tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post3436733201268535824..comments2023-05-18T11:00:46.711-05:00Comments on linda's yoga journey: is there an "American spiritualism" like "American yoga"?Linda-Samahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-41327039672906591042009-10-24T09:58:21.840-05:002009-10-24T09:58:21.840-05:00I recently referenced this discussion at Elephant ...I recently referenced this discussion at Elephant Journal. See my last three comments at:<br /><br />http://www.elephantjournal.com/2009/10/real-yoga-no-chanting-no-granola-no-sanskrit/<br /><br />Bob Weisenberg<br />YogaDemystified.comBob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-36153583842420172922009-10-15T21:24:35.755-05:002009-10-15T21:24:35.755-05:00I like what you said about teaching mindfulness. ...I like what you said about teaching mindfulness. Despite all my protestations to the contrary, I actually do think that is something I give to my students. Awareness, looking at intention, turning the focus inward. At least, these are the things that they say keeps them coming back. And frankly, I can't imagine a yoga class with out this...what's the point, then it is just a stretch. Brenda P.https://www.blogger.com/profile/15706976926804565629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-85787893728368360662009-10-15T18:50:56.262-05:002009-10-15T18:50:56.262-05:00Linda, you should teach if it speaks to you, if it...Linda, you should teach if it speaks to you, if it continues to bring you joy and fulfillment, as wonky as that sounds.<br /><br />One of the wonders of teaching yoga in North America, is that if you choose to you *could* isolate or separate yourself from certain aspects of the "yoga machine". You could have your own studio (forgive me, I'm completely unaware if you have your own) Eco Yoginihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10693080137196812405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-22864485708139060792009-10-15T16:00:38.309-05:002009-10-15T16:00:38.309-05:00@bob -- and as I sometimes tell my students, how w...@bob -- and as I sometimes tell my students, how would you feel about your breath if you knew it was the last breath you would ever take?<br /><br />@RT -- you're right. that's because in india, yoga is just yoga. it just IS and there's no need to change it or make it sexy...like here.<br /><br />@laluna -- thanks for reading!Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-90886048360691239262009-10-15T15:42:56.202-05:002009-10-15T15:42:56.202-05:00Wow, great post followed by a great discussion. Th...Wow, great post followed by a great discussion. There's a lot going on here, so I'd just like to comment on the yoga v. fitness issue; and am doing so not as a teacher (not a *yoga* teacher, anyway, though I think there's got to be some connection to the teaching of middle school English that I do ;-) but as a student practitioner.<br /><br />I have a friend (we're both in our 40Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-66363217340640319402009-10-15T13:11:57.172-05:002009-10-15T13:11:57.172-05:00Too many things have already been said about ameri...Too many things have already been said about american yoga and spirituality in this blog and in the world of yoga blogs.<br />To each its own! worthy or unworthy, pranayam or no pranayam, yoga or yobo...<br />Growing up, practicing yoga in India, I never came across such discussions.<br />Whatever is good will stand the test of time. That's my 2 cents worth.Random Thoughtshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02766355766170830990noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-49158596834718868762009-10-15T11:33:47.349-05:002009-10-15T11:33:47.349-05:00Hello again, Linda.
