International Yoga Day, Yes or No?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts around the International Yoga day! 🤔🧘‍♀️🧘🏽💖

 .

I know that there are never clear cut answers in many topics and this one is no exception. The relative world is immensely subjective. I know that.

.

I want to start my writing by sincerely honouring the practices of Yoga and my love for Yoga! Yoga is what I have studied or explored for the last 20 years. This is part of me, this is me. All the tools and perspectives have been helping me to live, quite frankly. The self enquiry, the art of being human and all our body “movements” or “pulses”….This is precious, and clearly there is no way back.

 .

However, I will NOT « celebrate » this “Yoga” day today because:

 .

1) As much as there is a lot to celebrate about Yoga, I feel a form of discomfort at the (conscious or not) instrumentalisations I see at times in the Western wellness industry which de facto, I belong to… The cultural appropriation, the new age stuff which can over simplify Life and humanity so naively, the narcissism, etc. I do not recognize myself in parts of the Yoga industry as I know it. Inclusion, inclusivity, discernement, dogma free practices are my current topics of contemplation. 

Yes, I am part of the problem and logically until I feel that I am immensely part of the problem too, I cannot celebrate something which i consider dysfunctional and toxic at times. I need more time to deconstruct this. I am a white privileged woman and yogini and i am part of a system which I want to change. Work in progress. I cannot fake it until then.

 .

2) This day was suggested by a PM who is selling a political “agenda” that makes me highly uncomfortable (more « conscience politique » please). Please know what is behind a so called “light” day, supposedly being about the celebration of Humanity, Earth and well being for all. There are here various extremist political ramifications.

 .

3) Why do we need special days anyway? Do we have an international tennis day? 🤔

 .

4) Finally because I get tired at seeing the mismatch between words and behaviors. I cannot pretend « union » when I still see such mismatch including in our yoga community. We need to figure this out. «Fake it until you make it » they say? I want to say « just make it until there is no faking »…

 .

Am i angry? Disillusioned? I am at times yes…but I need that radical honesty (including vis a vis myself) to keep on evolving.

.

When Yoga, or anything else, becomes an instrument for dogmatic thinking without much discernment, truth telling over truth experiencing, and when yoga becomes a narcissistic, new age deviance, I just worry… but that’s me, humbly. I need to think about it some more. I really do.

.

So here we go, voilà….This year, I said « no » to that Yoga day. ✌️

.

But let’s see what I could say next year…!

.

Until then my loves, I wish you a happy day, with or without Yoga! 🩵🧘‍♀️