Yoga Dogma: The Good, the Bad, and the Absurd

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Dogma is defined as ?a set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted.? (That?s according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary itself.)

There will always be dogma. The problem is that certain dogma in yoga is inaccurate. That unreliable information can cause injury, discourage people who would benefit from the exercise, and tarnish yoga?s reputation.

A few examples, and then ? the List.

When I started yoga exercise, I started with hot yoga. Not all yoga classes include music, but these did ? big time. The same track played over and over, half- chanting/half-singing. It sounded like a mooing cow. The lyrics were hard to hear, but in one song I thought for sure he was singing the line, ?I?ll be your tour guide.? In the intense heat and exertion, I had a flash of worry ? what if this was mind control music? I enjoyed the classes so much that I forgot about the music (after I realized I had not suffered any mind control techniques). But this singer followed me around to many classes ? same guy, same song.

Later I discovered his name: Krishna Das, formerly named Jeff Kagel, a musician from Long Island and one of the best known performers of kirtan (Hindu devotional music) - definitively not a mind controlling Indian mystic.

Another bit of dogma. Every yoga class I?ve ever been to has used some of the Sanskrit names for the positions. Some of these aren?t difficult to learn. However? Sanskrit is a very old language ? the origins of Sanskrit can be traced to 1700 BCE! ? and for those of us who know only western languages, some can be very hard to pronounce or remember. For example, a forward bend with legs apart goes like this:

?Dandayamana-Bibhaktapada-Paschimotthanasana?

Pronounced: Dan-da-yamana Bib-hack-tapada Pashimoat-than-asana??go ahead try it?.listen for it next time in class?.ask the teacher to repeat it a few times?LOL

And please don?t ask me to say it! It makes me long for a simple name, maybe ?forward bend with your legs apart??

So here it is -

The List: The Good, the Bad, and the Absurd
(We?ll keep adding to it as you keep writing to us)

The Good Dogma of Yoga Exercise

  1. Yoga is a great form of physical exercise.
  2. Practicing yoga will make you physically stronger.
  3. Practicing yoga will improve your attitude, concentration and mood.
  4. Yoga is a non-impact sport and can be practiced at any age.
  5. The benefits of yoga exercise are gained by ?trying the right way? You don?t have to be flexible or get all the way into a yoga position to benefit.
  6. Yoga is best learned through a credentialed and experienced teacher who teaches a style with history.

The Bad Dogma of Yoga
? You have to be flexible to practice yoga.
? A yoga practitioner must meditate.
? A yoga practitioner must adopt a yogic philosophy.
? A yoga practitioner must be an environmentalist.
? A yoga practitioner must eat a certain diet.
? A yoga practitioner does not laugh while practicing yoga.
? A yoga practitioner does not talk while practicing yoga.
? Yoga is a female sport. (Many of the most respected leaders in yoga are men: Krishnamacharya, Iyengar, Jois, Bikram, and Baptiste to name a few. And check out the list of professional athletes who practice yoga. Click here)

The Absurd Dogma of Yoga
? Thirty seconds of Kriya yoga is equivalent to one year of righteous and religious work.
? Tantic yoga includes special secrets to increase your sexual prowess.
? Kundalini is a safe and easy path to enhanced spiritualization. (A special note on this: the best information about Kundalini is to be incredibly careful if you choose to try it ? many believe it is not a safe yoga practice. After studying it, Carl Jung called Kundalini, ?a deliberately induced psychotic state that may cause certain individuals real psychosis.?)
? Yoga class must include music that is from India, sounds like it is from India, or at the very least is New Age music.
? Yoga exercise must be practiced in tight fitting outfits. (Maybe this is just me, but I?ve always wondered how people stretch in those clothes without splitting seams all the time?)
? The yoga ?wind removing? position cures farting. Yes, since starting yoga my life is flatulence free! I actually once mistakenly referred to this position as the ?wind releasing position? and was curtly corrected by a teacher ? who actually kept a straight face while doing so. Lighten up!

#2

Yoga; yoke, join, unite?an attempt to bring yourself in union from that which you?ve never been separate, true inner nature?a spontaneous happening that can occur as in many ways as there are specks of consciousness.

?A sense of separate existence is a reflection in a separate body of the one Reality. In this reflection, the unlimited and the limited are confused and taken to be the same. To undo this confusion is the purpose of Yoga.? ~ Nisargadatta

#3

I would raise only a couple of additional points based on what you’ve written.

The first would be that you’ve actually written about asana (and since you’ve expressed your dislike of Sanskrit let’s call it seat, pose, or posture) not Yoga.

Second, asana is not sport. I say this having acquired a masters degree in sports management and having studied the topic at length. Sport requires a tallied contest with a yet-to-be-determined outcome (or score). Of course these stem from text book definitions but it is worth noting none the less.

