Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Yoga Sex Cult?

This spring, the yoga world was rocked by a scandal involving John Friend, the "founder" of Anusara Yoga.  I use scare quotes because, frankly, trademarking a style of yoga (Bikram, Jivamukti, Ashtanga, etc.) so that an individual can profit from in financially and in terms of fame is the height of arrogance and greed and represents the opposite of what yoga is.

These teachings have been around for several thousand years, free and available to anyone who proved himself (yes, yoga has a tradition of male-centricity) to be a worthy pupil.

Back to the scandal. Last fall several senior teachers, including Christina Sell and Elena Brower (now the "founder" of Virayoga), resigned from Anusara, Inc.  After the allegations of sexual and financial misconduct hit the blogosphere in February on YogaDork, Brower wrote about her experience with Friend and with the organization. The alleged problems include Friend's involvement in numerous relationships with employees and students as well as financial improprieties. Anusara, Inc. offered its employees a pension plan but seemingly discontinued contributions without notice, which put the organization into some hot water with the Department of Labor. Friend issued a letter  that included an apology for his "poor personal decisions" and subsequently stepped down as CEO.

Quel dommage!  So we discover, once again, that our leaders can be deeply flawed; that men in power are all-too comfortable having romantic and sexual relationships with people they have power over (gross!); and that organizations themselves become corrupt through and through when people are aware of this behavior and protect it. Yadda yadda yadda, as they used to say on Seinfeld. This situation angers me--abuse of power and arrogance are two things I really despise--but mostly, I feel sad for the people who trusted and believed in John Friend: his teachers really did think he was a gift from god.  He let them down. Big Time.

So along comes William Broad, the New York Times journalist and author of the recent book, The Science of Yoga (which I have just started to read), fresh off what must have been a punishing book tour because I saw him EVERYWHERE (well, in the places I tend to frequent: Colbert, "Fresh Air"...). And what does Mr. Broad--whose book has been touted as an indictment of yoga because he argues that a few poses can be dangerous for some people (duh!)--contribute to the conversation? He tells us that we can hardly be surprised, since yoga began as a sex cult.  WTF?

I hesitated to even provide this last link because the article is so problematic: a number of experts and long-time practitioners have criticized Broad's misrepresentation of the history of Tantra and his inept citation of the studies he draws upon, so I will let them handle the rebuttal.

I say, thanks but no thanks to your approach to the science of yoga, Mr. Broad.  I have heard you describe the supposed damage yoga can do to bodies--and all I can conclude is that you don't know what yoga is, despite your having supposedly practiced since the 1970s.  In several interviews, you recounted doing your own body harm because you were trying to show off for a younger woman in your yoga class!  Stop the presses: if you are acting from ego as you practice asana, I guarantee that you WILL hurt yourself.

Yoga is not a competition, it is not a body building technique, and it is not a workout.  Asana practice is meant to keep the body healthy so that you can do the real yoga: quiet the mind, relinquish the ego, and connect with the single source of all existence.  It has nothing to do with gymnastics, with impressing anyone, or with abusing anyone (including oneself!).  I am disappointed both in John Friend-- I expect that men in power will behave this way, but I hold out hope they won't--and Broad, someone who professes to be a yoga practitioner and who has been given free reign as a commentator on contemporary yoga, who has blown it so badly. I guess Mr. Broad is living proof that yoga is the practice of a lifetime--mastering a few poses does not a yogi make.

As my teacher counsels, learning to follow the dictates of yama and niyama (yoga's ethical principles and spiritual disciplines) must precede the asana, breathing, and mediation practices (which make up the eight limbs of classical yoga).  More important than putting the leg behind the head is being a nice person.