Yoga - Religious?

4 March , 2010. Denise Ferguson

I had a discussion at dinner the other night about religion. I mentioned that Easter eggs had appeared in the shops, and that if they are traditionally meant to be eaten after Easter, and if chocolate is perishable (and meltable), then isn’t it too early? We then discussed the notion of religion becoming obsolete and how it has received bad connotations over the years. My dinner partner suggested that there may be a slight rejection towards religion now and although some are balking at it, it will probably settle down and take on a new meaning. Could it be possible one day to have our own individual religious beliefs? Discussions on whether yoga is a religion can be delicate. I have heard people say that yoga is their ‘religion’. I’m no religious expert, but I understand it to be not about the belief of an individual, but about devotion to a group who subscribe to the same beliefs, usually involving worship of a deity, or leader. Yoga officially is not a religion because you can hold any religious belief and still practice, however it does involve philosophical and spiritual teachings and sometimes devotion and worship. So is yoga a religion? In today’s sense of the word, it is not.

I recall a time I assured a Catholic woman that she could hold her beliefs and still practice yoga. I said we may put our palms together at our heart’s centre but if she didn’t want to, she didn’t have to. She was a bit nervous and I encouraged her to try it and see for herself. She came to class that evening. Midway through the class a chant by Krishna Das came onto my MP3 player. ‘Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Krishna’ are the only words on the entire track. Oh dear. She asked me to turn off the music. I obliged. She never came back.

I felt disappointed that she didn’t feel comfortable and I certainly hadn’t intended for that particular track to come on but I realised that it just wasn’t her time. People of many religions and cultures practice yoga and either enjoy the spiritual teachings, or let them go. Perhaps it is the absence of the worship of a single deity that separates it from religion. The meaning of religion according to the Merriam Webster online dictionary is this: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardour and faith. Perhaps it is because you can practice yoga and not have faith in the spiritual teachings that makes it a non-religious practice. What if you do have faith in the philosophy? I do. Is yoga my religion then? I do not think of it that way, but I wonder if one day religion will take on a new meaning. I do know this; yoga is about having faith in oneself. I like that.

Dancing like a white girl

1 March , 2010. Denise Ferguson

I have a friend who tells me that I dance like a white girl. ‘I’m white’, I quite dryly reply. When I bust out my crumping routine in an effort to show that I can in fact dance, he very kindly repeats that I dance, and try to crump like a white girl. My girlfriend (who is also white) has more rhythm than Beyonce and she doesn’t get the same comments from our friend.  She is however equipped with a J -Lo booty so I think it might be something to do with that.   She tried to teach me how to crump on Friday night, however mid crump I began to get stares from the other people on the dance floor and....... well it became embarrassing. Someone pointed out a mirror for me to look in – I think they thought that if I saw how bad I looked, I’d put everyone else out of their misery. I ended up reverting to the ‘step to the left then step to the right’ routine after being put in my place by my friends and laughed at by total strangers.

The very next morning I was invited to attend a special yoga class by a guest teacher named Mark Whitwell. It was a beautiful dance like Vinyasa Yoga class with emphasis on the pranayama technique of Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga called Ujjay (oo jay ee) breathing. For the entire class I was in the zone. I didn’t see or feel anyone around me as I breathed and moved almost continuously through yoga poses in a dance like fashion. After class the teacher told me I was ‘very good’. Yee ha! Mama got her rhythm back! I did however feel very humble in the presence of such a great teacher. I think I stammered when he asked me for my name.

I feel confident practicing and teaching yoga, and in many other things I do but I always remain a humble and hungry student. I am also humble knowing that I'll never have all of the answers, and some things I may never be good at. I find that the combination of confidence and humility is a good one. It helps me to rest in a powerful place, without feeling the need to be or do it all or to prove anything to anyone (including myself).

One big family

24 February , 2010. Denise Ferguson

September 11, 2001 I woke up from a night's sleep to find my flatmate watching telly.  As I pondered why he was watching tv first thing in the morning, the look on his face said a thousand words... "Today is different”. I sat down and watched in horror as the Second Tower of the World Trade Centre fell. That afternoon both my mother and father called and said “Get out of the country and come home”. I stayed in the United States, and I learned about community. To find community in another country is a beautiful experience. To arrive home after several years and feel like a stranger is another experience. To regain that feeling of belonging in the place you were born is the best experience of all. The human species is our family, as is our world, continent, country, city, neighbourhood, community, and friends. We take pride in the virtue of those closest to us and we compete with those further afield. The further I have been, the more I have learned that I am a part of a giant whole and I delight more in the achievements of my family, human kind.

Status vs Authenticity

4 February , 2010. Denise Ferguson

I’m reading a good book at the moment. It discusses the inherent desire in us as humans to succeed versus simply being happy, (also in our DNA). It poses the questions, ‘What is success?’ and ‘How much does success depend upon our happiness?’ The book suggests that we place our value upon the value of our closest peers in a jostle for status in society and we place our joy on whether or not we are admired by our peers, thus creating a “Status Anxiety”.

Last Friday I went to see Nine at the movies. The female characters in the movie represented different female archetypes and highlighted each woman in her individuality and authenticity. The women were not perfect, necessarily admirable or even happy, but their authenticity made them beautiful, interesting and worthwhile nevertheless.

I am often tempted to dissect my flaws and use them as canvases to better myself. One may think it could pave a path of success and happiness, or perhaps it could become quite exhausting and depressing. Is it possible for our worth to be dependent on our virtues rather than our status? Can we be happy because we are living a life of authentic mistake making and discovery, rather than gaining the approval of society?

Since the book, and the movie, I can humbly accept myself flaws and all and realise my success in finding my authentic, imperfect and individual self. I now believe even more that to find success and happiness is to live your best, authentic life. I also believe that we can be beautiful and worthwhile human beings because of our flaws rather than in spite of them. What a relief.