7 Ways to Be More Yogic Without Striking a Single Pose
I’m always thinking about whether there are any changes I can make in my life to improve some aspect of it, whether that be the health of me and my family, my relationships or my level of productivity. This is not meant to sound all holier-than-thou, because in reality it’s like having the stress of making and keeping New Year’s resolutions every day.Despite being a little intense, I find that making several adjustments throughout the year is actually a much more manageable practice than trying to make them all at once on January first.
Right now the thing that keeps popping into my mind is that I can, or maybe more accurately I should, pay more attention to integrating more yogic principles into my approach to everyday life.
As a yoga instructor I trained in a very physical type of yoga and can’t claim that the spiritual aspects of it factored in very much for me in the early years. But over time, and as I have continued to learn more about yoga, I’ve realized that the very many different aspects of yoga, besides just the physical practice, have become important guiding principles in my life. Probably more significantly, these lifestyle principles are guiding how my husband and I choose to raise our children.
The physical practice of yoga poses (Asanas) is just one arm of the Eight Fold Path of Yoga as laid out in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Yamas and Niyamas are two more “arms” of the Eight Fold Path and it’s many of the elements of these two parts of yoga that I think lend themselves to a holistically healthy yogic lifestyle.
The Yamas
Ahimsa, Satya and Astheya
The Yamas are described as “wise characteristics” which are supposedly our natural way of operating in relation to one another. Ahimsa, for example, is the Yama that says we should live in a non-harming way. Satya tells us to commit to truthfulness, and means that we should not steal. These are all indeed wise characteristics that I think most straight thinking people are committed to. Where I grew up, we were certainly raised to operate in a non-harming, truthful and honest way.
So what has happened to us as adults when, if you are like me, you can look around amongst your peers and notice that everyone is definitely no longer committed to these observances. But hey, not judging is also a yogic approach to life which I am very committed to. As such, perhaps the best advice each of us can take is to recommit to observing the principles of not causing harming, not taking what is not rightfully ours (or taking that which we have not genuinely earned), being truthful, and not judging ourselves or others.
Aparigraha
Aparigraha is the Yama that implies letting go of your attachment to “things” and accepting that the only sure thing in life is that things change. This is where I feel my yoga practice has begun to evolve beyond the physical side. Truth be told (see, I’m putting Satya into action already), this is perhaps more out of necessity rather than having necessarily become more enlightened as a yogi. I was unhappy, unfulfilled, undervalued and underpaid in my previous job for ages, years even. I sucked it up to earn a salary, believing that I needed to earn a certain amount of money in order to maintain the lifestyle I desired. In part, that of course included acquiring things that brought pleasure to me or my family in some form or fashion.
I’m reaching a stage where I am better able to let go of that desire to earn money just for the purpose of acquiring stuff. Stuff that, although I wanted it at the time, I didn’t really need. Note that I said “reaching a stage” there and not “I have reached,” because frankly it is/I am still a work in progress.
As parents, my husband and I have a certain level of intrinsic responsibilities as we keep the little people fed, watered, sheltered, safe, educated, healthy, happy and so on. We can’t just decide to live simply if it risks jeopardizing their health, education, safety etc. So even as we commit to Aparigraha and settle in to a quieter, simplified lifestyle, I know that we will face challenges as we work to identify our needs (like holiday camps for the kids so Mama doesn’t go completely insane every time school is out, for example) from our wants (“new stock just in” at Mom’s favorite boutique as my helpful Facebook newsfeed just advised me, for example). We also must always remember to strike a balance between them.
Niyamas
Niyamas are guidelines for how we should treat ourselves. Santosha, or contentment, is about being happy with what we have rather than unhappy about what we do not have. I see these as related to letting go of our attachment to things (Aparigraha), and it is certainly what I am working on now with a more simplified/ financially constrained lifestyle.
The Niyama of Tapas is about maintaining good health, eating healthy food, exercising and breathing, so that we can each energetically engage in an optimal life. I see this as an important component of a holistic yoga lifestyle which embraces a physical practice, healthy eating and a few other yogic observances, all with a view to seeking contentment (Santosha).
Of course this is far from an exhaustive list and there are plenty more elements to a truly yogic existence, but I don’t believe it’s an all or nothing arrangement. I’m excited at the prospect of encouraging these yogic observances in my life, and I’ll certainly be leaning on my yoga practice and yogic principles to try and bolster me through 2014; hopefully more content, hopefully happier for me, the kids and everyone.
Which of the yogic observances discussed here do you already practice, and which can you employ from today?
