Punk Rock Yoga

The New York Times has been stirring up some yoga controversy lately–claiming yoga is wrecking people’s bodies and yoga is for narcissists–it is how newspapers get sold. However inflammatory the pieces may be, there are some valid points worth noting.

Before we cry foul, we can take a deep breath and remember all the stories about stair master injuries and step aerobics injuries. When people overdo anything, they get hurt.

People are getting injured from yoga classes. So let’s see why.

We start with what was an authoritarian system in India (recently the term narcissistic was used, but I prefer authoritarian). Students accepted the absolute authority of the teacher. With that absolute authority came patience–a teacher might have a student remain in a preparatory pose for years before attempting an advanced pose. The teachers also taught to a non-sedentary population which spent a majority of the day fetching water, tending crops, cleaning etc. Their bodies were naturally more resilient and pliable because they were more mobile.

We marry that tradition of doing everything a teacher says with the modern, and admittedly American, impatience and competitiveness. In New York City, I was told that students are go-getters and “They are going to go get their yoga.” There is a distinct pressure here on teachers here to not only resemble a Cirque du Soleil performer but also to push their students hard. Which means we have people launching themselves into shoulder stand before their shoulder and arm muscles are strong and flexible enough to support the weight, all because 1) the teacher told them to do so, and 2) they see the person next to them doing so and they have to do it better.

Can everyone do yoga? Yes, of course they can. Should everyone do advanced poses? No, of course not.

Is doing yoga worse than doing nothing? In my opinion, no.

How do we fix this problem? First, all teachers–including those who learned from the masters–need to educate themselves on anatomy and injury prevention. Today we know a lot more about the body from a mechanical standpoint. We have physical therapists who admire yoga and have advised teachers on how to teach modifications to make poses safe and accessible for all. We need to listen. We need to offer modifications. We need the courage to hold our students back. We need to instill in our students the courage to work at the place they are today.

We need to accept the concept of impermanence–we need to accept changes and improvements to our pose practice despite centuries of tradition. We need to accept that it’s not “dumbing it down” for Americans–it’s making it safer.

We need to practice humility ourselves so that our students can model our behavior and keep themselves safe. The best teachers are not the perfect ones. The best teachers admit their own shortcomings or “room for growth” so that the students can relate to them and face their own areas of improvement–physically and mentally.

We need to take a deep breath and realize the world will not end if you do not master a certain yoga pose, nor will it end because a newspaper started a controversial discussion.