Just to clarify I am happy that this debate was brought up, I am all for open conversation and different points of view.
Point of view 2 - Change is inevitable, this place is already open and happening, the heads of the lineage are actually supporting it, this might expose more people to ashtanga yoga, and the tradition has already changed, many times, as in: the yoga that Pattabhi Jois taught Saraswathi, Sharath, et all, is not the same yoga that Brahmachari taught Krishnamacharya in his cave at the foot of Mount Kali.
Things changed, very much so. Oh, and who knows what the future will bring. (picture from Joisyoga.com)
While leaving the shala today I remembered the story of Shiva when someone brings to him "poison" that is threatening to destroy the world. The interesting thing is that Shiva does not "swallow" that there is a poison, he knows that the only poison is in perception, in how we chose to see things, because things are as they are.
This is one of those historic moments where all of us yogis in the Ashtanga tradition have an opportunity in our hands. Change is happening, and we can resist it or we can open ourselves to it. Will things be different? yes they will, but if we are resisting, then what is the point of trying to get into kapotasana or kurmasana or surya A? was it not to adapt to new shapes? open our hearts in moments of confusion? learn to tolerate new sensations? breath through changes?
More importantly perhaps is this idea of the "tradition" being this thing that is far away from us.
We are the living tradition, we practice it every day, we are shaping it too. Can we do the practice and let all come? Can we just like Shiva learn to live with our perceptions by holding them in check yet not swallowing the poison, which is not real anyway?
Interesting last note. As I was finishing this post, someone who calls himself Dharma posted a comment in my Elephant article which kind of made me come full circle on this, here is an excerpt:
"the Ashtanga of Pattabhi Jois is not really the traditional Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali, but a modern and partial interpretation of it... The traditional Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali were basically instructions on meditation and not on Hatha Yoga exercises. For some reason, which still remains mysterious to many, Pattabhi Jois decided to call his dynamic sequences of asanas Ashtanga. Probably he did it as a sign of respect for Patanjali, but in reality there is very little of the traditional Ashtanga in the series of Mysore...."
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I have only practiced the most simple yoga positions. This practice I have done by myself. Meditation is what brought me to the desire to practice. Peace, focus, stretching, learning to "be". Acceptance of life. It is what it is. Simplicity.
ReplyDeleteI like that you are open to hear more than one view and that you share the opinions of others. You seem to be free from fear.
What will be will be.
I appreciate your blog.
Thanks Wild Magnolia, and just like you and the song say whatever will be will be
ReplyDeleteas the original anon (I don't use my name in public forum such as this for privacy reasons due to my work): I think you misconstrued some of what, at least I, said. The Jois family and Sonya can do whatever sort of commercialism they want with Jois and Ashtanga Yoga. I will continue to do my practice regardless of how they bring Ashtanga Yoga "to the world." While I don't necessarily agree with their commercialism choices, I do agree that bringing yoga to more people is important.
ReplyDeleteWhat I found appalling was the complete disrespect for Tim Miller. They could have opened their "studio" anywhere, anywhere even 20 minutes from Tim's studio... but they chose to open it in Encinitas. It's sorta like being the Mom & Pop bookstore in town for 30 years and then having Barnes & Noble come setup a fancy new shop 3 blocks down.
So while I'm all for change, change is what drives us as humans forward... I'm also all for respect and Sonya clearly demonstrated she cares not a flying beetle for Tim or the community of ashtanga he built around "Jois Yoga" before they applied for the trademark. I suspect that Tim is just the first of many teachers, many of these teachers who have sacrificed their lifestyles to carry Guruji's tradition to America and live simply in an effort to do so, who will be railroaded by Sonya, Inc. Fortunately for Tim, 30 years provided him with a solid base of devoted students.... what about that teacher who can't make that claim?
I wish them luck in their endeavors to brand, trademark, patent and otherwise build a financially lucrative and globally attractive brand of yoga. And I wish luck to all the teachers out there who spent the majority of their lives teaching this tradition, investing their financial well being in building local communities... you never know when and where Jois Yoga will pop up next.
that is correct, BTW. Ashtanga as we know it has little to nothing to do with actual Patanjalic yoga. It's all a mish mash. You've inspired a post in me Claudia! Coming soon.
ReplyDeleteNot to split hairs or anything (although that's kind of what I happen to do for a living :-)), but the title of the post is a little misleading. If the idea is that the "poison" is Joisyoga, then Shiva cannot have brought us Joisyoga. Why? Because in the story, Shiva did not bring the poison: Somebody brought it to him, and he reacted by putting it in his mouth.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, I am a little bit uneasy with the idea of opening yourself up to all change and "letting it all come". I mean, I think I see the value in that, but surely there are times in life when change is a call for action (or at least to speak up). If one does not act or speak up, but simply decides to be "open" and "let all come", one runs the risk of letting the change wash away that which is valuable. After all, to carry the Shiva imagery further, not all poisons will just happily sit in my mouth if I neither swallow nor spit; some are so potent that they will burn my mouth out if I do not do something!