Later on when I started think...Hello again, Linda.<br /><br />Later on when I started thinking of what you wrote above about "conscious breathing" it reminded me of this blog I wrote some months back:<br /><br />"What If Every Breath You Took Was Like Eating A Bite of Chocolate Cake?"<br /><br />http://wp.me/PlUox-fu<br /><br />Thanks again for a great blog and discussion.<br /><br />Bob Weisenberg<br />Bob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-70758066487932622682009-10-15T08:36:17.751-05:002009-10-15T08:36:17.751-05:00maybe this is the last word on the subject...found...maybe this is the last word on the subject...found this comment on my Facebook page...and the comment was actually about something else other than yoga:<br /><br />"...as long as there is a way to capitalize on ANYTHING, NOTHING surprises me. It's just the way that Yoga, for instance, has been turned into a yuppy, suburban-middle-class-hippy-sorta trend."<br /><br />talk amongst Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-35322766109043514512009-10-15T08:20:40.859-05:002009-10-15T08:20:40.859-05:00"in which Yoga is primarily about the minute-..."in which Yoga is primarily about the minute-to-minute joy of realization rather than about technique."<br /><br />which is what my Buddhism-informed yoga is all about.<br /><br />"Plus I know Whitwell is the real deal because he rarely appears on his website without his shirt off. Talk about branding!"<br /><br />that gives me an idea. Ana Brett wears her yoga short-shorts..Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-18713116735283963302009-10-15T08:02:16.613-05:002009-10-15T08:02:16.613-05:00Yes, Linda. I like Whitwell. He's a prime ex...Yes, Linda. I like Whitwell. He's a prime example of the "new yoga radicals" you described in a previous blog, whose teachings return directly to the Upanishads and Gita, in which Yoga is primarily about the minute-to-minute joy of realization rather than about technique.<br /><br />Plus I know Whitwell is the real deal because he rarely appears on his website without his shirt Bob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-6410092433471558822009-10-14T21:58:27.502-05:002009-10-14T21:58:27.502-05:00no problem, Bob....I am not upset at all....never ...no problem, Bob....I am not upset at all....never was!Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-21937551783921000062009-10-14T21:41:59.509-05:002009-10-14T21:41:59.509-05:00Thanks, Linda.
Sorry again if I misunderstood you...Thanks, Linda.<br /><br />Sorry again if I misunderstood your original blog. If I write anything off-track or upsetting in any way, please continue to help me out.<br /><br />BobBob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-9613751523693915112009-10-14T21:29:22.385-05:002009-10-14T21:29:22.385-05:00just to clarify for Bob:
1. I don't care if ...just to clarify for Bob:<br /><br />1. I don't care if anyone does yoga. really. I used to care. I don't anymore. really.<br /><br />2. for everyone else, do your own yoga, and I'll do mine. I don't care what you call yours, I know what I call mine.<br /><br />3. as for pranayama, I am not saying that every class has to include something like kapalabhati or nadi shodana, Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-90044270858050517242009-10-14T21:21:15.101-05:002009-10-14T21:21:15.101-05:00Well, svasti, of course I was aware of that. I...Well, svasti, of course I was aware of that. I'm tuned into the subtle of nuances of dialect throughout the world. (NOT).<br /><br />Anyway, that fits, although the spelling's all wrong. Really needs to be "Yobo" to reflect "Yoga", don't you think? <br /><br />But who will know when they just hear it? How is it pronounced? We traditionalists can simply dismissBob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-40100959707613898542009-10-14T19:39:20.992-05:002009-10-14T19:39:20.992-05:00@Bob - you may not be aware of this, but in Austra...@Bob - you may not be aware of this, but in Australia, "yobbo" is a term for uncooth types of people. Hehe!! ;)<br /><br />@Linda - I hear you, no probs :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-20502152240954099262009-10-14T18:36:47.270-05:002009-10-14T18:36:47.270-05:00Hi, Linda.
Sorry I chose the word "worthy&qu...Hi, Linda.<br /><br />Sorry I chose the word "worthy". What I was looking for was exactly what you just spelled out clearly--that it must have pranayama and meditation in order to be called Yoga. That's very specific and far more inclusive than I would have guessed you would say.<br /><br />Sorry if I'm misreading your blog. I'm clearly getting the impression that you'Bob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-30893939207254348732009-10-14T16:41:23.136-05:002009-10-14T16:41:23.136-05:00@ALL -- thanks for ALL your comments!
