Fighting Hartebeest by Filip Lachowski Yoga has completely changed my life. The practice has provided a fertile ground for traversing the yet undiscovered parts of myself, and the world around me. Yoga has provided discipline and structure in times when I needed it most. It has been a touchstone during periods of doubt and disillusionment and a welcome break from my busy life. Yoga has helped to keep me healthy and most of my close relationships have a connection to that world. Yoga continues to teach me how to yield and be flexible, and how to stay strong and hold my position.
But this is not a Yoga love fest.
Even the beloved world of Yoga has its imperfections, and today I want to tell you...
3 Creepy Things About Yoga That Need to Change:
- Studios with mirrors Listen, I know there are some popular styles of yoga that have a very good explanation for having mirrors in the room. Call it simply a personal preference, but I hate practicing in front of a mirror. Staring at myself during a practice doesn’t really help me feel more “aware” of what’s happening inside, it makes me mildly obsessive about the esthetic line of my limbs even if the alignment is way off. It is creepy.
As a former (mediocre) dancer, my understanding is that mirrors are essential to see what you are doing and to help you see what your audience will see. For dance and theatre this makes perfect sense. Yoga however, is not done for an audience. We practice yoga to go inwards very deeply. It is hard to do that when you are staring at your hairdo or comparing your upward dog to your neighbour’s. - Teachers who use their classes as a dating pool
(Before I say this I want to point out that I know of at least 3 solid relationships that have come out of a yoga teacher and student getting together)
I do believe it is possible that as a student, you could meet the love of your life at the front of the room teaching your class, but overall, most of the teacher/student “union’s” I have seen in the last 10 years are short-lived and in a word: disastrous.
The whole thing is very tricky. Teachers are easily put on a pedestal and given power by their students. It makes sense that as students, when we fall in love with the practice, we may also develop feelings for the person introducing us to this new and wonderful world. As an instructor, it is very beautiful to see people infatuated with the practice we have devoted so much of ourselves to, and there is a nice bond that forms with regular students. When that goes to the next level, it can be very flattering to be approached romantically by a wide-eyed student who thinks the world of you (ignoring the fact that they only see you at work and have no idea who you are the other 23 hours of the day). This can forge an unhealthy power dynamic, which is not generally a healthy foundation for a relationship.
Personally, I don’t feel comfortable attending a class with a teacher who routinely dates students. I don’t care what their gender type preferences are. If I know the teacher is trolling, then that means they probably aren’t paying much attention to anything outside of their libido’s limited sphere of awareness. Our instructor is not likely to be looking out for the safety and well-being of everyone in the room because they are distracted by other motives.
An instructors role is to guide the experience of their students making it as positive and transformative as possible. None of us needs to experience another creepy yoga adjustment, thank you. - Childish Bickering and Yoga Gossip
Ok people… Seriously, break it up.
We are lucky enough to live in a world with a lot of options and there are bigger fish to fry than how far apart your legs need to be in order to practice triangle pose “correctly”. Yoga schools seem to be ready to eat each other alive over often very small and trivial differences in alignment and philosophy. It is fine to prefer one style or teacher over another, but do we need to spend any more time debating what “true” yoga is and what teachers are passing on the “authentic lineage”. If the practice you are doing is safe, intelligent and inspiring then what other validation do you really need? Perhaps even worse are the civil wars within one style of yoga. It is beyond creepy how many people profess to be doing the most "correct, auspicious" practice while they mercilessly slam other human beings and gossip about one another. Not very yogic.
But you know what makes me totally optimistic about the world of yoga?Regardless of any pet peeves—or serious disagreements—we may have with it, as practitioners we have a special tool set. Yoga teaches us how to directly face our limitations and weaknesses and work tirelessly to transform them. I truly believe that with some direct effort and attention we can start to work out some of the bigger issues that hold us back. My sincere hope is that we do it sooner rather than later, and get on with making something more powerful in the world together as a community.
