many otherwise talented yoga teachers think these dopey new-age chats they give help create a yogic atmosphere. when many times, the exact opposite is true.

i personally loathe it when lectured on vegetarianism, etc. by a 27-year-old former ballet dancer or aspiring actress. i know they mean well, but many newcomers to yoga are just turned off by it.

not long ago i actually attended an otherwise beautiful class whose theme was "politics." the teacher -- a charming lass, but unfortunately of the above former-ballet-dancer stripe -- implored us to vote, and then played a tape during shoulderstand on yup, the importance of being vegetarian.

one member of the class finally just called out "vote nader!" this was too much for me.

those who've patiently suffered taking classes with me know I'm not afraid to speak out when provoked. and this was no exception!

"don't get me started, please!" i said. the yoga class was ruined, and i recognize that a couple of people haven't been back to yoga people since.

why polarize your class by doing this stuff? patanjali makes clear that yoga is experiential, which is one reason the yoga sutras are the way they are.

yoga teachers should understand that over time yoga really is effective in many ways; there's no need to harangue innocent students! they'll all get there, at their own pace, in their own time. . .

but in more exciting yoga news, one of my all-time favorite teachers, erich schiffmann, has re-organized his library of recorded classes and tapes. these are excellent, excellent classes for all levels.

highly recommended, esp. the inversions, which i am putting on my own holiday list.

posted by fortune | 8:39 AM | top | link to this | email this: | | | 0 comments