Welcome to Transcending Yoga!My intention for this blog is to provide a space for expansion of the mind off the mat. I love the physical benefits of Hatha Yoga, but the philosophy of yoga clearly transcends from the mat into our everyday lives. Here, I wish to share with my community the insights and inspirations that I experience on a day to day basis.
Namaste, Valerie Baltzer, RYT 500
I'm struggling a bit with the future of yoga in this country, the directions it moves into as it gains in popularity. How do others view the "westernization" of yoga, as good, bad, or indifferent? Are we moving too far from the original teachings to really consider ourselves as doing "authentic'" yoga or are we creating our own traditions that will hold up to the passage of time, and be of benefit to the students that follow it?
ReplyDeleteI tnink it goes both ways. As with any body of knowledge, we need specialists who hold onto the original vision and the time-honored truths, and we need pioneers. In this case the physiology and engineering of the body, and the nature of consciousness are being studied at many levels. I love the work of the Dalai Lama who brings contemplatives of all disciplines together with academics in brain science to teach each other. I enjoyed the recent workshop with Doug Swenson in which he compared asanas by different masters and their schools and pointed out ways some of them can be done more safely. We would have nothing without the accumulated wisdom of the ages, but we must test and re-evaluate in the light of new knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI sink into deep thought whenever I hear the snippet "doing yoga". It is something to meditate on. "Doing" indicates that "yoga" is a verb... and the image that immediately pops up in the western mind is Warrior I. But, the roots of the yoga tradition point to a path of action to higher living. The pose or asana is only a fraction of the science and the contemporary exercises have evolved immensely from the original asana-lotus or easy pose. The sanskrit root "as" means to "sit". Most westerners are not going to go into a yoga class to practice sitting.
ReplyDeleteI think the answer lies in the intention of the individual. Does the individual seek a happier, healthier, and more meaningful life? Or, is the individual looking for a great workout that does not involve running, jumping, or round projectiles? And when the individual is going through the motions, are they thinking about clearing a path and making improvements from that present moment? Or are the casting judgement on their self and others? Just like words, actions have a greater meaning based on their intention.
Yoga is gaining popularity, certainly. But, there will be individuals going through the motions and others who will pass the tradition by "living" their yoga!
I suppose ultimately the individual answer will always lie with one and their expectations. As yoga was originally begun as the science of learning to look within, to unite with the divine, it could be viewed as "the science of science". As such, it would examine, weigh, and incorporate or not, new thoughts and learning. Viewing it as a constant, evolving process of learning, we should learn to discriminate between what is of value and what is not.
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