Today in class: I despaired, and shared ...

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Today, as since the last two days, with a few of my students with whom I find a vent -- Sonia and Amrita and yesterday with Sharmishta -- I was despairing of the yoga scene in Mumbai. It was triggered by this: an image of a foreigner executing a scorpion used alongside a power yoga class announcement in a tabloid.  U know for a fact that power yoga does not teach inversions and I doubt any power yoga instructor does even a headstand. Then to show an exotic  scorpion is to suggest that these classes are teaching these fabulous poses!!! Why, why!!????

 One time a good acquaintance of mine who also briefly did a yoga class with me, and who works in a paper had used the image of me executing a scorpion pose alongside some other basic yoga class... That is sooo misleading too.. I had told the girl journo that it was wrong, first to use the image of one yoga instructor with another one's class and both from the same city. Even worse, to  announce a class which does not teach that pose.

The foreigner executing the scorpion pose for a Power yoga announcement despaired me no end, simply because u know that it is a misleading image. Like I said, a power yoga workshop does not teach any inversions, let alone a scorpion which I doubt anybody else (but u know who:) is teaching in Mumbai!  It bothered me a lot because power yoga is actually about a  lot of standing, safe  poses or simple asanas done speedily (and mindlessly) to point of exhaustion. A power yoga class is really nowhere near what yoga is meant to do or be.. AND a scorpion pose is the ultimate in the terms of cracking yoga philosophy. It is not just any pose. But THE pure, classical pose. 

So to connect a classic pose that is so beautifully representative of yoga with a type of class which is crass excuse for yoga... it really really bothers me... I mean, really!!

I am really wondering if I am in the right city... Last two days I am wondering whether I should seriously consider leaving this city where real yoga is not so happening...