Not causing harming Not taking what is not rightfully yours, or that you have not genuinely earned Being truthful Not judging yourselves or others Letting go of material attachments and accepting the constant dynamic motion of life Acknowledge the valuable positives in your life Take care of your physical and mental health.
The Glass Ceiling of Yoga: Body Positivity
The picture of a serene and beautiful yoga community that is celebrated by the media actually disguises a disturbing layer of normalized and ubiquitous body type discrimination. However, by unveiling a previously “invisible” glass ceiling over the Western yoga community, students, teachers, and administrators can find ways to effortlessly mold body-positive practice spaces for current, new, and future yoga practitioners.
Gender vs Body Type
I’ve encountered a lot of glass ceilings in my life. Honestly, when you’re black, queer, and born with female genitalia, you encounter them constantly and I’ve grown to expect situations wherein boundaries and limitations are the norm. However, there’s a glass ceiling that limits our Western yoga community to a troubling degree and it’s something I never expected to encounter. I mean, when “glass ceilings” are typically identified in Western society, they are almost invariably related to gender.
Ironically, the yoga community doesn’t really suffer from a gender glass ceiling, at least not one that negatively effects women.
Even though women weren’t taught asana until the 20th century, the vast majority of Western yoga teachers and students are female. And while discrimination against male yoga students and teachers is probably more common than any of us could imagine, it’s still not the most expansive and divisive glass ceiling in the yoga community.
No, the real ceiling within our community is based entirely upon physical presentation and, specifically, body type.
This ceiling is clear as day to those of us who have atypical yoga practitioner bodies. Instead of being slender, white and heaped with physical ability, there’s a growing wave of yoga teachers and students who are plump, multiethnic and powering through life with a wide range of disabilities. However, those of us who challenge the white washed yoga teacher stereotype face a very different practice landscape than our colleagues. For example, it’s inappropriately common to hear a story about a yoga student being shamed out of a yoga studio, based upon comments made by discriminatory yoga teachers and students.
In some communities, it’s nearly impossible for atypical yoga teachers to find teaching opportunities. And even when teaching opportunities are available, they are not on par with options for more traditionally bodied teachers. This problem is well documented within small communities of “different” yoga teachers, but it’s essentially invisible to those who don’t see themselves as “different”. And, what’s worse, there are way too many practitioners and teachers who don’t see this kind of discrimination as a problem. Thus, an “invisible” glass ceiling has domed over our community, and only those who have been discriminated and oppressed are fully aware of its existence.
What Does This “Glass Ceiling” Actually Look Like?
Here’s the thing, no one in the yoga community is ever going to openly bad mouth someone who looks different from the traditional idea of a practitioner. Ok, let me back up. I’m sure it happens. But being openly mean to people is not condoned in our yoga community. It’s a pretty big no-no, actually. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone reading this article right now is truly shocked by the idea that discrimination exists in a community which oozes the kind of saccharine sweetness that can only be honed by decades of marketing and product advertising. Unfortunately, the prettiest bandages can hide the ugliest wounds.
And beneath the surface of our saccharine sweet, mass media approved industry is a festering wound characterized by offensive language, discriminatory hiring practices and a bunch of other negativity that gets swept under the rug.
Admittedly, it’s not fun to acknowledge discrimination. In most cases, it feels very embarrassing, and many people would prefer to pretend as though they are not part of the problem. But anyone who turns a blind eye to this problem is also a key contributor to its existence. But how does this problem actually manifest and what does it look like? Let me paint a clearer picture for you.
Imagine you’re a curvy person who has finally decided to face your fear of practicing yoga in a group setting. Perhaps you’ve practiced yoga online with free videos, and you’re finally feeling confident enough in your understanding of asana to venture out of your living room and into a communally supportive environment under the watchful gaze of a knowledgeable instructor.
With a yoga mat under your arm and an emotionally swollen heart on your sleeve, you proudly stride into your local yoga studio.
When you approach the reception desk to check-in for class, the teacher (who looks, as expected, like a human Barbie doll) gives you a curt visual once-over. “Is this your first class?” Yoga Teacher Barbie chirps nonchalantly. While your knee jerk reaction may be defensive, you calm yourself down mentally. You remind yourself that she’s not trying to be offensive, and that she’s merely trying to take the proverbial temperature of a student she’s never met before. You smile and shake your head. “Nope, but I’m excited to take your class!” you say. Barbie smirks. “Well, this class is pretty intense,” she says.
You stare at her blankly. You’re wondering why she’s decided to tell you that the class is intense. Is it because she thinks you can’t handle the class? All of a sudden, you’re second guessing yourself and hiding sweaty palms. Why did you think you were strong enough to attend live classes? By the time you’ve rolled out your mat and gotten settled with props, the tissue thin confidence you brought into the studio has been shredded beyond repair by the self-doubt you’d managed to keep at bay prior to arrival.
