Hello, Folks!
Thank you for the feedback, both positive and critical, from my last email on yoga in modern times. One reader caught a mistake that needs to be corrected, so I am including that correction below.
In the original email I wrote:
"Though he claims that his thesis was misunderstood, here are some examples of where he says in no uncertain terms the exact thing that people are repeating..."
I actually flipped the equation, and it should have read something more like the below, which is now posted in the online version of the newsletter:
"Though Singleton claims his book was misunderstood, his thesis was unclear and the prevailing takeaway from his book for many people was that yoga as we know it today is a combination of Western bodybuilding, Swedish and other gymnastics, and British military exercises."
Since the sending of that email and seeing the comments on Instagram, it seems like a response to the anthropological and historical examination of yoga that is in vogue these days needs to balanced out with a discussion that comes from a philosophical perspective. Yoga, at the end of the day (and at the beginning of the day) is a school of philosophy. While history is indeed a part of philosophy, the use of history within that discussion should be oriented towards
understanding the purpose or project of yoga, and by asking the question of why are we doing this in the first place. By examining that question, we perhaps might not get too hung-up on the components of a practice, like asanas, for example.
Isn't that, in fact, what everyone complains about these days anyway? That yoga is not "about the postures"? Yet, that is what the current academia seems to be obsessed with.
My old friend and philosophy tutor, Shyam Ranganathan, and I are teaming up to try to write a little response to this. We'll let you know what we come up with. It's not a battle of the narratives, or points of view, but of looking at these topics from the perspective within which yoga originated. This means that we first have to outline what the disagreements are, and then have a clear sense of what needs to be understood in light of the yoga darshana. There is natural tendency in
these discussions to want to be "right", which can sometimes lead to being subsumed by egocentricity, and then we are controlled by, and not in control of, our minds, which is the general point of yoga anyway. So hopefully to respond to a heated topic like this will be an exercise in practicing yoga.
If you have anything that you'd like to contribute to this project, please send it our way. For example, a few people have sent in interesting books and articles about how martial arts migrated from South India to China, carried by Bodhidharma. The cross-cultural sharing of philosophy and practices have an ancient history and shine a broader light on the development of ancient methodologies - much broader then Krishnamacharya being inspired by Swedish Gymnastics. Though perhaps he
would have been inspired by Ikea... arguably one of Sweden's greatest export? :)
In other news:
Sadhu Oil will be making a live appearance at
Wanderlust 108 in Prospect Park on Sunday, September 8th!
September classes at Sky Ting Yoga, 381 Broadway, Tuesday September 3rd until Monday, September 9th (most time slots are filled up, but if you aren't seeing space where you want to come send us an
email and we can probably squeeze you in).
September workshops include Montclair, NJ; London: Manchester, UK; and Aberdeen, Scotland; Duisberg, Germany.
Quick and Fun Reads:
Nick Cave on the
End of the World (and read some of the others, too - I particularly love the transcendent beauty of
this one).
Or perhaps something to watch:
If you use Netflix, the Brené Brown A Call to Courage film is fabulously inspiring.
A shameless podcast plug?
The amazing eighteen-miles-of books Strand Bookstore in NY started a podcast called The
Strandcast and they invited me on.
That's all for now. We look forward to seeing you in class or on the internet!
With love,
Eddie and Jocelyne
