Fake News in Your Practice?
A few months ago I was listening to J Browns podcast with Barbara Benagh and she mentioned a concept of “Fake News” in yoga. I have not been able to stop thinking about it.
Yup its true… the yoga world is full of “fake news” too. I confess I have been part of the fake news trend. YES! I have yoga photos on this Very site. Just like most people, I love photos on Instagram, websites and Facebook. Beautiful people doing amazing poses in awe inspiring locations. So inspiring!
While I find these images inspiring I question how much yoga is really in most of those photos. Maybe it is my Photo Director background that always jumps to the reality of the photo shoot. How hard the rock must feel on their forearms in Pincha? Yikes how much sand gets stuck to them during beach shoots? Even how long did that person have to hold that very uncomfortable pose for the sake of a beautiful photograph and how does their body feel today? I spent years creating the illusion of health and beauty for Various Magazines.
Don’t get me wrong… I love the illusion, I just don’t want it to invade my actual practice or my students practice. Our practice needs to be real with real healthy results or why would we come back? I aspire that every student in my class walks away from their practice feeling strong and free from restraint in their physical and/or mental body. We practice in a room without mirrors because how WE feel has to take priority to how the practice looks.
So as we approach our practice this month lets go deep and explore where in our practice we create a space where we are selling ourselves short with “Fake News”. Lets banish the idea that one pose is bigger or better than another. Lets choose a practice that allows us to explore exactly who we are and allows us to acknowledge that each of us is whole and complete exactly as we are (even if our bodies aren’t interested in Rajakapotasana).