@svasti -- ...@ALL -- thanks for ALL your comments!<br /><br />@svasti -- I am in NO WAY dissing gurus and the people who have them. on the contrary, I am envious of people who have true gurus, i.e., not the so-called teachers who make people do wacky things for the benefit of their own ego. the "real" gurus are the ones we never hear about but the True Guru is inside each one of us.<br /><br />@Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-62884339564039153202009-10-14T14:30:45.223-05:002009-10-14T14:30:45.223-05:00My thoughts on the guru issue are summarized by my...My thoughts on the guru issue are summarized by my favourite mantra: sat guru, sat dumbass. Not to denigrate those who teach; not to denigrate those with wisdom to share; just to keep them down on the same plane of existence as the rest of us. We all have our strengths and weaknesses.<br /><br />I've been teaching for about a year, and I, too, began wondering whether I was just giving Squirrelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03123239664107084602noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-28600362770549929792009-10-14T02:56:59.527-05:002009-10-14T02:56:59.527-05:00BUT! Even if they are doing their asanas in matchi...BUT! Even if they are doing their asanas in matching groovy outfits and mascara.... They are still doing them. Just doing those poses opens chakras. I first learned yoga as a teen at a "Real" ashram. Destitute people and skinny dogs turning up at the door for food, even though the ashram itself was broke, messy, and had a funny smell somewhere. I loved it, went hungry, and learned so Nan Sheppardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02526627128978409559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-14518951821291983312009-10-14T00:21:31.788-05:002009-10-14T00:21:31.788-05:00Great post, Linda! This question really stood out ...Great post, Linda! This question really stood out for me: "So why isn't practicing plain old yoga good enough for us?" So true! It's almost as though we don't trust something unless it has some kind of name or brand attached to it. My feeling is that the asanas themselves (whether they are <100 years old, or 5000, it doesn't matter) contain so much wisdom and roseannehttp://www.itsallyogababy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-59694885708845755382009-10-14T00:07:31.640-05:002009-10-14T00:07:31.640-05:00Very interesting and provocative post, Linda.
It ...Very interesting and provocative post, Linda.<br /><br />It seems to me that any broad-brush stereotyping of Yoga in America is bound to be highly misleading at best. It's not clear to me from your blog which particular types of Yoga you consider to be OK and which you consider to be unworthy. <br /><br />You seem to be throwing all or most Yoga in America into one big barrel and declaring Bob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-54950483098816822442009-10-13T23:36:35.908-05:002009-10-13T23:36:35.908-05:00This post, the stoush over Addidas Yoga (and let&#...This post, the stoush over Addidas Yoga (and let's face it, that's a marketing ploy, we all know that!) and the Spiritual Warrior stuff is doing my head in. I kinda get the feeling people are over-reacting. All this talk of a "threat" to yoga, I mean really! Yoga has been around this long and there will always be people interested in the actual practice and no the hype, the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-89516716186114161832009-10-13T22:41:24.862-05:002009-10-13T22:41:24.862-05:00thank you so much for loving this post, grrl....
...thank you so much for loving this post, grrl....<br /><br />I must say that over the last month or so I have really begun to question whether this yogaland is for me anymore and I have not even been teaching for 10 years. seriously. when "old" yogis and yoginis wind up on the last page in Yoga Journal....the corporatization of yoga in America with Adidas and others of their ilk....Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-14831972458053900842009-10-13T21:47:06.977-05:002009-10-13T21:47:06.977-05:00I'm fairly new to yoga. I practiced just once ...I'm fairly new to yoga. I practiced just once a week for about a year and a half until I discovered the right style, and all I knew was that it ignited something in me that was similar to how I felt when I was seriously studying martial arts. From there, I started a daily practice and have been reading everything I can get my hands on.<br /><br />So, being new to yoga and only 28 (not a baby Aprilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16726934451877573118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11695025.post-45267960818455001592009-10-13T16:12:17.397-05:002009-10-13T16:12:17.397-05:00Excellent post Linda. Lots to chew on. I particula...Excellent post Linda. Lots to chew on. I particularly liked "...epresent an immature innovation based on shallow Western values such as commercialism and body image or true cultural change within yoga?"<br /><br />I don't get the obession with the Yoga Sutras either. how many times have I listened to a yoga teacher try to explain yoga to people who've ask what is yoga and is it Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09696349282379608085noreply@blogger.com