I posted a video the other day with a message about what yoga is to me – movement, breathing, postures and mindfulness. And I had very much expected a reply such as this, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to continue to share more openly about my experience with yoga in case you can relate…
*takes a deep breath*
I understand that yoga has deep cultural roots in South Asia and I’m not here trying to erase that or deny its existence. But at the same time, I also believe yoga has evolved globally over the years and become a practice that intersects with different cultural lenses, experiences, and beliefs – including mine.
My approach to yoga is grounded in movement and mindfulness, but not necessarily the spiritual, philosophical or religious beliefs often associated with traditional yoga.
I’ve heard time and time again that ‘that’s not yoga’ or ‘just call it asana then’ but what I practice and teach has focus on breathwork, taking your focus inward and meditation, which are other limbs of yoga outside of asana. So how many limbs is enough for it to be yoga? Does it need to be all 8? Maybe your answer is yes which is where our beliefs differ. Is a beginner not doing yoga until they’ve learnt and applied all 8 limbs to their life? To me, it feels a little like gatekeeping.
As someone who teaches for a living, I actually think it would be more disrespectful to pretend to align with beliefs I don’t genuinely hold, just to ‘fit the mold’. I’d rather be honest about my perspective than perform a version of yoga pretending to be something I’m not.
For me, honouring yoga includes being transparent about how I teach it. I don’t claim to speak for the tradition of yoga as a whole and often refer to other aspects in conversations with students so they can research further if THEY wish to – but I strive to share it in a way that’s accessible, empowering and enjoyable for the students that align with me.
And that means I’m not for everyone! And that’s okay, no teacher should ever try and please everyone, it’s simply not possible. But I hope that for those that do resonate, I’m able to enrich their lives with the authentic form of yoga I teach.