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david_obsidian
USA
2602 Posts |
 Posted - Sep 27 2006 : 10:55:41 AM
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Mysticyogi
I am sad that you are conveying misconceptions about your own motherland.
Mystic, maybe you think Shanti painted a demeaning picture of India. If you did, stop there --- that's the issue. The rest is just knock-on and distraction from that; if you think it is demeaning, then you are offended. If you are offended then some counterattack follows. It's easy to find inaccuracies in a vaguely-written post. It's very easy to find some way in which someone is wrong, and fight back by telling them that they are wrong.... and so on....
But really, it would start and end there, with your thinking that Shanti's picture of India is demeaning. It really wasn't.
It was quite friendly to India, consistent with respect for it, just a little vague and throw-away, just like Dave (Riptiz's) comments above.
India is very well respected here. As it should be, and as it will be. If you find the impressions that are being made somewhat inaccurate at times, come in with your alternative angle, in a friendly way, and it will be fully effective.
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yogani
USA
5241 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2006 : 11:53:08 AM
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quote:
Victor wrote: I feel that Mr Iyengar seems to be very misunderstood. He absolutely DOES practice meditation in his own practice. It is my impression that he feels that meditation falls under the heading of religion and while he is a bramhin by birth and has always practiced the religious rituals of his tradition he does not teach meditation in his school.
Shanti wrote: In India, we always associate Yoga with asanas. Pranayam falls under yoga too.. but again as a part of asanas. However, meditation, japa, finding God.. its all about religion over there.
Hi All:
To be honest, I have always wondered why meditation is so conspicuously absent from yoga studios in the west, and it is one of the reasons why AYP was started. What Victor and Shanti have said above offers a real reason why things are the way they are, and points to a path for resolving the issue.
Mystic, admittedly, the teachers you have mentioned highlight the value of meditation. Some even teach varieties of it. But none has penetrated the way hatha yoga has in the west. So the real issue is how to integrate all the limbs of yoga into the vast field of hatha schools, so everyone can have the opportunity to find the full benefits. If this will be a help to India, so much the better, for she is certainly the mother of all this knowledge, and no one here is lost on that point. No matter where we hail from, we owe her a lot...
To find a way forward, some shakeup is always necessary. As soon as we are resting on our laurels, red flags should be going up. We can honor the traditions that have given us so much, but hopefully not at the expense of our progress. Too much is at stake. We must do what is necessary to bring the knowledge of human spiritual transformation to everyone.
I am much more interested in pressing for the advance of applied spiritual science than in preserving the status quo, though we cannot move forward without doing some of both. I view the traditions not so much as an absolute, but as a sling-shot that can be used to propel us into a future where rapid spiritual progress for the people will be the norm rather than the exception. Of course, refinement and integration of practices for effective self-directed use are necessary to accomplish this, which is a shakeup.
So I think this is a valuable discussion, disagreements and all. 
The guru is in you.
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riptiz
United Kingdom
741 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2006 : 12:19:22 PM
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Hi Yogani,
I think it's down to peoples perception of yoga. Earlier this year 3 ladies came to my meditation class after hearing there was a yoga class. They came with towels and mats and as soon as I saw them I realised they were going to be disappointed.When I politely informed them we were a meditation class they simply left saying they were hoping for a 'good workout.' Shame they didn't realise their brains would have had a 'good workout.'
L&L
Dave |
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yogani
USA
5241 Posts |
Posted - Sep 27 2006 : 1:52:06 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by riptiz
Hi Yogani,
I think it's down to peoples perception of yoga. Earlier this year 3 ladies came to my meditation class after hearing there was a yoga class. They came with towels and mats and as soon as I saw them I realised they were going to be disappointed.When I politely informed them we were a meditation class they simply left saying they were hoping for a 'good workout.' Shame they didn't realise their brains would have had a 'good workout.'
L&L
Dave
Hi Dave:
It is "market-driven," and physical practice is the predominant perception of yoga today, as you say.
On the other hand, what would the perception be if all the limbs of yoga were offered under one roof? What would the market be asking for then? We will not find out until all the limbs are offered in an effective usable form, and the perception in the marketplace is gradually expanded to cover all of what yoga is.
It is as much about what is being offered as it is about what the market expectation is. Market expectations will change as the offering is expanded. This is what will happen over time.
Maybe you should add asanas. 
The guru is in you.
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AYPforum
351 Posts |
Posted - Feb 02 2007 : 01:00:34 AM
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| Moderator note: Topic moved for better placement |
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Interview of B K S Iyengar
