I am so grateful to Suzanne for sharing this piece, posted at Elephant Journal.
It is such a blessing because, for me it seems to also shed light on the current difficulties that yoga fundamentalists are having with the commercialization of yoga.
"(They) were threatened by a different characterization of the divine. Both feared that someone else’s freedom meant losing their own."
~ Suzanne Clores
So, yogi-friends, I think that the deeper lesson in all of this is to be courageous and reach out, open our hearts, and get along together. This doesn't mean that we will always agree. I realize that a recent post of mine suprised and hurt at least one blog friend, but I have to be free to speak whether friends agree or not.
I invite dialogue but have recently received intolerance from at least one, along with a lot of great conversation from others. I give myself permission to express myself joyfully, truthfully, and sometimes playfully, and if any reader feels I'm off: I hope you will tell me in the comments, so we can exchange respectful words and reach a better understanding together.
Peace.
And check out Suzanne's thought-provoking and inspiring article at Elephant Journal.
4 comments:
Hi Brooks: You raise an important issue here. Personally, I feel that what's at stake is not fundamentalism versus inclusion - in fact, I'm afraid that framing it in those terms only generates division.
Instead, I think that the underlying issue that we need to learn more about how best to discuss sensitive topics, where people have very different views, in the open, unmoderated, and very new medium of the yoga blogosphere.
It's not an easy task, but I very much believe that it's worth working on.
How can those of us who want to discuss many different aspects of yoga, including those that have no simple answers and will inevitably generate controversy, in a truly constructive way? That, for me, is the question of the day.
I'm someone who is not involved with yoga yet. But I'm interested in it.
It's a confusing world to try and enter. There are sooo many different types of yoga, that for someone with no background, it's hard to figure out where to go. What type of yoga would work best for me? I've no idea. (And because I live in a ginormous west-coast city in the US, pretty much every type is available to me.)
When I've gone looking, it looks as though the yoga world is in the midst of something which, frankly, is hard to truly understand from the outside. And it feels doubly difficult to figure out where to go as a new person, as one doesn't want to end up in the middle of something that doesn't have anything to do with you. (Although I am a long-time user of the internet and am well aware of the way discussions evolve and devolve around here. That I get.) Nonetheless, the questions I'm asking feel ill-timed, if nothing else.
I'm looking for, and frankly, expecting a lot from yoga. I do want health/exercise benefits. In fact, I have no choice. (Aging bodies need some help. There's only so much time in the day. My goal isn't really to be a full-time yogini. And that needs to be okay.) Truthfully, I probably woundn't be looking at yoga at all, if there wasn't a physical component to it. As a long time meditator, I'm not sure what else yoga offers me that I don't already get from that practice, but I'd like to find out.
I apologize if there are multiple errors in perception in this comment, as I'm sure there may be.I really would love some input on this. Thanks.
Thanks for the link to Suzanne's article. I really enjoyed it!
Thanks for creating space for discussion. We are not our ideas, opinions, etc., but ah, the lovely (and virtually irresistible) attachment to them! ;)
I think, therefore, I am . . . or I am what I am . . . I am
May the light of the universe continue to shine through you, Brooks, brave warrior goddess! (And builder of bridges, no less!)
Thanks for your comments!
Anonymous:
I have answered your comment with a new post.
I hope it helps!
Post a Comment