Yoga-phobia

[Twilightdance]

You should share this pic with Rajan Zed and his hindu organizations in america, this will provide much needed new material to carry on thier hindu activism. The guy seemed to be out of work lately.

[Gaurapriya]

Namaste,

+1

Many mainstream Hindu mandirs offer yoga classes which start with a Hindu prayer and are normally conducted on the mandir premises. They are the old style basic yoga classes and there is reverence and respect for the system and the tradition. The classes don't just consist of a physical fitness regimen. So, yes some of the desis do practice them, but not in the Western style yoga studios. Besides, after one has attended the classes and learned how to do it, one can continue with the practice at home and not drive over to the mandir to do yoga in a group setting. It is all a matter of convenience in this multi-tasking, rush-rush environment that we live in.

Pranam.

I really liked this idea. I know a few ISKCONite yoga instructors who combined bhakti yoga with modern hatha yoga-asanas. There are many devotees who are against modern hatha yoga as well as the meddling with the system, but I suppose that at least it's something counter to the rest of the commercialised yoga paraphernalia out there. Think tight women's Lululemon yoga pants, and you'll know how much I cringe inside.

[Jogesh]

I see a lot of people in the modern yoga movement to be somewhat naive..

[Necromancer]

Aum Namah Shivaya.

*looks at picture
**facepalms

One must learn to differentiate true Yoga Teachers from New-Age Hippies.

I have met many of this type before, who only go as far as seeing Hatha Yoga as a series of neat postures developed in a cool place called 'India'.

They usually sell services like 'Chakra Balancing' and 'Kundalini Awakening' at competitive rates and mispronounce mantras with nerve-grating regularity.

Forget that.

Just get back to those basic postures that are performed as part of worship and purification for your own spiritual practices. It's the mindset more than the posture. Hatha Yoga has always been about that, so just develop your own.

http://store.hssus.org/images/SNYposter.jpg

Focus on your flow of breath during yoga as well, breathing into each posture, holding it for the duration and breathing out upon release. Occasionally, I used to have OBEs while doing yoga and I knew the 'Master Yogi' was in the building.

Aum Namah Shivaya

[Amrut]

I have been to many yoga classes, but I have been turned off by every teacher. In some classes the teacher smack talks about the caste system, in other classes the teacher quotes from Eckart Tolle, some studios are decorated with Christian statues, some have combined hatha yoga with new age systems, others have made hatha yoga into a aerobic fitness routine, others teach so called medical yoga (without having any medical qualifications or even some ayurvedic knowledge) for ten times the price of a normal yoga class. Most studios in the west have made a business selling mats, clothes and other yoga gear. I also don't like modern Indian yoga which has become watered down and mechanic. Someone like Ramdev teaches very basic callisthenics and superficial pranayama, but he has branded himself as a yoga guru and the entire Indian nation is lying in front of his feet. Yoga DVDs are even worse than yoga teachers, it's the height of commercialisation. This is how people can make a passive income stream from yoga without having to do any work.

Yoga can be a great practice when it's done in the larger context of Hindu sadhana like described in the yoga shashtras and also when it's done with the mentality of Indian physical culture, like the Indian wrestlers, kalari fighters, Indian classical dancing and Indian classical or devotional music. These arts are all very close to hatha yoga. Modern hatha yogis have become physically and mentally weak. They have started to follow lists of dogmas that have nothing to do with Indian yoga. It has become a personality cult, every branch of yoga is named after a yogilebrity or some novel concept. If you are going to do yoga, it is best to develop a personal practice and avoid this entire charade that yoga has become in this day and age. You can learn yoga through self study and practice on your own.

I have not yet mentioned how western yogis try to rob yoga from Hinduism or use Hinduism only for its fashionable decorations and one liners. These are some American Hatha Yoga teachers who teach at the Laughing Lotus in NYC and this is how they treat Hindu deities when they visit India (see photo). A conscious Hindu should not finance this nonsense which has become so far removed from authentic yoga.