Third, with all due respect to Meriam Webster, dogma is the holding of a belief for no sound reason. When you tell me your practice is “right” and my practice is not you are holding a dogmatic view. Since Yoga (not asana) is defined as a system when one wishes to practice the system one practices the parts of the system. Meditation is clearly outlined in patanjali’s Ashtanga system (not the ashtanga asana practice most people are familiar with). Ergo to have a robust practice yes there’s a meditation component. Where I agree with you is in the “must”. There is no must in the yoga system. Here’s why:

The system of yoga, especially as it is outlined in the Sutras, simply says “here’s a complete system for the reduction of human suffering. If you follow you will have less suffering. If you have an ongoing, committed continued practice you will reap benefits exponentially”. Nowhere does it say you must or your a bad person if you do not … if you like suffering then keep suffering. If you enjoy stress and do not see the value in knowing the self don’t meditate. The only person who should care is you and those around you subject to your suffering.

And finally no dogma is good. Being stuck is contracting and closed. Yoga is not a system fostering shrinking and closing. It is a practice, by it’s very nature, of opening and expanding. That which expands you is appropriate for you. That which leads you to light, joy, and your spirit, that is appropriate for you.

Holding the idea that “yoga is a great form of physical exercise” without constantly checking, checking, and rechecking is a dangerous dogma, just as holding that you have to be flexible to practice asana is a dangerous dogma. Dogma is dogma and there’s no room for it in Yoga.

1 Like
#4

Hello Gordon,

thank you for your feedback on my post.

One of my primary objectives is to get more people to do yoga. I don’t have anything against Sanskrit, it just makes it harder to understand yoga when it is taught in another language.

I am an advocate of starting with asana. My assertion is that the average person trying to understand, if and why, they should do yoga. Yoga and asana are the same. You are very correct that there is much more to yoga. In my reading, I found that both Iyengar and Jois advocate that asana is a place to start. Am I wrong to advocate “just start practicing?” Would you agree that it can be a good place to get started?

I also view asana as something outside of sport. Yet there is a national and international asana competition. I am talking in terms the average person can identify with.

As I have discussed my approach with yoga instructors and I am finding that, although they are into all the aspects of yoga, it all started with asana in a class.

In my humble opinion, meditation and yogic philosophy are overwhelming to many that are new or considering yoga. Meditation and yogic philosophy are worthy ethical pursuits but can confuse and dissuade the new student.

I understand what you are saying about the suffering, but that is a very complex topic and confusing to people I am trying to reach. I am not sure people are going to understand? My opinion is that after a few years of asana practice people are more ready to grasp that concept? Would you agree?

I am taking a pragmatic possibly overly simplified method to get people interested.

Let me know if you have some time to Skype?, I am interested to hear more from you and grateful that you spent the time to read and comment.

Sincerely, Mark Skype: markynd2014, email mark@yoganodogma.com

#5

[QUOTE=YogaNoDogma;86136]
So here it is -

The List: The Good, the Bad, and the Absurd
(We?ll keep adding to it as you keep writing to us)

The Good Dogma of Yoga Exercise

  1. Yoga is a great form of physical exercise.
    [I][B]That is a way to dumb down Yoga. There are other types of Yoga which may or may not have physical exercise, for example: Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga…[/B][/I]
  2. Practicing yoga will make you physically stronger.
    [I][B]Yoga makes one improve on physical, mental and spiritual planes…and these planes are not independent of each other.[/B][/I]
  3. Practicing yoga will improve your attitude, concentration and mood.
    [I][B]No doubts…!!![/B][/I]
  4. Yoga is a non-impact sport and can be practiced at any age.
    [I][B]Hmmm…Non-impact? Sport? Non -impact sport? can be practised at any age?
    How about starting intense asana practice at the age of 60 and fracturing a bone or injuring oneself? Has that not happened to anyone?
    This forum itself, is a witness to Yoga related injuries ranging from shoulder joint problems to slipped discs…Having a guru does not remove the problem either…No guru can look into each individual body and keep checking on probable injury conditions…
    The fact is Yoga practice, to be effective, has pre-conditions. One need to start young, should not be over-weight or obese and in general need to be flexible enough.
    The yoga-gurus who stress on pre-qualifications of students to take yogic path are either very rare or they are no more on this earth.[/B][/I]
  5. The benefits of yoga exercise are gained by ?trying the right way? You don?t have to be flexible or get all the way into a yoga position to benefit.
    [I][B]Don’t have to be flexible? Think again…or have plenty of health insurance…!!![/B][/I]
  6. Yoga is best learned through a credentialed and experienced teacher who teaches a style with history.
    [I][B]Yoga is a path with risks. One has to have risk mitigation planning. No amount of credentials and experience (of a Yoga Guru/Yoga Studio) can be a substitute for self-feedback and listening to oneself.[/B][/I]

