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New Yoga; Ancient Wisdom - September 2000

Apparently, yoga has arrived. It's quite something when The New York Times runs a feature article about a yoga convention taking place in Massachusetts, and People Magazine quotes several chic Hollywood ladies proclaiming yoga as the "secret" to their health and beauty regime. Everywhere I go, it seems there's new news about yoga. As wonderful as it is that the world is waking up to the power of yoga, it makes me a little wary just the same.

The truth is, yoga is not very new. In fact, it's thousands of years old. It's hung in there through centuries of change, through political, industrial and religious revolution. It's a powerful philosophy that has withstood the test of time, although for most of the duration it's been in the shadows, back in the mountains of India where only those who came earnestly seeking were gifted with it's rich and wise teaching. Now, you can apparently buy a yoga practice at the magazine stand or video mart. My question is: Is it the same yoga?

My concern arises out of a deep appreciation for the cultural context from which yoga originates. Implied in the very basis of the Yoga Sutras is an interest on the part of the student in self-knowledge and transformation. Inherent as well, is a recognition of something best translated as the spiritual dimension, the part of our being that exists beneath the layers of our personality, the things we do, the roles we play. It is this Spirit self that yoga connects us to, through the breath, mindful movement and meditation.

Unfortunately, popularity often leads to dilution. I cringe at yoga ads that show beautiful, svelte bodies doing fancy contortions. Not only is it off putting to the average householder, but it also perpetuates the misconception that yoga is the New Age way to get buff. Although, yoga practice can be reduced to an intensive stretch oriented work-out, or to specific therapeutic techniques for healing back pain and releasing tension, the beauty of the teaching lies in its unique ability to awaken the mind and open the heart. To develop an understanding of the whole system requires patience, time, discipline and a skilled instructor for guidance. It is not something that can be served up in a thirty minute video, "McYoga" style; small fries and spiritual transcendence included. (This is not meant to condemn yoga videos, which can be useful to augment a personal practice.)

The challenge for yoga teachers these days is to meld this ancient tradition into the pentium-revved world of the typical yoga student, without losing the integrity of the teaching. Yoga classes are one of the few remaining havens where people are encouraged to slow down and simply breathe; where being is emphasized over doing, where process is honored more than product. Serenity may not make a dramatic photo-op, but it is what most of us want and need more of.

Lately, it seems new students are coming in with multiple stress disorders. Physically and mentally they are exhausted. The last thing they need is one more task to complete, more pressure on them to achieve. Mostly, they hunger for stillness and quiet, to learn how to take one deep, reassuring breath and follow it with another. They yearn to know who they are, and to feel acceptable as they are. It is the frenetic pace of our computer crazed culture that has them seeking out yoga, not in the mountains of India, but here on the streets of the good, old USA.

If we teach with respect for each, individual student and maintain a reverence for the tradition of yoga in its entirety, we can bridge the cultural gap between the ancient and modern, between east and west. Drawing on the wisdom of the past, we can heal the confusion and malaise of our present, and ward off potential suffering in our future.

heyam duhkham anagatam
(Future suffering is to be avoided)
Yoga Sutra 2:16

Blessings and Peace To You All,

The Yoga Barn, Inc.
Robin Rothenberg, Certified Yoga Instructor
660 NW Gilman Blvd., Suite C6, Issaquah, WA  98027
Studios located in both Issaquah and Fall City
Phone: 425.427.0038  -  Fax: 425.427.0613
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