During the class, you notice for the first time that your expressions of various yoga poses look a little different than other people in the class. Maybe your balance is a little less sharp, or you use props and modifications at times when other students seem to be able to go without. While that acknowledgement makes you a little self-conscious, it pales in comparison to the shame you feel at having your movements constantly corrected by Yoga Teacher Barbie.
Because, yes – Barbie has also noticed that your movements look a little different. And she’s decided to make your differences an opportunity for a teaching exercise by constantly correcting your alignment and offering more physical adjustments than you could have ever wanted. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if she’s offering more or less advice to anyone else in the room – in fact, it’s entirely possible that she offers this level of adjustment to every student. But your confidence has been shattered.
The emotionally swollen heart you proudly wore on your sleeve is now openly bleeding.
In the best case scenario, you somehow find the strength to believe in yourself again. In the worst case, you vow to never darken the doorstep of another yoga class for fear of ever feeling this way again.
The thing is, if you’re reading this right now, you’ve probably worn the moccasins of either Yoga Teacher Barbie or our Curvy Protagonist. Maybe both. And the weird thing is, I’ve heard this exact same story told by people who are not necessarily “curvy” or “different” in some other way.
In fact, it’s startlingly common for people who look just like Yoga Teacher Barbie to still feel discrimination at the hands of their instructors.
I could be wrong, but I think this is all the result of the fact that we live in a staunchly body negative society.
Body negativity is endorsed by the mass media – let’s face it, that’s how they get us to buy things. We make purchases because we find ourselves wanting or lacking in one way or another. Unfortunately, in addition to the mass media, body negativity has also fully permeated the yoga community. In fact, many teachers believe their discrimination isn’t discrimination at all – they see it as a kind dose of realism to students who don’t meet their personal standards of yoga perfection. Because that’s really all discrimination is – it’s the state of our judgment when we encounter people, places, and things which jibe with our personal definitions of perfection.
It’s sad to see this happen in a community which has the potential to include every single human being on the planet. Frankly, it’s not absurd to imagine a world where everyone practices a style or hybrid blend of yoga. However, that reality will never come to fruition if we don’t resolve the body negativity and discrimination problem. How do we do that? Well, fight fire with fire.
If body negativity is the disease, then body positivity must be the antidote.
The Antidote: Body Positivity
Body positivity is frequently confused concept. It’s pretty confused even within the body positivity community. You could get a different definition depending on the person you ask, the day of the week, etc. Some people think body positivity is solely tied up in body size acceptance, and others might even go so far as to equate it with fat acceptance and fat positivity. While fat positive movements have their rightful place of importance in the evolution of our society, I don’t believe they are synonymous with body positivity. Another popular way of describing body positivity is by equating it with constant self-pep talks. You know, a pattern of methods to remind yourself that “I’m Great! I’m Beautiful! I’m worthy of breathing oxygen in front of other humans without feeling suicidal!” While pep talks are rad and I fully endorse them, I don’t think they speak to the core of body positivity.
You see, body positivity assumes your constant perfection. It assumes that you’re always beautiful. That you’re always worthwhile. That you’re always capable. That you’re always strong.
In a truly body positive world, these statements are not up for debate – instead, they are seen as impenetrable fact. The only perspective up for debate is that of each individual – are you willing to accept your own perfection? Especially when the mass media tells you that those statements are definitely not true. Body positivity is the confidence to accept your constant perfection and beauty, no matter the proverbial weather. And, most importantly, to accept the constant perfection and beauty of those around you, even if they look and act different from yourself.
When we implement body positivity in our yoga studios and spaces, we create environments where students across an infinite spectrum of differences all feel as though they are equal to one another. This type of attitude is absolutely critical in order to see the yoga community grow beyond the one dimensional image offered by the media. Body positivity doesn’t mean teachers aren’t free to offer alignment tips and adjustments to their students without fear of offending someone. But it does mean that every word, every gesture, and every moment is an opportunity to be encouraging. To make someone feel welcome. To actively avoid discouragement.
Eventually, this kind of environment will lead to the end of classes where certain students are viewed as superior to their fellow students. Good riddance, as far as I’m concerned. This is a glass ceiling that desperately needs to be shattered.
We must all take responsibility for the role we play in a yoga culture which is thoroughly embedded in discrimination and negativity.
We need more than a few people who are proud of their bodies. We need a legion of yoga teachers, administrators and advanced practitioners who truly walk the walk of the eight-limbed path, and who will stop at nothing to spread the practice to every soul across the planet.