Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to watch you do all kinds of weird handstands only a gymnast can do. I don’t want to hear about chakras and why inversions are good or bad at this time of the month. I especially don’t want to be “adjusted “ ie touched and repositioned by the teacher- get your hands off me please for crying out loud! I don’t want to hear your narrative commentary about woo-woo poems or pseudo religious pondering, or anything else like that! I just want a good hard Vinyasa flow session with no chitchat. Why do all of the teachers use the spotlight to just blabber on and on?? I’m there to exercise! I love yoga because it makes me stronger, improves balance and flexibility, and nothing melts the fat like a hard yoga practice either. So why does yoga come with all of this nonsense?? And if you even so much as mention for the billionth time your next retreat in Greece, I am outta there!!

Anyone recommend a good hard athletic class with a serious instructor? Or a studio of this type?

If you are a yoga teacher please explain this silly showboating...? We lose at least 15 mins out of a one hour class with your “third eye breath in/breath out” bs.

*I realize this is not really a REAL problem but anyway... namaste.

I'm a yoga teacher who has been practicing 15 years, and I totally agree with you. Yoga teachers are some of the most annoying people I've known. Most people really have no idea what they are talking about. It's like most disciplines- those who are beginners think they know a lot and are eager to share, while the experts recognize how little they actually know and are humble. In reality, it takes years of chanting mantra-s and sutra-s, meditation, studying texts, etc until you can understand the teachings.

A good teacher understands what the student needs at that time and doesn't force what they *think* the student needs. Most of us come to yoga for the exercise component, and are only ready to receive the deeper teachings after years of practice. That's totally fine.

I also don't get the whole Hinduism/Buddhism fad in yoga classes. It's very powerful to study the religious tradition you were raised in and use that in conjunction with yoga, rather than one from halfway around the world that you have no real experience with. Most teachers also don't realize that "namaste" is a greeting said to elders to show respect, and that getting a tattoo of an om symbol is pretty offensive towards Hinduism.

I can't stand most yoga events because it turns into a big circle jerk where everyone tries to show off how much they know and how spiritual they are. Meanwhile the people who actually know their sh!t sneak off for steak and red wine, ha.

Hinduism/Buddhism fad?! What are you talking about? Where do you think yoga comes from? Maybe not vinyasa flow, but forms like hatha yoga?

By "fad" I mean "the fad of Westerners deciding another religion they know nothing about is the path to enlightenment".

How presumptive of you. What do you know about my level of knowledge of these religions? How dare you be so judgmental about my religious choices.

For the vast majority of Westerners, Eastern religious belief is a fad. I know some people who studied with great Eastern religious scholars for decades. I know a whole lot more who read a couple websites, maybe a book, and start spouting it off in classes to people who don’t care. Yoga is not meant to be practiced in conjunction with any particular religion, it is meant to be practiced with any. Or none. Or multiple ones. If people don’t want to hear Sanskrit chants or Hindu philosophy, that’s fine. The sutra-s themselves literally say you can do whatever works for you. I’ve known people who have had great success incorporating Bible verses into their practice. There are also many people like me, who don’t subscribe to any particular religion but still get a lot of value. And there are TONS of people who came to yoga just for the physical aspect, which is exactly what they needed at the time.

Not sure if you subscribe to the reincarnation thing, but if the idea is that we make a little bit of progress each time we come back, perhaps just taking vinyasa flow classes in this life is enough to propel them to more spiritual practices in the next life.

Yoga has an affiliation with a particular religious tradition; not sure why you think it doesn’t. It can be compatible with other religions, but it’s simply inaccurate to pretend it originated outside the purview of any religion.

My issue is you assume I’m a dilettante. I’m not. I have been learning about Buddhism and Hinduism for at least half my life and take it pretty seriously. I do believe in reincarnation, of course. I’m not sure that going to yoga classes and resenting mindfulness will do much for these people spiritually in the next life, but if it does, then that’s great.

The fact that you combine Buddhism and Hinduism into apparently one religion says all I need to know.

What?? I said I learned about both — I never said it’s one religion. What’s wrong with you? Why are you so intent on proving I don’t know what I’m talking about?

