Yoga fads and trends
Where is modern yoga is headed? How do you distinguish between a passing fad and a trend likely to stick around, influence and inform the next evolution?
Knocking the past from its pedestal
Hypothesising about how yoga was taught 5,000 years ago likely involves a big dose of guesswork. We know that yoga was taught one-to-one and private yoga tuition remains a valuable ideal for both student and teacher.
Yet when yoga arrived in the west during the 60s and 70s yoga, “it was deeply wedded to psychedelics,’’ said Stefanie Syman, author of The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America.
Notes Patricia Walden: “Students were in a circle and we gave them instructions with their eyes closed. We never got up to adjust anybody or tell anybody what to do.” Adds Eve Grzybowski, “the first yoga classes I attended involved two hours of hard work - pushing, pushing, pushing - and two minutes of Savasana. I thought that was yoga.”
Photography © Yoga Portraiture
Taking the best and leaving the rest
Emphasis on correct alignment and study of anatomy and physiology, a warm-up and warm-down, and specialised classes for people with injuries, pregnant women, down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, etc, are positive, modern developments that have helped broaden the appeal of yoga to mainstream society.
Yet yoga fads and fusion, most notably in the States, leaves the yoga teacher grappling with how to predict where the market will move next while wanting to stay true to the roots of yoga.
Firstly, do no harm
The principle of Ahimsa, do no harm, is a good starting place. If using props to modify a pose makes it more accessible, surely this is in accordance? How about using Surya Namaskar, salute to the sun, to help lose weight? While the former may clearly be in keeping with ahimsa, is the later an obvious transgression? What about if the person seeking to lose weight becomes more aware of their body in the process, more conscious of eating healthily, and becomes interested in learning more about what yoga has to offer?
Long-term evolution
It’s good to remember not to take things too seriously. So what if the ancient yogis had never heard of surfing? If arm balances, balancing poses and strengthening asanas enable better surfing, and complement a yoga itinerary in a beautiful beachside location, does it matter that yoga and surfing retreats have proliferated?
If yoga still suffers under misconceptions and marginality, is it truthful to frame your classes as ‘back care’ or ‘core strengthening’ and gently lead people down the yoga path who may otherwise have not considered attending? The yoga precept of aparigraha, non-possessiveness, applies to attitudes, assumptions and opinions as well as material possessions.
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Knocking the past from its pedestal
Hypothesising about how yoga was taught 5,000 years ago likely involves a big dose of guesswork. We know that yoga was taught one-to-one and private yoga tuition remains a valuable ideal for both student and teacher.
Yet when yoga arrived in the west during the 60s and 70s yoga, “it was deeply wedded to psychedelics,’’ said Stefanie Syman, author of The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America.
Notes Patricia Walden: “Students were in a circle and we gave them instructions with their eyes closed. We never got up to adjust anybody or tell anybody what to do.” Adds Eve Grzybowski, “the first yoga classes I attended involved two hours of hard work - pushing, pushing, pushing - and two minutes of Savasana. I thought that was yoga.”
Photography © Yoga Portraiture
Taking the best and leaving the rest
Emphasis on correct alignment and study of anatomy and physiology, a warm-up and warm-down, and specialised classes for people with injuries, pregnant women, down syndrome, multiple sclerosis, etc, are positive, modern developments that have helped broaden the appeal of yoga to mainstream society.
Yet yoga fads and fusion, most notably in the States, leaves the yoga teacher grappling with how to predict where the market will move next while wanting to stay true to the roots of yoga.
Firstly, do no harm
The principle of Ahimsa, do no harm, is a good starting place. If using props to modify a pose makes it more accessible, surely this is in accordance? How about using Surya Namaskar, salute to the sun, to help lose weight? While the former may clearly be in keeping with ahimsa, is the later an obvious transgression? What about if the person seeking to lose weight becomes more aware of their body in the process, more conscious of eating healthily, and becomes interested in learning more about what yoga has to offer?
Long-term evolution
It’s good to remember not to take things too seriously. So what if the ancient yogis had never heard of surfing? If arm balances, balancing poses and strengthening asanas enable better surfing, and complement a yoga itinerary in a beautiful beachside location, does it matter that yoga and surfing retreats have proliferated?
If yoga still suffers under misconceptions and marginality, is it truthful to frame your classes as ‘back care’ or ‘core strengthening’ and gently lead people down the yoga path who may otherwise have not considered attending? The yoga precept of aparigraha, non-possessiveness, applies to attitudes, assumptions and opinions as well as material possessions.
* * *
To receive our E-news fresh to your inbox once a month, in all its HTML glory, please subscribe. And as a thank you, you'll receive our 'Facebook Cheat Sheet for Yoga teachers' to use Facebook more effectively and escape the time sink. While you can access our E-news without being a subscriber, we value our subscribers and show our appreciation with exclusive offers.
See more E-news.
