What. Is. Art?
There's a sketch from a wonderful little MTV show from back in the day called "The State". It's a mock roundtable discussion entitled "what Is Art?" there's this ridiculous set up of funny pretentious artists types all there to discuss the topic. and then it goes a little something like this:
(very serious pretentious voice) - "what. is. art?"
"um, like paintings and stuff?"
"yes, goodnight!"
This has been running on repeat through my head all day long. Just replace the word "art" with the word "yoga" and you'll have it.
Yoga- (yes that's a capital Y) - is the calming of the whirlpools of the mind. the stripping away of the layers of false identity to arrive at the realization of your true nature. your true nature is the light that created the entire universe. Yoga. capital Y
yoga - (lowercase y) - like postures and stuff? yes, goodnight!
I have been told countless times that my kind of Yoga isn't "real Yoga" that playing rock music means I can't in fact be serious about my practice. That what I do, and love to do, just isn't good enough. I've said it before, go and read back a few months, it's there. I'm kind of sarcastic and I play loud music with lots of guitars and that's not everybody's bag. If you don't like it, then don't come. But don't you dare tell me I'm not practicing Yoga. I have done a hell of a lot of yoga in my life, and I've come close to experiencing Yoga a handful of times, and a least half of those perfect moments occurred outside of a physical asana practice. some at rock shows (those damn guitars again!) some looking into my child's eyes. some in moments of passion. and some, yes, in a room full of people practicing yoga asana. The times that I have felt Yoga in a practice room, I can only speak to my experience, how I felt that day. I don't know if the others in the room had similar experiences. I don't know why they where there, some of them were probably chasing joy. Some of them were probably seeking stress relief. some were trying to meditate. and some of those people were probably there just to work out. are all of these reasons for being in the yoga room valid? I think so. did the people who were just there to exercise negatively effect my practice in anyway? not the least little bit. so why on earth does it matter to anyone how anyone else practices Yoga or yoga? if the dude in the front is just wanting to work on his six-pack, what the hell do you care? maybe after he perfects his six pack he'll realize - "hey, I sure have been in a great mood lately! maybe there's something else to this yoga stuff after all!" maybe he won't and he'll go back to driving his douchey SUV around, but so? sure, it would be GREAT if everyone in the whole wide world really practiced Yoga, that's the goal, but if you are truly connected to your practice, then what someone else does with their mat time shouldn't have any effect on you what so ever. and if they don't like loud guitars? that's cool. eek! but what if they don't agree with my teacher?! I mean my teacher says you should always flex your foot in pigeon!!! he's saying it's okay to point!!! that's not cool!!!
breathe, honey. you can do it both ways. you can do it 100 ways. you can practice yoga in any way you see fit. if your actions in life harm NONE (including yourself) and your actions maybe even create more peace and joy and love in this world. than you can be Yoga in which way you want, baby.
just practice. and all is coming.
Well put, Leigh! I too have had people confront me that my yoga is not yoga because it does not adhere to such-and-such standards or does not have a distinct and traceable lineage. But I have always believed that yoga is yoga in so far as it has the widest positive reach. I fell in love with yoga because it taught me to find divinity in humanness. We are human - we can laugh, we can play, we can listen to rock music and fall out of poses sometimes and it's okay! That doesn't mean we can't tap into Yoga. That doesn't mean we can't walk away with new found peace, love, and compassion. We don't always have to take ourselves so seriously to also have deep reverence within our hearts. I believe that goodness can be recognized by it's consistency to expand, and never constrict. Thus, for me, in my practice and in my teaching, I seek something that does just that - expands. And that means to all different paths, ideas, and types of people. When I began practicing, the ability to laugh at myself in the yoga room made me able to laugh at my self out in the world. It started to break down those walls, and with that my compassion extended ten-fold. In contrast, I have practiced at studios before that made me feel I was not "good enough" or "spiritual enough" to be there, and I could feel my self shrink down in to a little hole. While it is valid to practice however they would like to practice, and I respect their means of arrival, I personally think it is a beautiful thing to say, no matter who you are you're welcome here. You ARE good enough. That doesn't mean there's no work to be done. It means that, just as you are, you're okay. You're welcome and able to do the work and yoga is ready and available as a tool to do that, if you so choose. Whether or not you prefer rock music to ambient chanting, or creative flow to a set series -- it's still a tool and you can use it in whatever way serves you best.
ReplyDeletewell said zoe! thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!
ReplyDeleteFunny, that. I feel like a LOT of our yogi friends feel the same way about music; that's probably why they're our friends. I mean, the closest I've ever gotten to Yoga was standing in front of Explosions in the Sky when I was 18, with my heart opened so damn wide I thought it would swallow the earth. Just because that experience of oneness with Everything didn't occur while I was in ardha chandrasana doesn't mean it wasn't Yoga. It just wasn't yoga. -Priya
ReplyDeletewhat a great post! I totally agree, Yoga should be a personal practice and one should not care how anybody else practices. It' s great to find people that agree with you style and we are all different so i.e. restorative Yoga will never be for "everyone". It so depends on the mood we are in, the physical and mental state and willigness to experience something new. Keep playing rock music, what a great idea to spice up a class :)
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