Sunday, January 30, 2011

Define it!!!

It is interesting to me that there is so much attention paid to "defining" what yoga means. The article in the New York Times about the "Yoga Rebel" told a story about Tara Stiles who refuses to attach any obvious spirituality to her classes or her own practice. Sheetal Shah of the Hindu American Foundation wants people to know that Yoga is part of a spiritual Hindu practice and should not be considered a purely physical practice. There are in fact eight "limbs" of the practice of yoga, the physical asana being only one of said limbs.

I have been asked quite a bit what do I think- so here goes....

I used to tell people that it is a wonderful thing to go to a place of worship once a week and feel closer to the Divine and perhaps more at peace, whatever your religious background. (IF you are religious) but it is how you live your life that defines your faith- not just if you show up. In other words- ONE HAS TO DO THE WORK.

Maybe Tara Stiles is not defining her practice in any sort of spiritual terms, but something in the article about her studio resonated with me. Everyone interviewed who goes to her studio felt welcomed and surrounded by kindness and encouragement. Hmmmmmm.... isn't that a bit spiritual? It is to me. Even though my practice is my own- I do like to feel part of something, whether it be the energy in the room, or having a home for my practice when I am not on my own.

When I explain my physical  practice of asana to someone I say "My asana practice is a physical manifestation of my inner divinity". Doesn't that sound fancy? I am trying to make my practice a moving meditation. I am trying to align my body, heart and head. I am trying to open to grace. I am trying to do a LOT of things. When I get off of the mat I want to take what I have discovered with me and then apply it in my life OFF of the mat. That, to me, is where the yoga should happen.

Teachers and practitioners can be worse than religious leaders in terms of how they define the practice of Yoga. I have been in studios where one can feel palpable desire for the teacher's approval. I myself have been guilty of wanting that approval. It isn't the teacher's fault that I felt this way, (-only you can make yourself feel like crap- to paraphrase the great Eleanor Roosevelt)- it was my own. This studio might be considered more "pure" yoga but why would I define my practice based on my desire to be part of a group? Shouldn't my own practice be enhanced by the good energy around me in a group practice? Does everyone need to agree on the reason why we are there? I am a "REAL"yogi??? OH MY GOD THE TEACHER JUST SAID GREAT JOB COURTNEY--I AM VALIDATED!! What am I doing? And more importantly who am I doing it for?


A friend of mine who shall remain un-named says she likes yoga because, "I like the way it makes my ass look." We practice together sometimes. I meditate. She does not. I chant. She does not. I practice pranayama. She does not. I love practicing in class next to her. She is kind, funny and encouraging. She has a beautiful asana practice, and works hard in class. We will meet afterwards and talk about things. We talk about the meditations in class and how it relates to our lives. I listen to her and think: this is a yogi if ever there was one. She does the work in class and in her life. She judges no one and is authentically inclusive of everyone around her. 

So back to the original discussion, how does one define yoga? Well.....perhaps we don't have to. Where there is joy, grace, kindness, humor, authenticity, play, hard work, etc....there is the Divine.

And perhaps a nice ass- which is not a bad thing.