Well folks if you’re on this journey with me, we’ve made it HALFWAY!! I gotta say I feel amazing! Doing yoga every day is probably the best thing I have ever done. My body feels so strong I can’t even believe it. I am sore a lot and still feel tired some mornings but for the most part I feel really energised and much more alive! They say yoga is all about balance and I have found a lot more of it in my life by doing this challenge; both in lifestyle and physically. Although I’m still not one to stand on my head.
Cut to the title of today’s blog. The Yoga Douche. If you’ve ever been to a yoga class (more specifically at a studio) you’ve likely run into one of these. In my last post I spoke of avoiding going to Vinyasa or Power classes for a number of reasons, and yoga douches are one of them. You can spot a yoga douche a number of ways. They can usually be found in hot yoga or power classes because forget going inwards and developing consciousness, yoga is a workout! They are generally dressed in lululemon head to toe, they love to breathe really loudly at strange times, they love to contort themselves into the most advanced poses generally at the expense of their spine, hips or shoulders because they are too busy looking around the room or struggling in the posture to listen to their body and they can often be seen leaving before or during Savasana because they are super busy and those last few minutes of integration, healing and relaxation are ‘boring’. The biggest of all yoga douches are those who do ‘yoga competitions’ (yes this is apparently a thing and I’m going to move on quickly before a rant comes on about this disgusting display of cultural appropriation)
Now I can already hear some of you saying to yourselves, “Wow Kendra, judge much?!” It’s true, in describing the yoga douche I am coming across as well, a douche! But this post has a purpose I promise. The fact that I am able to quickly place someone in a category based on what I see is a judgement, and up until recently I allowed this judgement to limit me from experiencing things I might enjoy and affecting my practice.
Sunday I went to a Hatha class with a teacher who is very into the spiritual practice behind the work, and I love his classes because he does simple enough classes posture wise that I can keep my eyes closed the entire time and really focus on my breath, feel the movement, stay in my body, and connect to myself. I like to go early to class usually and get a little extra meditation in and usually I can simply sit and tune in quickly. This class there were a few girls chatting loudly and laughing and talking about their weekends. My immediate reaction was to be annoyed. Did they not see that there were people (aka me) trying to meditate and relax?! Then I stopped, did what I was there to do and checked in. These girls were happy! They were laughing and connecting and enjoying their day. It is a public space that was created to develop community around a common goal and here I was judging their experience! Who’s the yoga douche now?!
Saturday I went to what was supposed to be another Hatha class with my good friend, colleague and yogi and it turned out to be an Ashtanga class (old school power class). Her and I both were a little reluctant but decided to stick it out because there is always a lesson in situations like this. The class ended up being positive for us but another woman in the class had injured herself at some point. My friend made a comment that this was why she disliked this style of yoga because it pushes people too hard and they end up injured. Normally I would have agreed with her but that day I pointed out that it wasn’t the style of yoga that was to blame for this woman’s injury so much as her not listening to her body, pushing herself and probably losing integrity in her posture. In that moment this woman was being a bit of a yoga douche. The day I was annoyed with the girls for talking during meditation and looking outside of myself in order to fix my internal state, I was being a yoga douche. Or perhaps a less judgmental way to put it would be that we are operating from our egos. Letting our insecurities, self judgments and outward focus cause us pain or discomfort. I know that sometimes when I see people floating into headstands like they were born to I want to call them a yoga douche but really, I’m just jealous of their wicked core strength! My ego is telling me that my wide legged forward fold isn’t good enough. So in times like that I close my eyes, and my breath slows and I go within to a place that says I am so much more relaxed and happy in my life now than I was before I did yoga regularly and being able to stand on my head isn’t going to change that! I’m exactly where I ‘should be’.
Now instead of avoiding those classes I go. I do my best to focus on my practice rather than the possible distraction of the guy next to me contorting himself and breathing jaggedly to hold a position that looks good. I push my body a little further past what I think it can do to test it and if it feels good I continue, if not I back out and modify. I tune inwards. I smile in discomfort, I sweat and I get a workout while I keep my attention and intention on me and my breath. I recognise that the ‘yoga douches’ are lovely humans who are on a path to consciousness like I am and that their story might mean they need to focus outwards but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t getting the same benefits I think I do from this practice.
So this is the question for you: where does your ego get in the way? Are there times in your life when you get angry at others for the feelings you have? Where do you seek approval from others? How often do you stop and check in with yourself and listen? This all goes back to mindfulness. When we spend the day rushing, and judging and focusing on everyone and everything else around us we have no control, or balance or power. When we slow down, and tune in to what is going on for us whether it be physically, mentally or emotionally we empower ourselves to make positive changes and hopefully find compassion. So the next time you see a ‘yoga douche’ send them a little smile, stop and go inwards you may just learn something about yourself!
Much love
Kendra