NP here, but you need to take a deep breath and chill. For someone who is so “enlightened”, you seem insanely defensive and upthight. Relax! It’s just yoga.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to watch you do all kinds of weird handstands only a gymnast can do. I don’t want to hear about chakras and why inversions are good or bad at this time of the month. I especially don’t want to be “adjusted “ ie touched and repositioned by the teacher- get your hands off me please for crying out loud! I don’t want to hear your narrative commentary about woo-woo poems or pseudo religious pondering, or anything else like that! I just want a good hard Vinyasa flow session with no chitchat. Why do all of the teachers use the spotlight to just blabber on and on?? I’m there to exercise! I love yoga because it makes me stronger, improves balance and flexibility, and nothing melts the fat like a hard yoga practice either. So why does yoga come with all of this nonsense?? And if you even so much as mention for the billionth time your next retreat in Greece, I am outta there!!

Anyone recommend a good hard athletic class with a serious instructor? Or a studio of this type?

If you are a yoga teacher please explain this silly showboating...? We lose at least 15 mins out of a one hour class with your “third eye breath in/breath out” bs.

*I realize this is not really a REAL problem but anyway... namaste.

I'm a yoga teacher who has been practicing 15 years, and I totally agree with you. Yoga teachers are some of the most annoying people I've known. Most people really have no idea what they are talking about. It's like most disciplines- those who are beginners think they know a lot and are eager to share, while the experts recognize how little they actually know and are humble. In reality, it takes years of chanting mantra-s and sutra-s, meditation, studying texts, etc until you can understand the teachings.

A good teacher understands what the student needs at that time and doesn't force what they *think* the student needs. Most of us come to yoga for the exercise component, and are only ready to receive the deeper teachings after years of practice. That's totally fine.

I also don't get the whole Hinduism/Buddhism fad in yoga classes. It's very powerful to study the religious tradition you were raised in and use that in conjunction with yoga, rather than one from halfway around the world that you have no real experience with. Most teachers also don't realize that "namaste" is a greeting said to elders to show respect, and that getting a tattoo of an om symbol is pretty offensive towards Hinduism.

I can't stand most yoga events because it turns into a big circle jerk where everyone tries to show off how much they know and how spiritual they are. Meanwhile the people who actually know their sh!t sneak off for steak and red wine, ha.

Hinduism/Buddhism fad?! What are you talking about? Where do you think yoga comes from? Maybe not vinyasa flow, but forms like hatha yoga?

By "fad" I mean "the fad of Westerners deciding another religion they know nothing about is the path to enlightenment".

How presumptive of you. What do you know about my level of knowledge of these religions? How dare you be so judgmental about my religious choices.

For the vast majority of Westerners, Eastern religious belief is a fad. I know some people who studied with great Eastern religious scholars for decades. I know a whole lot more who read a couple websites, maybe a book, and start spouting it off in classes to people who don’t care. Yoga is not meant to be practiced in conjunction with any particular religion, it is meant to be practiced with any. Or none. Or multiple ones. If people don’t want to hear Sanskrit chants or Hindu philosophy, that’s fine. The sutra-s themselves literally say you can do whatever works for you. I’ve known people who have had great success incorporating Bible verses into their practice. There are also many people like me, who don’t subscribe to any particular religion but still get a lot of value. And there are TONS of people who came to yoga just for the physical aspect, which is exactly what they needed at the time.

Not sure if you subscribe to the reincarnation thing, but if the idea is that we make a little bit of progress each time we come back, perhaps just taking vinyasa flow classes in this life is enough to propel them to more spiritual practices in the next life.

Yoga has an affiliation with a particular religious tradition; not sure why you think it doesn’t. It can be compatible with other religions, but it’s simply inaccurate to pretend it originated outside the purview of any religion.

My issue is you assume I’m a dilettante. I’m not. I have been learning about Buddhism and Hinduism for at least half my life and take it pretty seriously. I do believe in reincarnation, of course. I’m not sure that going to yoga classes and resenting mindfulness will do much for these people spiritually in the next life, but if it does, then that’s great.

The fact that you combine Buddhism and Hinduism into apparently one religion says all I need to know.

What?? I said I learned about both — I never said it’s one religion. What’s wrong with you? Why are you so intent on proving I don’t know what I’m talking about?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you, OP. It's part of why I don't do a lot of yoga.