@ Anon O (original) hope you dont mind me calling you so, I see that your point is about lack of respect, unfairness that these people took the Jois name and are branding it and the threat to other businesses in the area and community... I can see your point. I was just trying to get most points together in one paragraph for argument sake.
ReplyDelete@ Loo, glad to be inspiration
@ Nobel, I will give you the title, true. As per the second part, I think the Poisson Shiva took was pretty powerful... however, my point of view is that the poisson is in the end unreal, more of a perceived malady rather than a real threat.
I would say that in my experience at least, whenever I resist the less is when the best results tend to happen.
I agree with Anon! But yes... regardless of how it got to the world or where it goes from here, there ARE still many teachers out there who were trained before things started to really change... I'm talking about all the things that went with small shala to big shala.
ReplyDeleteAnd think about it, how often in history have we gotten two great kings in a row out of the same lineage?
These posts touch a really interesting topic and I like how you addressed it and reframed the issue, that it's about how a situation is perceived that causes joy or fear, not in the situation itself.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anon's view...there's nothing wrong in investing money/time/energy to promote an activity you believe in, but there should, at the very least, be some sensitivity and respect to those who came before you.
I find this debate interesting and really appreciate the post and your willingness to be open and share all the different points of view in such an intelligent fashion, Claudia (and to essentially conclude it doesn't really matter). I wish I had studied with Guruji, but I never made it and I had a funny feeling when I first saw the Jois Yoga website myself. I wonder, though, if in hearing all of this, Guruji might say something like, "Don't worry. Just do practice." Again, I never met him; I just often imagine what his reaction might be.
ReplyDeleteYoga is such a thing that no one can have a monopoly of it and it keeps changing its forms ( i.e type of practice and manner of teaching ) as per times and situations .There is always a war between the Form and Spirit and it also now seen in Yoga .Many people believe that Yoga must not be commercialised and its spirit must be maintained and these people stick to a simple life style and focus on the spirit of Yoga i.e maintaining the tradition and lineage etc but the end up compromising on the Form and many such people still struggle to make a proper living , while for others who intend to make Yoga a profession or those who want yoga to bring them financial prosperity they follow the normal business practices of Branding and Coporatizing Yoga and many end up compromising the spirit.There are a few people who are successful in maintaining both the spirit and form without compromising one for the other and these are the people whom we need to emulate .
ReplyDelete@Boodiba, you are very lucky (as am I) really to live in a town that has so many good teachers, what you say here has left me wondering too about how the tradition must change in a way, because there are lots of people who want to learn and maybe not enough teachers… i.e. the whole state of Las Vegas has no teacher…
ReplyDelete@Danielle, I am happy you see the main point of the article, yes, it is in the perception of things that lies the fault or no fault.
@Abreathing practice thank you. And I like what you say, and I bet you are very close to what he would say, hey I would be willing to bet that is exactly what Guruji would say
@Krishna, yes that is the challenge, you said it, maintaining a balance
thanks for your thoughts on shiva and the poison. when I read it it hit a raw nerve - and inspired me to write down some of my thoughts about it in my own blog, check it out if you want to: http://haveheartwideopen.blogspot.com/2010/12/on-shiva-and-poison-and-myself.html
ReplyDeletehappy new year :)
Hi Carolina, thanks for letting me know about your blog, it's nice to meet you, good post too :-) I will add you to the roll to stay in touch
ReplyDeleteIn a democratic world where freedom of speech is the most important of many human rights, the right to compete in business should remain without debate. However, the morality and code under which we practice business seems to be an open book. The debate around how we go about making money remains a matter of opinion. One can be corrupt, one can be immoral, one can be ethical. It all makes money. But there are deep teachings embedded in yogic law and most other eastern teachings that unquestionably suggest, we create karma. In Australia I have observed the jois yoga school, managed by a butcher, owned by an animal hunter, supervised by a person with cruel and vindictive attitudes toward staff. The business is bleeding, and no yoga school could operate sustainably like this one in Bondi without the deep pockets of the generous owners. Many teachers have come and gone, most students don't stay for long, promises are made to teachers who have limited resources and then broken. Karma is being created and for those who work in and around this institution under the current management style will share it. You do not have to worry about Tim, or Guruji, the universe and nature will sort it all out. Nobody in business lasts long acting without integrity to the brand they represent. Guruji's heritage is far bigger than a billionaire's wallet.
ReplyDeleteChris, I agree with you, not Tim or anyone needs to worry, studios do have their own karma and all things happen for a reason... guess if I was in their shoes, and for what I hear you say I would be reading the article: why yoga does not get the "thank you economy", which I recently wrote...
ReplyDeleteWhat you say is key, it is important to "get" the "customer" and to be very respectful of certain things, and more important of all this days is the one on one relationships
in case you are interested here is the link to the article
http://earthyogi.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-yoga-does-not-get-thank-you-economy.html?showComment=1301478900412#c6020361952686812674