Back in the 1960’s and ‘70s there was lots of sometimes stoned talk about Kundalini yoga, Krishnamurti, cosmic consciousness, Yehudi Menuhin, macrobiotics, The Baghavad Gita, and making love, not war. The East had something to offer deficient Westerners. Thankfully, part of this excess of youthful exuberance helped to establish yoga as a part of American life.
Today, according to Yoga Journal, over fifteen million Americans practice yoga. That number is higher than the combined populations of the states of Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Nevada (U.S. Census Bureau, July, 2008).
Yet no movement of such impact escapes cultural boundaries unaffected. One example of this is the current roar re: diet for yogis (male yoga disciples) and yoginis (female yoga disciples), chocolate yoga, and competition yoga in the U.S. Such roars put zombie yoga in new light.
Re: diet and food. Traditionally, yogi teachers were vegetarians. This was in line with the honored precept of not harming living creatures. Students could be meat-eaters, yet teachers were to have different disciplines.
Not anymore. Perhaps, there’s a general loosening for convenience. Perhaps, there’s a little bit of influence since we’ve learned that vegetables do not respond calmly to boiling water and chopping. They sort of scream, in a vegetable sort of way. Lines in the sand are being drawn over including bacon in a yogi’s diet—it’s never been on anyone’s Healthy Food list.
Then there’s enterprising yoga teachers such as David Romanelli who’s developed a “Yoga for Foodies” series. Students are presented with a lovely, aesthetic, vegetarian meal, complete with wine and chocolate, after their hour of intense yoga practice.
When questioned as to possible purity of intent here, Mr. Romanelli said, “The world is a better place if people do yoga. And if they come because chocolate or wine is involved, I’m fine with it.” (The New York Times, “When Chocolate and Chakras Collide,” written by Julia Moskin.)
So what about competition yoga? Ashtanga yoga is being considered as part of the Olympic elite. At Beijing in 2008 it featured as a demonstration sport. Yoga competitions featuring asanas (postures) are a global phenomenon. And, in a letter to “Respected Westerns Minds,” Swami Shankarananda argues what’s the problem?
He says, “Here in India we have yoga competition for 2000 years … We have pranayama competition and philosophical competitions because yoga competition is our tradition.”
Still, there are those in the U.S. who maintain that yoga practice and philosophy does not lend itself to competition, that yoga is an individual quest for truth and connectedness, its strength largely spiritual. True, yoga competitors typically display astounding flexibility and grace, perfect bodies, lovely hairstyling and darn good dental work. It’s hard to argue about perfection in any mode.
Let’s leave these ripples against yogic harmony aside to discuss a possible welcome beginner’s approach to yoga: Laughter Yoga. It’s real, it’s the new kid on the yoga block, and everyone knows laughter is medicinally correct.
Laughter Yoga was introduced on March 13, 1995, by Dr. Madan Kataria of Mumbai, India. Part of its strength lies in the fact that the body cannot differentiate between real or fake laughter and that a person does not need a sense of humor to benefit from this practice. As a yoga practice it’s based upon pranayama or yogic breathing.
Locally the Awakenings Laughter Club still welcomes newcomers with open laughter, stretching, breathing, and meditation. Sessions begin with stretching and breathing, then chanting (not a difficult chant: “Ho-ho-Ha-ha-ha”), then the actual laughter yoga exercises, then meditation. Sessions conclude with deep breathing and grounding.
Laughter is contagious. The group setting is relaxed, playful, positive, fun. And it’s free! If new to yoga, this might be the best entrance yet. Have fun. Laugh and reap the benefits of yoga beginnings.
Awakenings Laughter Club meets at 1016 SE 12th Avenue, Portland, 97214, Tuesday mornings from 7:10 a.m. to 7:40. Contact Andréa Crisp, Laughter Yoga Teacher (trained by Dr. Kataria), Holistic Health Counselor and Reiki II instructor, at 503-351-8260 for more information.
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