IntenseDebate - stefaniesyman

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 2 replies · +1 points

The metaphor is simply a spiritual anatomy... By metaphor here I mean that the chakras are used to stand in for something, they are an imaginative way of describing this subtle physiology that may not exist materially speaking, and yet still functions and can produce specific effects-e.g. leading the aspirant to bliss consciousness, samadhi etc.

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 0 replies · +1 points

Hi Newshoes522,

Americans have believed that yoga would be part of the New Age and a new consciousness for the past 40 years. The fact that we have not made a bigger shift towards sustainability suggests to me that yoga alone is not enough and or that not enough people are practicing. But let's be clear, in the Indic tradition the goal of yoga is personal liberation from samsara. Any eco-benefits were almost entirely incidental.

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 0 replies · +1 points

Hi Satyam,

I find some of the combinations of yoga + a bit silly--but I don't think they threaten the tradition. Serious seekers will find serious teachers. As for the rest, yoga has long been part of our entertainment culture: yogis were literally imported to act as contortionists in American circuses in the 19th century.

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 2 replies · +1 points

There's no simple answer. I have a very supportive husband as well as a great babysitter. I also choose to practice rather than do other things sometimes--from TV to socializing--but there are times when I must let it go and do.

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 0 replies · +1 points

Hi Lucy,

I think there's room for more of a focus on meditation and less of a focus on postures--and we're due for a re-expansion ala the 1960s. I also have seen some resistance to the high priced yoga retreats and classes. I also think the medical community is coming around so maybe more "prescriptions" for yoga.

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 2 replies · +1 points

Hi Tobye,

I'm not sure there is a difference in what you describe. Building on the past and reinventing using the materials from the past turn out to be the same thing when you really look at what's going on, and this is certainly true of yoga. It's a constant process of reinterpretation and invention, synthesis and the effort in some schools (but not all) to stay true to a tradition. And you can probably get my book shipped to Ireland :)

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 0 replies · +1 points

Sadly, I'm not at all equipped to make those comparisons. I focused only on what has been taught in America. There are many others doing work on yoga in India from David Gordon White to Mark Singleton and others.

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 2 replies · +1 points

Bob,

the reason I question that terminology is that most teachers of "fitness" yoga don't call it that and layer on what they believe to be teachings of real spiritual import. You can argue with the depth of their teachings, but I hate to completely dismiss these either. Ashtanga Yoga for many is purely a physical practice, but this is hardly true to P. Jois' own philosophy. what I think you're talking about is the intentions of many American practitioners at a given moment. I myself have only a physical practice right now but don't see myself at all as a fitness yoga buff. And as you say, you started out in one mode and switched.

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 0 replies · +1 points

I'm not sure what "fitness" yoga is... As for the rest, they all are ways to transform the mind/body in order to apprehend divinity however you figure it --Brahman, superconsciousness etc. Yoga changes your consciousness, but what you experience through this process isn't a single thing since different schools have different ways of talking about this, from merging with Brahman to the isolation of Purusha.

13 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Elephant's First Onlin... · 0 replies · +1 points

This is a reply to Integralhack:

I definitely think there's some positive evolution here. For one, I think the refinements of the postural practice through forms such as Anusara have been hugely helpful to many people. Then too, teachers such as Dharma Mittra and Richard Freeman have made the whole depth and breadth of yoga practice and philosophy more accessible to Americans even as they uphold their respective lineages.

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