Yoga Lessons From the Fire Pit — Tony Robbins Fire Walk
Almost two dozen people were injured recently while fire walking at a Tony Robbins seminar at the San Jose Convention Center, with many of those hurt suffering second- or third-degree burns. An article in the New York Times about the incident is likely to ignite the same kind of knee-jerk reaction that happened after William Broad’s piece on the dangers of yoga (“How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body,” NYT 5 January 2012). If you are a proponent of fire walking—and clearly many of the seminar participants quoted in the New York Times are—then circling the wagons to protect the reputation of a man who...
read moreThe Present of Yoga in America
Teaching yoga, at its core, is an extension of the yoga teacher’s practice. So it is not surprising that many teachers focus mainly on yoga poses (asana). Many teachers come to yoga because of the physical practice. When they end up teaching other teachers, asana becomes even more firmly grounded in the American yoga. It’s a positive feedback loop. As for the fortune cookie spirituality, Americans love this. Look at all of the self-help books that water down complex topics of Buddhism, Jungian archetypes, and Christian doctrine to the “Top 5 things you click to read on...
read moreA Letter from the Underground: Beware of Yoga Extremism
After months of deliberation, I have finally decided to speak out against extremism in the yoga world. If you are reading this, then my message has successfully made it to the internet. Tonight, I will be going underground and living out of an unmarked Volkswagen bus in the Pacific Northwest. I hope my message will empower some of you to speak out against the obsessive and excessive forms of yoga that threaten to destroy our unity and peace. The Terrible Toos Yoga extremists see the world as black and white, or sometimes just black or white. This can show up as: too much yoga too little...
read moreBoost your ego with yoga practice
We gathered Sunday morning for a session with a visiting yoga teacher. We sat expectantly on our mats, waiting for his words of wisdom, the spiritual nectar that would nourish our souls. He laid out the guidelines for our practice: You may be overwhelmed with emotions — crying, laughing, ecstasy — this is normal, don’t be afraid. If you need to go to the bathroom, raise your hand so you can be escorted safely — in your spiritual bliss, you might accidentally wander into the street. After that introduction, I anxiously eyed the doorway on the other side of the yoga room. I...
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Stop Waiting – Read the New Short Story Now
