Is this even yoga anymore?
“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”
— Socrates
Helllllloooo Practitioners,
I “grew up” in a different era of yoga. When classes were 90 minutes. There were no playlists. Lululemon had yet to be invented. Class size was small. Teachers would teach. Students would learn. You had no idea what might be coming in class, it could be a strong pose practice, a detour into deep philosophy, or a dozen demonstrations to ensure you really, finally got external rotation of the front leg in Trikonasana. This was exciting. Because you were learning and growing, not just going through the motions.
Over the past 20 years, Yoga has changed. Some things for the better. Some things for worse. Men in speedos standing on students’ backs are no longer celebrated (win!). Our conversation about the body and benefits of practice has matured beyond platitudes into provable facts. (This article on breathing is an excellent example). But classes (more often than not) have become a feel-good-crowd-pleasing-flow, not a journey of Self-discovery.
Where does that leave yoga?
And what is "yoga" these days?
What comes to mind FIRST?
Did you know that traditionally "yoga" would include postures, meditation, breathing, ethics, and more? How has it become inextricably linked with exercise in the West?
During the Breathe Better Challenge, these questions were ringing in my mind. Because what we practiced was close to the tradition but very far from the modern expectation of "yoga".(Access all the resources here or in your virtual library)
While teaching I found myself wondering if people would be disappointed that we didn’t do more… or delighted by the impact of less. What did you think? How would you describe what we do at Kanda? What's unique? What do you receive from this style of learning and practicing?
I’d love to hear from you.
May your practice create questions,
Alison