Namaste,

+1

Many mainstream Hindu mandirs offer yoga classes which start with a Hindu prayer and are normally conducted on the mandir premises. They are the old style basic yoga classes and there is reverence and respect for the system and the tradition. The classes don't just consist of a physical fitness regimen. So, yes some of the desis do practice them, but not in the Western style yoga studios. Besides, after one has attended the classes and learned how to do it, one can continue with the practice at home and not drive over to the mandir to do yoga in a group setting. It is all a matter of convenience in this multi-tasking, rush-rush environment that we live in.

Pranam.

+2

The thing is that one definitely needs a master someone who has been dedicated to Yog (both Hatha and Meditation i.e. Shiva Sutras, Patangali Yog Sutras, Nath Sampradaya - Gorakhnath is said to have written hath yoga and laya yoga - source wiki)

So one has to have faith in Guru. People take advantage of this faith. They do a kind of degree course and then begin to teach others. Many people both Indian and Westerners only think of yog as energizing and breathing exercise.

worst, they go on to apply patent !!!

I agree with other respected members.

Whats next --> eYoga

Practically, I would try to go for best possible available solution. Search for genuine people who have better knowledge and have dedicated themselves to Yog and are charging nominal fees. When things come in hands of commercial minds this is bound to happen.

So I think that along with ability, nature also has to be taken into account before giving Jnana. But today, people only think he you have ability then you deserve ...

Oh and that picture is a disgrace.
Aum

[Jogesh]

This is just insane..!

Namaste, Fido: Dog yoga is no stretch for local pet owners



Liann Marley Marie and her miniature schnauzer, Tyra Barks, at left, and Flo Lewis with her Shetland sheepdog Justice For All at a new dog yoga class at Morris K9 Campus. (Photo by Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger)

Hoops, hurdles and balls line the perimeter of the tall gymnasium. The large space is normally the scene of spins, high jumps and other tests of agility.

Yet this morning, the subtle reverberations of sitar music warm the mostly vacant gym. Several thin mats — pastel blue, purple, red and pink — break the collegiate blue of the padded floor where four women stretch, breathe and find their neutral spines.

Today, there's a yoga class.

"Start deepening the breath," says teacher Karin Stoetzer, poised atop one mat. "Pushing your stomach out." The students, standing on all fours like their instructor, wait for her soft prompts.

"So you're inhaling cow and exhaling cat," Stoetzer continues, referring to yoga poses that take animals as their inspiration. The cat stands for an acutely arched back. The cow is an opposite move that sinks the stomach, elevating the rear.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/inde...jersey_nj.html

[McKitty]

Serisouly those people are nuts

[Equinox]

Vannakkam


My, my, my... They have it in Malaysia too. Is it even beneficial for our furry friends? If it is, then I'm ok with that. But makes me wonder what's next; like Indiaspirituality predicted, eYoga? It's happening already, but still on small-scale level.


Aum Namah Shivaya

[Amrut]

Picture by Jogesh is anything else but definitely not Yog. Perhaps instead of innovating new stuff, which is of course not needed, one should also find a new name without the word 'Yog' Maybe someone asks netizens to offer new name and then run a SMS contest to select a particular name. The rule would be that there should be no word 'Yog' in it. They would earn in crores in this project. If someone does so, then please give me my cut from your earning

[Amrut]

This is just insane..!

Namaste, Fido: Dog yoga is no stretch for local pet owners

...

Today, there's a yoga class.

"Start deepening the breath," says teacher Karin Stoetzer, poised atop one mat. "Pushing your stomach out." The students, standing on all fours like their instructor, wait for her soft prompts.

"So you're inhaling cow and exhaling cat," Stoetzer continues, referring to yoga poses that take animals as their inspiration. The cat stands for an acutely arched back. The cow is an opposite move that sinks the stomach, elevating the rear.

http://www.nj.com/entertainment/inde...jersey_nj.html

look at the link it contains word 'Entertainment' and it's a gym excercise. It's not Yog

Aum