The Bad Dogma of Yoga
? You have to be flexible to practice yoga.
[I][B]When does flexibility removed from Yoga practice? [/B][/I]
? A yoga practitioner must meditate.
[I][B]May be in a pick-what-you-want type of Yoga…!!![/B][/I]
? A yoga practitioner must adopt a yogic philosophy.
[I][B]Why go all the way to Yoga, when one does not even bothered about its philosophy? Why not just do Gym or jog or walk?[/B][/I]
? A yoga practitioner must be an environmentalist.
[I][B]Yoga does not give license to ruin one’s surroundings and environment…!!![/B][/I]
? A yoga practitioner must eat a certain diet.
[I][B]Not necessarily. A yoga practitioner can smoke, take lots of alcohol, do drugs, eat a lot. All of these are compensated by doing Yoga (from a licensed Guru, of course).
A close cousin of Yoga (Ayurveda) says “You are what you eat”. [/B][/I]
? A yoga practitioner does not laugh while practicing yoga.
[I][B]Do one thing at a time.[/B][/I]
? A yoga practitioner does not talk while practicing yoga.
[I][B]Do one thing at a time.[/B][/I]
? Yoga is a female sport. (Many of the most respected leaders in yoga are men: Krishnamacharya, Iyengar, Jois, Bikram, and Baptiste to name a few. And check out the list of professional athletes who practice yoga. Click here)
[I][B]Yoga is a female sport, because of the ads given for Yoga business. May not be related to Yoga, as such[/B][/I]

The Absurd Dogma of Yoga
? Thirty seconds of Kriya yoga is equivalent to one year of righteous and religious work.
? Tantic yoga includes special secrets to increase your sexual prowess.
[I][B]However, there is a market for this and may be the most profitable with least effort.[/B][/I]
? Kundalini is a safe and easy path to enhanced spiritualization. (A special note on this: the best information about Kundalini is to be incredibly careful if you choose to try it ? many believe it is not a safe yoga practice. After studying it, Carl Jung called Kundalini, ?a deliberately induced psychotic state that may cause certain individuals real psychosis.?)
[I][B]So, psychosis is a form of Kundalini? Great…new discovery by Carl Jung…!!![/B][/I]
? Yoga class must include music that is from India, sounds like it is from India, or at the very least is New Age music.
[I][B]That is “music Yoga”, a new age form.[/B][/I]
? Yoga exercise must be practiced in tight fitting outfits. (Maybe this is just me, but I?ve always wondered how people stretch in those clothes without splitting seams all the time?)
[I][B]Ads for Yoga business…female sport…and hence…[/B][/I]
? The yoga ?wind removing? position cures farting. Yes, since starting yoga my life is flatulence free! I actually once mistakenly referred to this position as the ?wind releasing position? and was curtly corrected by a teacher ? who actually kept a straight face while doing so. Lighten up!
[I][B]Gone with the wind…and…going with Yoga…[/B][/I]
[/QUOTE]

Just for fun :stuck_out_tongue:

1 Like
#6

Mark,

You are welcome for the feedback.

[B]Getting more people to do Yoga[/B] is a fine intention, though I would reframe the sentence. Regardless, the end result is exposing others to something wonderful you have discovered and want to share with them as part of your contribution to the world.
[B]
Sanskrit can complicate the learning[/B] just as Latin complicates the learning of medicine. But imagine Johns Hopkins holding an anatomy class with no Latin terminology. Simple, perhaps. Well schooled, no. The issue here is one of pedagogy, period.

[B]Yoga and asana are not the synonyms[/B]. Asana is a subset of Yoga. Ergo one can say asana is part of yoga but not yoga IS asana. Cutting a piece of wood surely isn’t carpentry, and peeling a carrot is far from cooking. Yet you must be able to do each if you hope to be a carpenter or chef.

[B]Begin wherever you are[/B]. Begin with asana. There is nothing inherently “wrong” with that, though classically we know the student mastered yama and niyama BEFORE moving on to asana, as codified in Patanjali’s Eight Limbs or ashtanga path.

If you want to persuade me as to a connection between sport and asana you’ll have to do better. Merely because something is done or has been around doesn’t make it valid. Stealing has been around for thousands of years yet that can’t be justified. In 1,000 years romance novels will be ancient texts and still be trash.

In my humble opinion the idea that meditation and yoga philosophy are overwhelming is a projection on the part of the author. I say this from personal experience and caution that our view (yours and mine) may or may not be the view of students. They may be ready for something we haven’t accepted. So tread lightly there.

That having been said, there is a valid point - students should not be wilted by too much of your wisdom. But I think more times than not we sell the student short. People thirst for something real, authentic, deep, profound. We are past the period in our evolution of shallow, superficial nonsense … and we need look no further than the condition of our world for proof.

Ultimately, in the final analysis, you know your market, your students, your community. And you must meet them where they are but not confuse that with meeting them where YOU are