Competitive Yoga

In my browsing on the internet I came across this post describing the world of competitive yoga and my face got so hot I just had to run over to my little corner of the blogosphere and rant.

The whole reason the link caught my eye was because I knew exactly what they were talking about and the words alone were enough to get me riled up. Even Drew knows that Bikram is a bad word in our house. So, in essence I'm here to 'stick up' for any and every other form of yoga but bikram.

First, what yoga is - in my humble opinion:
The very word means union, connection. It is a connection of the body and mind and the poses are just tools of the trade. You could go through an entire class doing every single one of the poses but if your mind is elsewhere, you're just stretching. Likewise, if you simply bring your awareness to your breath and allow the rhythmic in- and out-flow of the breath to calm and relax you, it doesn't matter what you're outwardly doing. You can practice yoga anywhere.

The physical practice of yoga is about compassion above all else. It is about working with the body rather than against it. It's about being aware of your body, beginning each practice with a whisper of gratitude to your body for cooperating this morning and waking you up, a thank you for all the things you were phsically able to do that day and compassion for all the things you can't quite do yet. So you can't touch your toes - you don't berate yourself or your body for that. You simply have that conversation, saying 'hey it's cool, maybe we'll try again tomorrow,' and mean it. That's why I can't stand those boot-camp workout classes; they are built around punishing the body, belittling it. Where you are isn't good enough and you will continue to suck until you can touch your toes. They have one of those classes on the pool deck just below our apartment and I can hear the drill sargeant/instructor with a megaphone hollering at those poor people. Our bodies are not to be punished, they are to be appreciated. They are magnificent things designed to be used every single day, capable of greatness if we just give them the chance.

When I first started yoga, not only could I not touch my toes, if I tried too long my feet fell asleep. Any kind of forward bend, seated or standing immediately started my toes tingling. Rather than say 'I suck for not being able to do this' or giving up thinking I'd never be able to, I made a deal with my body, promising not to push through pain if it would help me out. Now, I'm able to put my hands flat on the floor in a forward bend with the greatest of ease and I fully believe it's because I was nice to my body.

Yoga is about accepting what is. You don't have to be happy or sad or mad about it, you simply accept it because it is what it is. Not passively giving up or conceding, rather finding harmony in discord, peace in chaos. I can definitely tell when I've gotten too far away from my practice - little things start to bother me again, I worry needlessly, my temper flares.

These competitions are all about winning and losing, about all but one being not good enough, which totally flies in the face of all things yoga. But of course the only ones who truly participate in them are Bikram practitioners. Bikram is so not my cup of tea...

The rooms are super super heated - like 105 degrees hot. It's to sweat out the toxins and loosen the muscles for the poses they say. Giant no-no. First, people rarely drink enough water in general so the majority are walking around mildly dehydrated. Then you go in a room to sweat out water that you didn't have enough of to start with and what do you get? Muscle cramps and massive headaches. Of course, those that equate pain with progess shrug their shoulders and 'push through'. Hello! Pain is the body's way of telling you something's not right! Furthermore, the instructors are mean! They yell at you if you can't touch your toes, or if you leave the room because you're about to pass out from the excessive heat. I know these things firsthand. I've also had a Bikram instructor cheerfully confirm that he does these things in his own classes. They like it, he says. Probably the same people that think getting yelled at through a megaphone is cool, too. Plus, the heat will loosen your muscles, to the point that you're fooled into thinking you're more flexible than you really are. Then, when you're out of that hot room your body will remind you that it wasn't ready to go that far and you'll end up with torn muscles at the worst and cramps at the least. No bueno.

Yoga is about connecting, about feeling the present moment. How many times have you driven somewhere and arrived without knowing how you got there? Eaten something entirely and have no clue what was just on your plate? Yoga is about enjoying the scenery when you drive, truly tasting your food and savoring every experience, good and bad. Although, in life good and bad tend to define each other so without one there isn't the other. But that's a whole 'nother blog.

My point is, these competitions are wholly contradictory to the philosophy of yoga. Bikram Choudhury is full of ego, precisely the thing we seek to separate from ourselves with yoga. A true yogi (yogini for girls) is ego-free, and saying that your path, your knowledge, your 'yoga' is the only way and the only truth simply shows how much your ego has a hold on you.

I wish I could be more ego-free and not dislike Bikram Choudhury and all that he stands for. I wish I could simply accept that he does his thing and there are people for whom it resonates and accept that it just doesn't resonate with me. But, I still have an ego and I don't like him. I went to one of these yoga competitions with the people from my studio and it was eerie how uptight these people were. It was a stark contrast from our group, smiling and enjoying each others' company. You could feel the judgement and my heart went out to the competitors. I wanted to hug them all and tell them that it's ok that you fell, you can try again tomorrow, you're still awesome!

Sidebar: This is probably why I haven't advanced in the corporate world - I don't have it in me to be cut-throat. It's just not that serious. :-)

Okay, I feel better now. Om shanti y'all!