tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post8727897885032395911..comments2023-06-22T08:49:02.798-07:00Comments on Yogic Muse: Traditional Spiritual Lineage is not right for Me because I'm Female.Brooks Hallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05789430862542763946noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-37492248027350676072010-05-27T18:30:24.039-07:002010-05-27T18:30:24.039-07:00grace-- i think you can both "be a goddess&qu...grace-- i think you can both "be a goddess" and find yoga as a way to find physical strength. and maybe there is some gray in there, too.<br /><br />lately, in general, ive been thinking about how the postures were all designed by men, and how they may not be working for my hip-y, bust-y body. like, dammit, im taking a wider stance in warrior 1. and, maybe, from the physical, more thoughts like yours will follow.Emmahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11201118295945904801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-20266408598344156452010-05-27T07:51:26.959-07:002010-05-27T07:51:26.959-07:00Grace, your comment makes total sense to me!Grace, your comment makes total sense to me!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06954595575931726418noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-65888025955347227762010-05-26T06:29:57.045-07:002010-05-26T06:29:57.045-07:00This has been a particular frustration of mine: fi...This has been a particular frustration of mine: finding my place within yoga as a woman. This is a generalization, but it seems there are two types of yoga for us ladies to "buy into," the fitness-centered yoga-butt/abs ideal, or the "I am goddess, every woman is a goddess," kind of thing. I'll admit that I like the whole goddess thing, but it can also get pretty weird, and sometimes seems just as superfical. And guess what, the goddess is also usually portrayed as beautiful. Meh, I'm rambling and probably not making any sense. <br /><br />I'm off to go read all your links in this post.Gracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09696349282379608085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-87663191361735598172010-05-25T15:14:35.173-07:002010-05-25T15:14:35.173-07:00Seems like everyone has touched upon anything I wo...Seems like everyone has touched upon anything I would have said regarding the consumerist aspect of yoga in the US so I'll comment as a budding female yogini who empathizes with the outer female form vs. inner spiritual quest that yoga offers us. <br /><br />Well, basically...I totally agree with you! I love yoga for how it makes me feel and what it teaches me about myself. In fact, I've been tempted for some time to blog about the "popular notion" of what it means to "do yoga". I think I partly need to let go of the idea that "people out there" will resonate with my idea of what yoga is...i.e. the twin exercise of pilates?! :)Anahitahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10623856754458731972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-19644594043401778622010-05-23T20:02:51.972-07:002010-05-23T20:02:51.972-07:00I'm with you, Frenzy36.I'm with you, Frenzy36.Bob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-61562517847023686472010-05-23T19:43:52.376-07:002010-05-23T19:43:52.376-07:00Ah how I hate labels this yoga that yoga etc. I ea...Ah how I hate labels this yoga that yoga etc. I eat heathy - thats good enough for me I am not going to check what I eat against someone's list to see "what I am"<br /><br />As far as yoga, the commercial & social aspect ... that all washes out. Any yoga makes the person better for it. Those that want to learn more will at their own pace, probably guided by their teachers and associates.<br /><br />The world needs more yoga, bring em in and let the chips fall where they may.Frenzy36https://www.blogger.com/profile/15328783637814938761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-3602166237664308212010-05-23T16:40:04.156-07:002010-05-23T16:40:04.156-07:00"people rush out to buy the new"
I don&..."people rush out to buy the new"<br /><br />I don't even own an IPod....;)Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-18603798043407069022010-05-23T14:48:56.763-07:002010-05-23T14:48:56.763-07:00Beautifully stated.Beautifully stated.A Green Spellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01969172758958356865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-13958795761990353512010-05-23T12:40:15.053-07:002010-05-23T12:40:15.053-07:00Good point, YogaforCGood point, YogaforCBob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-52701566349774442952010-05-23T10:39:57.103-07:002010-05-23T10:39:57.103-07:00I commented on EJ....I commented on EJ....Linda-Samahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07664989345039365084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-53591341625669920982010-05-23T09:18:04.439-07:002010-05-23T09:18:04.439-07:00Traditional spiritual lineage is not right for me ...Traditional spiritual lineage is not right for me because, though I'm male...well, there are lots and lots of reasons. Overall, I think the idea that "traditional=good" is about as valid as "new=good" (and it's strange that both seem to have so much currency in our society; people rush out to buy the new, but have this strange reverence for the traditional, in both cases often not thinking very much about whether either is actually desirable or worthy of reverence...).YogaforCynicshttp://yogaforcynics.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384782695584867387.post-4520188764964821472010-05-23T07:46:46.220-07:002010-05-23T07:46:46.220-07:00Good questions all, Brooks.
I don't have any ...Good questions all, Brooks.<br /><br />I don't have any pat answers, but I can tell you how I approach these issues.<br /><br />I believe that spiritual truths are spiritual truths, regardless of the age and culture they come from. So the only real solution to gender bias in the Gita is to just ignore it. It can't be justified or rationalized. It just needs to be ignored in order to get at the deeper meaning of the text, which, in any case, soundly contradicts bias of any sort anyway!<br /><br />As you probably know, our <a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/05/gita-talk-5-sublimely-simple-profound-and-livable/" rel="nofollow">Gita Talk</a> translator, Stephen Mitchell wrote about this problem in his introduction on p. 34-5<br /><br /><i>I hope that women who read these pages will forgive this particular limitation of the Gita's consciousness and realize that, with its spirit if not always with its words, it is pointing all of us to the essential truth.</i><br /><br />As for the commercialization of Yoga and the "lineage system", well, my solution to that is to go directly back to the big three ancient Yoga texts--The Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Yoga Sutra. I skip the middlemen altogether. With a little bit of commentary these texts speak directly to my heart and soul.<br /><br />Everthing that's important to me about Yoga is there except asana, which is best learned from teachers and from modern masterpieces like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kripalu-Yoga-Guide-Practice-Off/dp/0553380974" rel="nofollow">Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat</a><br /><br />Isn't it exciting to see hundred of people reading and discussing the original Yoga text and applying it to their lives at <a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/05/gita-talk-5-sublimely-simple-profound-and-livable/" rel="nofollow">Gita Talk</a>?<br /><br />As you know, I'm a Yoga universalist. I embrace Yoga in all its forms for their own sake and because they draw people like me into the more spiritual aspects of Yoga. (I never would have gotten into Yoga at all if it hadn't been offered at my tennis club for flexibility training!)<br /><br />But while I still do asana every day, my personal practice centers more and more around applying the ancient Yoga texts, as they speak directly to me, to my everyday life and consciousness. That's the way I deal with all the noise in the vibrant Yoga world of today.<br /><br />Thanks again for a great blog.<br /><br />Bob Weisenberg<br /><a href="http://www.elephantjournal.com/author/bob-weisenberg/" rel="nofollow">ElephantJournal.com</a>Bob Weisenberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01442738029941563325noreply@blogger.com