Should a yoga teacher who performs all kind of yoga asanas but doesn’t have control over basic human emotions like jealousy or lust for money be called a yogi?
Are you referring to the traditional meaning of yogi, i.e. a title bestowed upon a man who could see through the veil of mortal existence, had realized the highest truth from within and had supernatural powers when it came to controlling his body/mind organism?
In modern culture (and from all points of the compass), yogi has become a nickname for anyone who does yoga asanas. I know that someone called me a ‘yogi’ the other day, but I know the real meaning of the word and do not take it seriously.
I know a baseball player and a bear called Yogi.
Sure you can, or yogin or yogini depending on sex but yogi works for both and guess what? They can even be called a guru (gasp) because [B]yogi means a person who practices yoga[/B] and [B]guru means one who teaches it[/B].
Both can mean a lot more to a lot more people, especially the yogier than thou folks, but according to dictionary convention when a word becomes so popular in the vernacular that the average person can assign a common accepted (I’ll accept that with reservation) definition to it BOOM it’s a word.
Surely not guru, yup just means teacher, teach it up, doesn’t mean good teacher, bad teacher, master teacher, unless it means that to you and good luck with that.
Now in the ancient or traditional traditions commonly called the EAST guru is going to be widely accepted as a master teacher or wandering sage, or aesthetic sharing the wisdom and great oral traditions and recognized by his followers. To some you had to learn yoga from a true guru of light and love and even these wandering sages might demure from being called a guru because of modesty and more.
Well in the modern traditions commonly called the WEST guru is going to be widely challenged as the vernacular has become inflammatory as the master who gathers and exploits his followers. To call a Western teacher guru may bring more embarrasement than modesty. “I am not your guru!”
I love Iyengar’s take: the mat is your guru, the wall is your guru, the block is your guru, pain is your guru.
Want to play it safe?
Use a small y for modern yoga stuff, and a big Y for traditional stuff.
At the end of the day it’s all yoga or maybe Yoga.
[QUOTE=Yogamark;73942]
Want to play it safe?
Use a small y for modern yoga stuff, and a big Y for traditional stuff.
At the end of the day it’s all yoga or maybe Yoga.[/QUOTE]
Thanks FlexPenguin & Yogamark. When I started this ill-motivated thread I thought I knew what I wanted to know but after reading your posts I realized that there is much more to it…Thank you.
Personally, I love “y” & “Y” but what to do when “y” pretends to be “Y”.
The term “yogi” is a term of great respect. Ergo if you have a great deal of respect for a yoga teacher who “performs all kinds of yoga asana” but does not have control over their basic human emotions, then for you that is an appropriate use. If you do not respect such a person then for you it would not be an appropriate usage.
Personally, I do not use the term at all. I do not use if for my teaching peers nor do I use it for my teacher, nor for the students that come to study with me. I make little or no use of that word at all.
As for guru, it is not at all synonymous with “teacher”. I have a math teacher, I have a guitar teacher, I have a singing teacher. A guru (by very definition of the word) is one who removes darkness or shines light into the consciousness of another. A guru is not an expert but something far above an expert. An expert has data, knows things, may even use them. A guru removes the dark corners of your living so that you may come out from the shadows and live more fully. Most do not know such a person. In fact few study with such a person. Teachers, yes. Gurus, not so much.
[QUOTE=InnerAthlete;73964]
As for guru, it is not at all synonymous with “teacher”. I have a math teacher, I have a guitar teacher, I have a singing teacher. A guru (by very definition of the word) [/QUOTE]
Well I did title I wanted to stir the pot, to encourage discussion, so I’ll lightly respond.
To be clear I did highlight in[B] bold [/B] that a guru was one who teaches [B]it/B
Not sure how guitars came into play but I’ll let it play and while I would not call my guitar teacher a guru or my guru if I met someone who used the term for their former guitar teacher and that former teacher was Jimi Hendrix, I would probably nod with extreme respect, not for what Hendrix did with and to his body, but what he did with his body and guitar in union.
Though cultural forms differ, there is a universal, perennial wisdom operating here. When we contemplate those who have the qualities that we aspire to, we move closer to those qualities. B.K.S Iyengar Light on Life