IBARW - Yoga, colonialism, whiteness

[feministyogini]

I’ve primarily done Hatha and Astanga yoga, though I’ve tried Ivengar and Vinyasa-Flow styles.  This year, I added Bikrams yoga to the mix.  Sadly, I don’t do enough asana practice on my own, which is why I enjoy attending classes.  But, I believe my vegetarian and detoxing eating practices are influenced by my yogic practice.  And I try to live

Comments

Here via <lj comm=yoga>

[sashajwolf]

Thanks for posting this. I've recently taken up Sivananda yoga myself and have been thinking about the potential cultural appropriation issues. It's one of those areas where I think there is no right answer - as a white person, I am almost certainly going to be wrong in one way or another by participating or not participating. My conclusion so far is that I'm comfortable practising Sivananda because that style of yoga was specifically designed by Swami Vishnudevananda (at the behest of Swami Sivananda) as a way of bringing Westerners into yoga. In other words, I am sharing something that was purposely created by indigenous members of the tradition to be offered to people like me, not taking without permission. I'm not sure I would be comfortable with some of the more modern styles that seem to have been created by Westerners with little regard for the integrity of the earlier tradition. I also agree that it's important to try and educate oneself about the tradition in order not to misrepresent or dilute it, and I am trying to do that

Re: Here via <lj comm=yoga>

[feministyogini]

...designed by Swami Vishnudevananda (at the behest of Swami Sivananda) as a way of bringing Westerners into yoga.

Yes, I've heard that before. I'm still learning about yoga's history in the West.

I'm not sure I would be comfortable with some of the more modern styles that seem to have been created by Westerners with little regard for the integrity of the earlier tradition.

I've been torn with Bikrams yoga for this reason. I don't like how Bikram Choudry acts in relation to capitalism and yoga (ex. trying to patent asanas). I've recently started taking a Bikram class. I can't put it on par with my other Ashtanga classes though - the spiritual element isn't the same. There seems to be a script that Bikram teachers follow, so I'm not learning much from the class.

good questions

[michimusic]

and I think they are valid ones, agreeing with lizw.
I think the only time you're getting away from the spirit of yoga here is when you criticize others instead of just focusing on your own practice. Yes, they can be distracting (like the girl who ANSWERS HER CELL PHONE ON THE MAT!) - but it is even better practice for you to not be thrown off by this. As they say at the zen center, 'everything is loud.' The real balance is living in the noise.

Re: good questions

[feministyogini]

ITA - that's why I try my best to tune out the Queen's U students who drone on about how wasted they got the night before as I'm trying to relax into child's pose before class :)
I know I shouldn't get hung up on that, but I believe it is incredibly disrespectful.

[orneryhipster]

hooray! i love this post, and it's basically in line with how i feel - i was worried this was going to be a YOGA IS CULTURAL APPROPRIATION post, but this was great (i came over here from yoga. Yoga is intensely influential in my life as a whole, spiritually AND physically - Shiva Rea is my teacher and she has an incredible depth of knowledge and she's certainly white! But i think it's all about respect and being in line with original intentions. Shiva even creates asanas, which mildly horrified me at first but then i thought, why not? She's certainly as well educated as any Indian person on yoga.

[feministyogini]

hooray! Yeah, I've really struggled with the cultural appropriation aspect. When I did yoga in Toronto, sometimes my teachers would get us to chant and I would refrain because it's not my cultural heritage and I wasn't sure what I was chanting or saying. But I've learned more about the mantras so I feel a bit more comfortable though not 100% okay with that aspect.

Otherwise, I've learned in the last few years not to play identity politics with yoga by saying only South Asians should do yoga. I've concluded that as long as I'm respectful, open to learning and appreciating yoga's history, and willing to learn more on my own... it's pretty low on the cultural appropriation scale.