In Response to the Yoga of Competition © January 14, 2012 Ambika Devi
This is in response to the recent article in the New York Times “Yoga, American Style” which calls out the current trend of Yoga as a competition of the practice of asana. So now we know that this has officially gotten out of control! What is the matter with us that we feel such need to be better than the person next to us? This in no way embodies the true meaning of Yoga.
Imagine what would have happened if the competition lay in the practice of devotion or meditation. Would we strive to be the one who could hear the voice of God first or to receive the first pat on the head? What is wrong with us that we can take an ancient science of life which teaches devotion and healing and turn it into a competition?
We as Yogis all need to take responsibility for this. I am not disregarding nor disrespecting the fact that it is a beautiful thing to "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do," which is so eloquently stated by the great poet Rumi, but come on people! This is ridiculous.
Several years back I gave in and taught at a gym when I moved to a new area and was in need of a job. I gave in, I conformed and ultimately I was miserable. The management would receive complaints if I chanted or did too much Pranayama. They argued with me when I asked to teach classes for an hour and a half and offered to give the extra half hour for free. I was so relieved when they went out of business. It was then that I gained the strength and space to only teach on my own, one on one, the way Yoga is meant to be shared and transmitted from teacher to student. It was then that I decided to work on a master’s degree in the education of Yoga which I am completing this year.
There was a point right before I embarked on this education journey when I felt weakened and went to a large corporate gym chain looking for a job. They made me audition and after a list of don’t chant, don’t do breathing exercises, keep things moving and no more than three minutes of Shavasana I said to them “This is not Yoga for which you seek an instructor and you have no business calling it Yoga. This is an exercise class which has some forms and postures which are inspired by Hatha Yoga.” As you can imagine, they asked me to leave. It saddens me that people go to these classes and hurt themselves.
I am not disclosing those of you who teach in studios but I see the warning signs of what is to come. Let’s get real here and really look at what is yoga. Be assured I intend to pioneer a new paradigm of the teaching of Yoga and it begins now.
Here is a challenge for you Yogis. Have a good look at what it is that you are doing. Then, set out to draw up a manifesto with yourself to teach all the branches of Yoga. If you do not know them, choose one and study it. Then teach a little to your students. Then choose another and another. If you have been looking at Japa, Mantra or Kriya as something you would not participate in, then look in the mirror and ask yourself if you see a Yogi there.
The time has come for us to discover every leaf and read into every nuance written in the bark of this great tree of knowledge which is Yoga. We must return to the ancient ways and look at all of the information which all too many have skimmed over in their studies.
You may be able to quote some of the Sutras of Patanjali but have you read the Hatha Yoga Pradipika? You may know a few mantras but have you learned Sanskrit and how to write them? Are you truly practicing Ayurveda in your personal hygiene? If you have never lived in an Ashram, try at least a week or a weekend of seva. Dive into the Upanishads of the masters. Read biographies of the great ones. Get off the mat and help your community. Volunteer. This is all a part of being a Yogi. Go to a temple and participate in a puja.
Regarding Rajasic movement, is just that. Tamasic thinking is just that. How can you ever hope to cross the bridge of Pranotthana of you are forcing yourself into contortions? How can you possibly experience the sweet Amrit of the second half of each pose?
As for Yoga which is taught as the prerequisite to an Olympic sport, I suggest the studios and gyms call it something else. We are not teaching gymnastics. We are not teaching circus performance. We are trying to teach people to be still and be one with the guru within. Through this it is my hope that we all may live in peace and realize our true dharma. Hari Om Tat Sat.
Imagine what would have happened if the competition lay in the practice of devotion or meditation. Would we strive to be the one who could hear the voice of God first or to receive the first pat on the head? What is wrong with us that we can take an ancient science of life which teaches devotion and healing and turn it into a competition?
We as Yogis all need to take responsibility for this. I am not disregarding nor disrespecting the fact that it is a beautiful thing to "Let the beauty of what you love be what you do," which is so eloquently stated by the great poet Rumi, but come on people! This is ridiculous.
Several years back I gave in and taught at a gym when I moved to a new area and was in need of a job. I gave in, I conformed and ultimately I was miserable. The management would receive complaints if I chanted or did too much Pranayama. They argued with me when I asked to teach classes for an hour and a half and offered to give the extra half hour for free. I was so relieved when they went out of business. It was then that I gained the strength and space to only teach on my own, one on one, the way Yoga is meant to be shared and transmitted from teacher to student. It was then that I decided to work on a master’s degree in the education of Yoga which I am completing this year.
There was a point right before I embarked on this education journey when I felt weakened and went to a large corporate gym chain looking for a job. They made me audition and after a list of don’t chant, don’t do breathing exercises, keep things moving and no more than three minutes of Shavasana I said to them “This is not Yoga for which you seek an instructor and you have no business calling it Yoga. This is an exercise class which has some forms and postures which are inspired by Hatha Yoga.” As you can imagine, they asked me to leave. It saddens me that people go to these classes and hurt themselves.
I am not disclosing those of you who teach in studios but I see the warning signs of what is to come. Let’s get real here and really look at what is yoga. Be assured I intend to pioneer a new paradigm of the teaching of Yoga and it begins now.
Here is a challenge for you Yogis. Have a good look at what it is that you are doing. Then, set out to draw up a manifesto with yourself to teach all the branches of Yoga. If you do not know them, choose one and study it. Then teach a little to your students. Then choose another and another. If you have been looking at Japa, Mantra or Kriya as something you would not participate in, then look in the mirror and ask yourself if you see a Yogi there.
The time has come for us to discover every leaf and read into every nuance written in the bark of this great tree of knowledge which is Yoga. We must return to the ancient ways and look at all of the information which all too many have skimmed over in their studies.
You may be able to quote some of the Sutras of Patanjali but have you read the Hatha Yoga Pradipika? You may know a few mantras but have you learned Sanskrit and how to write them? Are you truly practicing Ayurveda in your personal hygiene? If you have never lived in an Ashram, try at least a week or a weekend of seva. Dive into the Upanishads of the masters. Read biographies of the great ones. Get off the mat and help your community. Volunteer. This is all a part of being a Yogi. Go to a temple and participate in a puja.
Regarding Rajasic movement, is just that. Tamasic thinking is just that. How can you ever hope to cross the bridge of Pranotthana of you are forcing yourself into contortions? How can you possibly experience the sweet Amrit of the second half of each pose?
As for Yoga which is taught as the prerequisite to an Olympic sport, I suggest the studios and gyms call it something else. We are not teaching gymnastics. We are not teaching circus performance. We are trying to teach people to be still and be one with the guru within. Through this it is my hope that we all may live in peace and realize our true dharma. Hari Om Tat Sat.
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