Yoga traditions: Is it now just marketable and sexy?

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YOGA TRADITIONS
Statue of Shiva in Bangalore, Karnataka, India, performing yogic meditation in the Padmasana posture. Photo Kalyan Kumar

So why did these people behind the #yogaindustry campaign launch such a stressful and critical campaign? To me it has been launched from a space of fear. Fear to lose their position, their status, fear that people would be mistaken about yoga, or maybe fear that people would quit yoga for that same reason. In their video they mention the young Insta girls with 200,000 followers that started yoga last year and manage to lift their leg behind their ears. That requires a lot flexibility which most yoga teachers don’t have. I agree that it is ironic to see yoga leave the caves and get to the catwalk, but hey that’s fine too! At least people are practicing around the globe, showing and sharing their evolution, the way they work on their bodies, and to be honest I think it’s beautiful.

That’s a healthy path which will bring humanity out of overeating, poor exercise and poor eating habits with the wrong food in the plate. The yoga industry does all that for you: it helps you stay fit, tone your body, eat better, do cardio, think better, be kinder to yourself and to others. To me when you enter a space of anger or fear (which is the case when criticizing others) it is dangerous to communicate. We really need to be careful about how we express our thoughts (wow the challenge is on me now!).

Instagram is a major life changer for socialization and communication enthusiasts. Social media in general is a wonderful tool to connect with the world, meet like-minded people that you don’t get to meet on the street, in your home or village. Everything goes faster and deeper somehow. Yoga girls from all around the world unite around the same topic. Why demonize it? May I add that in the last couple of years, people on Insta and FB have added more into my day to day than actual friends, lovers or family.

Bottom line, I agree with #yogaindustry’s movement to re-inform the population about the spiritual roots of yoga but I am not sure we need to do it in a negative way.
Let me try and show you.

First of all, to be a yoga teacher you don’t need to be flexible to start with because the whole point of yoga is to work daily on yourself using your breath. Looking at your limitations, personal allowance and knowledge. Getting to know yourself better and more is the only goal in secular Europe. Very few fellow teachers sing mantras and perform pooja at their sessions. Maybe the Kundalini yoga movement is more straight forward and demanding on the personal hygiene and life philosophy. It has real implications on your daily life. But this is an exception.