“Yeah, Pilates and Yoga, they’re pretty much the same. Great for tightening the flab!”

Is there really any difference? This is part one of a series about what yoga really is – - and what it isn’t.

Let’s start at the beginning, with a dialog with a fictitious new student:

“A lot about yoga seems contrived. Seriously? ‘Om?’ And the postures are crazy intimidating. There is NO WAY this body can do that yoga stuff without some serious injury!”

Chalk up today’s yoga to the American Way: profit. It’s what we do best: we take something we are fascinated with and elevate some people into superstars in the field. The superstars become sales spokespeople for merchandise. In yoga, we have yoga mats, blocks, straps, pants, tops, water bottles, yoga DVD’s, yoga vacations, yoga books, yoga music, yoga retreats, and on and on.

These superstars, who got there first, set up fiefdoms (corporations) with themselves (of course) on top.

Like a pyramid business system, yoga teachers who come later try to carve out a separate niche for themselves (ie, create a new “style” or pyramid system of yoga) so they can generate the greatest possible number of followers (who are “under” them, in the pyramid schematic).

Top-of-the-pyramid superstar yoga teachers then create teacher certification requirements, then more elaborate certification requirements, then even more elaborate certification programs. All cost thousands of (ka-ching!) dollars. A thriving, profitable industry is born. And the American Way goes on.

“But I still don’t understand what yoga is. Which is no big deal, really. That is what the teachers are for, right? If I was interested in taking yoga it would be because I wanted to look and be like one of those yoga superstars, right? They are going to show me how during class.”

Yoga students these days can rest assured that those toned, tightly-clad teachers in front of the class have been jumping through hoops to get where they are. Even though they make a small salary, it is required that they spend a relatively large amount up front (yoga certification programs, remember?). We have come to expect this from our professionals in the USA. Quality control, and all that.

“Then, why do I feel so lost? I know I am supposed to be relaxed, but to be honest I am straining to keep up. I feel self-conscious, stiff and flabby compared to everyone else. The teacher helps a little, but there are so many students, I don’t feel comfortable taking up too much class time. I must be a slow learner.”

Yoga is relatively new in the U.S. Many yoga teachers have been studying yoga for under 5 years. In fact, your yoga teacher could also be a new yoga practitioner, fresh from a teacher certification program that took one month to complete! How is this possible?

Within the profit-based format, a teacher-training student with enough money in the bank to pay for the certification course is accepted in the school. Teacher training schools do not refuse basic teacher-certification students on the basis of insufficient previous experience, because these students provide a large chunk of annual profit. It’s a bottom line thing.

Yoga teaching in the U.S. is also presented in a profit-oriented format. More students in a class mean more money for the teacher, or studio. In the U.S., a profitable studio is a successful studio. A yoga teacher that attracts a large number of students, for whatever reason, is considered a valuable and successful teacher. This is not the teacher’s or the studio’s fault: The U.S. market “reality” is presented to aspiring yoga teachers in this way: If you don’t focus on making a profit, you cannot teach yoga. Many “realist” yoga teachers also teach pilates classes to make ends meet. It is no wonder people think there is no difference! The same teacher teaches both classes!

This situation skews and distorts yoga to a point that it is like a beautiful piece of fruit which is genetically engineered, grown in depleted soil, picked while still green, and shipped a thousand miles to your local grocery store. It looks beautiful, but because it exists primarily to deliver profit to a business, it has become stripped of most of its rich, natural value.

“OK, so it’s not just me, maybe it’s the class-size, or the teacher. But isn’t all yoga profit-based? Even if I learn what is“richly valuable” yoga, will I be able to find someone who teaches that?”

When you learn more about what yoga really is, you can do effective research on yoga studios. Many studios have a website. With the right knowledge, you can determine which studio holds the most potential in your area.

Next week: More on “what is yoga?” Contrary to popular opinion in the US and elsewhere, the practice of yoga is intended primarily to develop the mind . . .

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3. The Broader Aspects Of Yoga
4. Yoga Summer Dog Days
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