Funnily enough one time I took a yoga class in India and it didn't have a lot of the woo woo stuff to it. It really was physical. I liked it much better.

Modi is pushing yoga as part of resurgent Hindu nationalism.

Anonymous wrote:I'm with you, OP. It's part of why I don't do a lot of yoga.

Funnily enough one time I took a yoga class in India and it didn't have a lot of the woo woo stuff to it. It really was physical. I liked it much better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, Yoga is a spiritual practice. Some yoga studios have modified it to be all about a physical workout. And it’s no longer yoga. They call it Yoga. They use yoga terms. But without the spiritual component, you aren’t practicing yoga. You’re just exercising. It sounds like yoga might not be a good fit for you. Try Barre or Pilates maybe? You could also try the “yoga” classes at a gym instead of a yoga studio.

/Yoga Instructor

Thank you!!

- person who’s been attacked for claiming this

Anonymous wrote:OP, Yoga is a spiritual practice. Some yoga studios have modified it to be all about a physical workout. And it’s no longer yoga. They call it Yoga. They use yoga terms. But without the spiritual component, you aren’t practicing yoga. You’re just exercising. It sounds like yoga might not be a good fit for you. Try Barre or Pilates maybe? You could also try the “yoga” classes at a gym instead of a yoga studio.

/Yoga Instructor

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Alignment is CRITICAL to yoga. You might not want to be touched, but you're going to be in a lot of pain when you're older if you keep practicing moves out of alignment. There is simply no point to doing yoga if your backbone isn't perfectly aligned, your hips aren't as symmetrical as you can get them, your shoulders too, etc. You're hurting yourself long-term, that's all you're doing.

no, alignment is not critical. I don't think you have any clue what you're talking about. plus, you don't need to touch and shove people to get them in alignment. you can use words. and yoga teachers inevitably try to push me out of my range of motion - not good!

It’s not? Tell that to my body. It most definitely is. I’ve injured myself being out of alignment in particular poses for years.

Yoga injuries are caused because they force the body into unnatural positions bearing too much weight on joints not designed for it. In addition to the fake "ancient" spirituality, most yoga instructors are crappy about safe postures.

in other words, no amount of perfect alignment is going to save your wrists and shoulders from repeated downward dog for years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Alignment is CRITICAL to yoga. You might not want to be touched, but you're going to be in a lot of pain when you're older if you keep practicing moves out of alignment. There is simply no point to doing yoga if your backbone isn't perfectly aligned, your hips aren't as symmetrical as you can get them, your shoulders too, etc. You're hurting yourself long-term, that's all you're doing.

no, alignment is not critical. I don't think you have any clue what you're talking about. plus, you don't need to touch and shove people to get them in alignment. you can use words. and yoga teachers inevitably try to push me out of my range of motion - not good!

It’s not? Tell that to my body. It most definitely is. I’ve injured myself being out of alignment in particular poses for years.

Yoga injuries are caused because they force the body into unnatural positions bearing too much weight on joints not designed for it. In addition to the fake "ancient" spirituality, most yoga instructors are crappy about safe postures.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Alignment is CRITICAL to yoga. You might not want to be touched, but you're going to be in a lot of pain when you're older if you keep practicing moves out of alignment. There is simply no point to doing yoga if your backbone isn't perfectly aligned, your hips aren't as symmetrical as you can get them, your shoulders too, etc. You're hurting yourself long-term, that's all you're doing.

no, alignment is not critical. I don't think you have any clue what you're talking about. plus, you don't need to touch and shove people to get them in alignment. you can use words. and yoga teachers inevitably try to push me out of my range of motion - not good!

It’s not? Tell that to my body. It most definitely is. I’ve injured myself being out of alignment in particular poses for years.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to watch you do all kinds of weird handstands only a gymnast can do. I don’t want to hear about chakras and why inversions are good or bad at this time of the month. I especially don’t want to be “adjusted “ ie touched and repositioned by the teacher- get your hands off me please for crying out loud! I don’t want to hear your narrative commentary about woo-woo poems or pseudo religious pondering, or anything else like that! I just want a good hard Vinyasa flow session with no chitchat. Why do all of the teachers use the spotlight to just blabber on and on?? I’m there to exercise! I love yoga because it makes me stronger, improves balance and flexibility, and nothing melts the fat like a hard yoga practice either. So why does yoga come with all of this nonsense?? And if you even so much as mention for the billionth time your next retreat in Greece, I am outta there!!

