Sure, yoga should be accessible to everyone, but are new forms of yoga more about the cha-ching than deepening awareness?
When I first began practicing yoga about seven years ago, I chose to learn the Iyengar form over Ashtanga or Bikram, the two other main types of yoga classes offered at the time.
Now, it seems I can’t look left or right without seeing a new “form” of yoga, most of which are trademarked before they even make it out the door and into a gym near you.
The newest crazes include Acroyoga , for those who feel like using a partner to stretch beyond their normal limits, and AntiGravity Yoga, or its sister (i.e. differently trademarked) Aerial Yoga, acrobatic forms of this ancient practice.
Then there is rope yoga, which uses a contraption that looks a bit like a Pilates rebounder, and the similarly-named but completely different approach of flat rope yoga, which has a person literally sitting on tight rope and holding a pose.
There are those out there, such as Shirley Archer, IDEA mind/body exercise spokesperson, who believe these different forms are simply expanding yoga to a wider audience:
I think yoga can reach people at many levels of interest and need. Some people seek yoga practice for the mental benefits, to clear their mind and achieve deeper levels of relaxation. Others practice it to enhance their own mind-body connection. Some simply enjoy the physical conditioning benefits in a more gentle environment.
But is this spiritually-based form of movement, practiced for free for literally thousands of years by millions of people, in danger of becoming just another capitalist exploit?
Take a look at Bikram’s lawsuit-happy approach to yoga. After obtaining a copywright in 2002 for his series of 26 postures taught in a 105 degree room, he began filing suits.
Any yoga instructor that has not completed his $6,600 teacher-training program who proceeds to teach this “hot” form of yoga is at risk of being slapped upside the head with some serious legal fees.
Other forms are not only costly, but can be life-threatening, as a lawsuit against Dahn yoga enterprises shows. The family of a woman who died of heat stroke and dehydration during a Master training hike filed a wrongful death suit against the group that some have alleged is cultish and money-hungry.
What do you think about the ever-expanding choices around yoga? Share your thoughts below.
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5 Comments... join the discussion!
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To some extent this is to be expected as we’re talking about the US here, the home of Baskin Robbins, 31 flavors. Nowhere in the world do we find the kind of differentiation of disciplines as we do in North America. This is partly due to the fact that we are a culture of pioneers; people who deliberately moved here to begin a new live, breaking from traditions and to some extent, re-inventing their wheels. So, it’s not surprising to see this re-invention of the wheel at every level – from financial mechanisms like derivative swaps to schools of yoga. This country is famous for being a hotbed of creativity and unfortunately the shadow side of creativity is a certain amount of destructivity, as we can plainly see with the current financial meltdown. I say it just comes with the territory of Americana.
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I don’t mind that profit has entered the field. Nothing wrong with individuals making a profit doing something they love. The lawsuit and copyright of certain postures though goes against the nature of yoga itself. It’s important for the teachers to respect the core of the Eastern traditions. That goes for the consumer too.
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You’ve written a provocative article about a topic I’ve also given alot of thought. While my quote you included was given in response to a journalist’s question that did not mention any styles that you described, I still believe that hatha yoga has a lot of benefits to offer those who are exposed to it at varying degrees of authenticity. I’m a certified Sivananda instructor who has enjoyed a variety of yoga styles since childhood. My master’s degree is in East Asian Studies. And, I was raised by a Japanese mother with a deep respect for East Asian civilizations and traditions. I believe yoga has the power to transcend these commercialization efforts. I also wrote an article about how the Indian Government has now grown aware of these trends, has established a Ministry and is now trademarking its cultural treasures from its ayurvedic and yogic traditions. My article is not on the internet, but you can learn more about that here: http://www.hvk.org/articles/1005/44.html. I write a mind-body-spirit monthly column with many articles posted here http://bitly.com/vryJ where I seek to educate people about the historical origins of these traditions, the truth about American contributions and how the science is now validating the power of classical practice. Keep up the conversation. Namaste.
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gosh…maybe I should copyright some of my moves! I did start “sacred flow” yoga…best start my trademarking today!
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