I honor you and appreciate the work you do in your communities.
I have a question for all of us... What are we doing? (let me explain)
I have found myself in numerous great conversations lately analyzing the work and writings of other yoga teacher on these social platforms... and by analyzing I mean, taking their context of what they post and bouncing these ideas, strategies, beliefs, "facts,"remedies, with other peers in the community... and what I found was 2 fold.
1. I have found myself grateful for all the outside chatter of our industry, so I can constantly check in with my beliefs and fact check the info that I, too, spew around my classes and posts.. I approach this yoga industry and community in a certain way... like I have said before, not right nor wrong but by my own understanding. So outside info is always welcome as I am constantly seeking another tool in my tool box..
2. In some of the conversations about what is written I have found myself saying "what is the context for this dissertation that said yoga teacher is going off on?" as I shake my head in absolute attempt to understand the need to post such things. I feel like I have been cherry picked and dropped off in the middle of a conversation. Let me clarify just a little more. These posts are typically about anatomy, and movement in a yoga practice.. I am well aware of how the human body works, it could be considered "my forte" if you will... but these finite topics that are being brought to the table about are, in my opinion, not for the general population in the yoga community especially on a generalized social platform (perhaps best suited to discuss in a specific forum where the context can be expanded on and not limited to just the 2000 ish characters IG allows.)
I think we have lost the big picture here. The big picture meaning the very definition of the word yoga. To UNITE. What I see from these posts claiming that one teacher "knows" more than another or is "better" than another simply because of their claim to have the whole anatomical thing figured out. That, I see, is a form of separation. Now, where I absolutely believe that since we are using the human body as a vehicle to get closer to our soul and lessen our suffering, that keeping the body safe, trying "new moves" is all good and well, but not all there is. Since everyone has a body but not all bodies are the same, these finite, cookie cutter ideas that are being spewed to attract people to your classes, trainings, workshops, pages are in fact going to separate us, no differently than what we complain about the political parties are doing, but in our own language.
For those of you who don't know me, and just saw that I dropped that anatomy is my "forte" and then looked back over my posts and see that I never say ANYTHING about anatomy in them, it's because I feel that it's my responsibility that every time I post something that it needs to be relevant to whomever reads it... and anatomy is not that general or generic. We all have bodies, yes. But ALL of us will not benefit from the tip or trick that I could come up for an uncomfortable down dog. And you know as well as I do, the way things work is the person it was meant for, won't listen and the very person that "shouldn't" do it will be the first person to give it a whirl. ;) Yoga was originally given from teacher to student. Not students and certainly not virtually to so many.
So what's my point? I'd like to challenge my fellow yoga community leaders and voices to; certainly stay excited about the new nuances you learn and find in and for the physical practice as the body is what we are moving and utilize them in person in the yoga room/private sessions etc...but the obsession of the body which we, at the deepest tenants of the practice, are ultimately working to unattach from is, shall I say, may be a bit much . Perhaps, instead, consider altering your approach to this social world to what is relevant and unites us...compassion, understanding, heart centered. I have heard over my MANY years of teaching that people appreciate my attentiveness to the body and my ability to educate and keep them safe, but that is not WHY they come to class. It is deeper, more authentic and typically stems from any one of the other 7 limbs of Yoga.
People are drawn to you when you are relate-able... there is no need to flash how much you know...consider that, their gift with purchase
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