Anyone recommend a good hard athletic class with a serious instructor? Or a studio of this type?

If you are a yoga teacher please explain this silly showboating...? We lose at least 15 mins out of a one hour class with your “third eye breath in/breath out” bs.

*I realize this is not really a REAL problem but anyway... namaste.

dp It sounds like you need to get a video and do yoga by yourself. Many people don't find what the yoga teachers do annoying and if you do ( no judgement) instead of saying what is wrong with them why not say It isn't for me?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:


Alignment is CRITICAL to yoga. You might not want to be touched, but you're going to be in a lot of pain when you're older if you keep practicing moves out of alignment. There is simply no point to doing yoga if your backbone isn't perfectly aligned, your hips aren't as symmetrical as you can get them, your shoulders too, etc. You're hurting yourself long-term, that's all you're doing.

no, alignment is not critical. I don't think you have any clue what you're talking about. plus, you don't need to touch and shove people to get them in alignment. you can use words. and yoga teachers inevitably try to push me out of my range of motion - not good!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don’t want to watch you do all kinds of weird handstands only a gymnast can do. I don’t want to hear about chakras and why inversions are good or bad at this time of the month. I especially don’t want to be “adjusted “ ie touched and repositioned by the teacher- get your hands off me please for crying out loud! I don’t want to hear your narrative commentary about woo-woo poems or pseudo religious pondering, or anything else like that! I just want a good hard Vinyasa flow session with no chitchat. Why do all of the teachers use the spotlight to just blabber on and on?? I’m there to exercise! I love yoga because it makes me stronger, improves balance and flexibility, and nothing melts the fat like a hard yoga practice either. So why does yoga come with all of this nonsense?? And if you even so much as mention for the billionth time your next retreat in Greece, I am outta there!!

Anyone recommend a good hard athletic class with a serious instructor? Or a studio of this type?

If you are a yoga teacher please explain this silly showboating...? We lose at least 15 mins out of a one hour class with your “third eye breath in/breath out” bs.

*I realize this is not really a REAL problem but anyway... namaste.

I'm a yoga teacher who has been practicing 15 years, and I totally agree with you. Yoga teachers are some of the most annoying people I've known. Most people really have no idea what they are talking about. It's like most disciplines- those who are beginners think they know a lot and are eager to share, while the experts recognize how little they actually know and are humble. In reality, it takes years of chanting mantra-s and sutra-s, meditation, studying texts, etc until you can understand the teachings.

A good teacher understands what the student needs at that time and doesn't force what they *think* the student needs. Most of us come to yoga for the exercise component, and are only ready to receive the deeper teachings after years of practice. That's totally fine.

I also don't get the whole Hinduism/Buddhism fad in yoga classes. It's very powerful to study the religious tradition you were raised in and use that in conjunction with yoga, rather than one from halfway around the world that you have no real experience with. Most teachers also don't realize that "namaste" is a greeting said to elders to show respect, and that getting a tattoo of an om symbol is pretty offensive towards Hinduism.

I can't stand most yoga events because it turns into a big circle jerk where everyone tries to show off how much they know and how spiritual they are. Meanwhile the people who actually know their sh!t sneak off for steak and red wine, ha.

Hinduism/Buddhism fad?! What are you talking about? Where do you think yoga comes from? Maybe not vinyasa flow, but forms like hatha yoga?

By "fad" I mean "the fad of Westerners deciding another religion they know nothing about is the path to enlightenment".

How presumptive of you. What do you know about my level of knowledge of these religions? How dare you be so judgmental about my religious choices.

For the vast majority of Westerners, Eastern religious belief is a fad. I know some people who studied with great Eastern religious scholars for decades. I know a whole lot more who read a couple websites, maybe a book, and start spouting it off in classes to people who don’t care. Yoga is not meant to be practiced in conjunction with any particular religion, it is meant to be practiced with any. Or none. Or multiple ones. If people don’t want to hear Sanskrit chants or Hindu philosophy, that’s fine. The sutra-s themselves literally say you can do whatever works for you. I’ve known people who have had great success incorporating Bible verses into their practice. There are also many people like me, who don’t subscribe to any particular religion but still get a lot of value. And there are TONS of people who came to yoga just for the physical aspect, which is exactly what they needed at the time.

