Thanks for continuing this dialogue and for your thoughts on interconnectedness. I would challenge this idea, though: "Practicing in yoga studios or with yoga teachers has actually nothing to do with your ability to be compassionate." The absolutist thinking that group practice has "nothing" to do with compassion runs the risk of not acknowledging the possibility that there are multiple ways to develop compassion, including in community.

Perhaps what might offer a little more balance is to think in both/and terms instead of either/or. I have found value in Iyengar method classes for many reasons, including a teacher's recommendations (the teacher also happens to be a friend) of asanas that have reduced my hypothyroidism. Light on Yoga has a wealth of information about how specific asanas can address various medical conditions, and while we may eventually come to these realizations on our own, there can be value in discussing and sharing our experiences.

In the classes I attend, we don't think of the studio as a substitute or replacement for a home practice. When I practice on my own, I typically incorporate at least a couple of asanas that I had felt resistance to in class. This allows me to deepen the asanas and become more aware of my body, at my own pace. In class the teacher might point out through observation something that could help me with my self-practice, and then I take that with me. A group of us also meets occasionally outside of class, in places such as local parks, to discuss yoga and other topics of mind-body-spirit awareness. We'll do a few asanas but then also do other types of movement.

So, rather than view self-practice as oppositional to studio/group practice, the two can coexist and operate in tandem. That said, I think that when gathering as a group, it's important to set an intention for the practice and not fall into the trap of what has happened with the majority of American-style yoga. Your critique of it is so important, but perhaps there is a "middle way" that recognizes the value of community practice in addition to solo work.

I resonate with parts of what you write here, especially about how yoga has become a business that emphasizes physical appearance, asanas, and competition while losing sight of the spiritual aspects. Where I diverge from your perspective is that I have encountered group yoga environments that don't fit this stereotype. What I feel has happened here is that you've identified the commodification that has occurred in the most prominent and common yoga studios, teachers, and classes that we are exposed to, and then extended the critique with an assumption that all yoga conforms to that mold.

I also resonate with the reaction of withdrawing from that community and turning inward, as that's the default way I operate as an introvert. But I wonder if in the process of isolating oneself from community, an important aspect of yoga (off the mat) is minimized. I find value in building community and connecting with others, and the more I do this, the more I realize that separation from others is an illusion: we are all one.

With that realization, I feel called to serve the world outside of my physical "be-ing." When others suffer, I suffer. To paraphrase a social justice saying, our liberation is all bound up together. It doesn't happen separately and in isolation. This worldview causes me to pause at your statement: "Spiritual knowledge cannot be transferred from person to person. It always descends upon us from above, directly into our being. To listen to it, to hear it and to follow it in every second of our lives—this is our only mission and the only straight and true way for man to reach oneness."

I read that statement as implying that "spiritual knowledge" occurs in isolation, which is contrary to the awareness that we are indeed all one. I question whether "our only mission" in life is to experience spirituality as a solo journey. If extended fully, that sort of mission could serve as an excuse for not practicing compassion and loving-kindness for others outside of our physical be-ing (humans, animals, and the environment). To me, our purpose in life is indeed to serve the world with compassion, which reflexively serves the higher self as well. That's what yoga "on the mat" helps us to do: become more aware of how we can take our practice "off the mat" and into the world. Withdrawing and cloistering oneself away from community may fulfill a self-desire to exist in isolation, but abandoning the world around us is ultimately a form of self-abandonment. Peace to you on your ongoing journey and wherever it takes you. Namaste.

Thanks for sharing this perspective. I chose not to change my profile pic today, for other reasons. I completely support marriage equality, and I've even contributed to the Human Rights Campaign in the past. But...I've also had friends express concerns about the HRC's privileging of certain subsets within the LGBTQI community over others. Some trans friends, in particular, have felt marginalized by the HRC. So I've been conflicted today. I am so proud of my friends who are speaking out and visibly changing the way Facebook looks today. But instead of following suit, I chose to post other images (one that speaks directly to being a straight ally) and news stories (i.e., homelessness among LGBTQI teens who have been kicked out of their homes). The latter issue in particular (homeless youth and poverty) isn't addressed at all by these pending Supreme Court cases.

Oh goodness, so much to say, but I'll try to keep it brief. I hope that you'll slowly be able to release the guilt and regret. It's so hard because our parents' generation was raised by parents who didn't fully understand the impact of their words and deeds...and so on. In the last few years before my mother developed a terminal illness, she often said that she would have done things differently if she had been aware of the impact of her *own* mother...and her mother said similar things as well. We're all trying to do the best that we can, to varying degrees of success, but in the end "we are what we are." As you continue to process your relationship with your father, try to imagine a "worst case scenario" that helps to put your own experiences into perspective. So you had a falling out and were estranged. He didn't know how to treat you, and you didn't know how to respond. But in the end, you both made some sort of effort, even if it fell short of the Donna Reed fairytale. It could have been worse. I'm sure you can think of situations that would make your own relationship look pretty amazing in comparison. I've found that the exercise of imagining worse scenarios can help me to see things more realistically and lessen the regret. Best wishes on your journey...it's OK to wish things had been better, but it's also worth recognizing that it might have been the best possible situation under the circumstances.

Hi Ben,

I wanted to let you know that I gave you a shout-out on my blog for something called the Liebster Award. It’s a way to honor fellow bloggers who are writing in small forums--I listed you as a "bonus" because I'm not sure how many subscribers you have. My blog post says a little more about why I chose you:
http://cynthiabeard.wordpress.com/2012/05/30/the-...

The acceptance conditions are :

1. Thank your award presenter on your blog and link back to him/her
2. Copy and paste the award to your blog
3. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that you think deserve to be recognised.
4. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

Have a great day!

Oh-so-necessary. Thanks!

Thanks for the reminder that the reactions of his closest friends varied depending on the Gospel source.

I also can't help but think about how worried the women were when they discovered that Jesus' body had disappeared. That was not a moment of triumph for them, but one that caused fears about further persecution.

Yes, good and busy! Still readjusting to Texas after being in Haiti for a week. That was a powerful experience. How about you? I still need to read your previous post, which looked really interesting.

Beautiful.