Not sure if you subscribe to the reincarnation thing, but if the idea is that we make a little bit of progress each time we come back, perhaps just taking vinyasa flow classes in this life is enough to propel them to more spiritual practices in the next life.

Yoga has an affiliation with a particular religious tradition; not sure why you think it doesn’t. It can be compatible with other religions, but it’s simply inaccurate to pretend it originated outside the purview of any religion.

My issue is you assume I’m a dilettante. I’m not. I have been learning about Buddhism and Hinduism for at least half my life and take it pretty seriously. I do believe in reincarnation, of course. I’m not sure that going to yoga classes and resenting mindfulness will do much for these people spiritually in the next life, but if it does, then that’s great.

The fact that you combine Buddhism and Hinduism into apparently one religion says all I need to know.

What?? I said I learned about both — I never said it’s one religion. What’s wrong with you? Why are you so intent on proving I don’t know what I’m talking about?

Because you clearly just have superficial -- yes fad -- level knowledge. The premise here is that yoga is some kind of religious act in the US, when clearly it's not. It's a WESTERN exercise, with people who have a superficial level knowledge of "Hinduism-slash-Buddhism" who think that the fact that they can talk about "releasing the fruits of your labor" means they are conducting some kind of authentic religious ritual. I'm actually not a stickler about "authenticity" and religion, so I will grant (if you want) that yoga can be a religious exercise. But to claim that yoga in the US is a Hindu or Buddhist religious rite is just wrong. It's a syncretic, appropriative European calesthenic exercise class mixed with some Hindu and Buddhist concepts.

I never said Hinduism/Buddhism, first of all. Stop making things up.

Yoga absolutely originated as a religious practice. I never said the way it’s practiced in the US is 100% authentic. I’m simply talking about its origins.

You are a nasty, mean person who is intent on making assumptions about me and I’m sick of it.

Have a nice day and try to show some kindness.

lol, ok read some history. There is absolutely nothing historical at all about yoga as practiced in the US today. There may be something spiritual or religious about it, but it's not Hindu or Buddhist.

"Today most people associate modern yoga with modern postural yoga, a fitness regimen made up of sequences of bodily postures, which are often synchronized with the breath. The emphasis on posture practice that characterizes modern postural yoga departs not just from the early history of modern yoga, but also from the history of yoga in general. In other words, posture practice was not central to any yoga tradition prior to the 20th century."

https://oxfordre.com/religion/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199340378.001.0001/acrefore-9780199340378-e-163

Again, I’m talking about YOGA. Not vinyasa flow, power yoga, etc. Just yoga. Not how it’s practiced today in the US. Yoga, in some form, has a long history that is intertwined with religious traditions.

The word "yoga" has a long history - but yoga in the US has zero to do with that long history. If you're instisting you perform some kind of yoga that directly descends from Hinduism or Buddhism, then you're basically saying you're Hindu or Buddhist? Anyway, not sure what the point is, since whatever it is you're doing bears no relation to what OP is complaining about (the syncretic, appropriative use of Buddhist and Hindu sayings in US yoga classes.)

I’m not sure what your point is either, except for crapping on everything I’m saying.

Yes I believe in something akin to Buddhism. My personal beliefs are my own and not something I’m prepared to share with someone who clearly has no respect for me.

My respect for you is beside the point. My point is that yoga is not a) ancient b) hindu or c) buddhist.

Yoga (/?jo???/;[1] Sanskrit: ???; About this soundpronunciation) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. Yoga is one of the six orthodox schools of Hindu philosophical traditions.[2] There is a broad variety of yoga schools, practices, and goals[3] in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism.[4][5][6] The term "yoga" in the Western world often denotes a modern form of Hatha yoga, consisting largely of the postures called asanas.

Again, modern yoga in the US has very little to do with Hinduism and Buddhism, other than adopting some terminology. Do you think that because you say "om" at the end of your $25 yoga class you're Hindu?

How many times do I have to say I’m NOT TALKING ABOUT MODERN US YOGA!!!!!!!

well, why are you posting here?

Why are you posting here, except to crap on me?