Indian Religion and Western Yoga Practice Sacha Mathew
Non-Hindu Religiousness in Western yoga
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- Non-Hindu Religiousness in Western yoga
- Bibliography
- Appendix 2 CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN “Indian Religion and Western Yoga Practice”
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Although Indian religion seems irrelevant to teachers and student, as soon as we began speaking of the benefits of yoga, apart from physical ones, they used language that I interpret as spiritual. In general, male participants hardly used spiritual language whereas female participants used it quite a bit. On the surface, the participants did not recognize yoga as fulfilling any spiritual need but they expressed the benefits in terms of various qualities that the practice has helped them to develop: self-awareness, acceptance, patience, confidence, emotional balance, self-transformation, a feeling of accomplishment, happiness, peace and inner strength. In an earlier time, we may have thought of these qualities as arising from one‟s faith. The other sort of language used concerns feelings of being “centered”, “grounded”, or “connected”, although never specifying what focus or force they feel in contact with. It seems that their practice does provide some religious experience for participants. However, when asked directly about the aims that participants have with respect to their practice, the vast majority speak only in terms of physical goals. It seems that the participants feel comfortable in an environment that does not have conventional religious trappings but provides them with some vague personal spirituality. By remaining vague, this sort of soft spirituality is not only safe, it‟s quite attractive too. Every participant spoke about the feeling of peace, rest, balance and joy they experience at the end of a class. This in itself indicates that their practice is fulfilling something that we might term a spiritual need.
Not only does yoga evoke a quasi-religious inner experience, but the ritual aspect of religious services and ceremonies is reflected in the environment and activities at the studios. The removal of footwear at the entrance suggests an acknowledgement of the sanctity of the studio. Each class has a fixed structure. In the cases of Ashtanga and
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Iyengar, there is an invocation at the start of class and often chanting at the end as well. The acceptance of the ritual aspect of class is seen in the differences between veterans and novices at a studio. The veterans know the ritual and model the behaviour for newcomers. For example, before class begins at the Moksha studio, students in the classroom assume the wide-legged child pose, although there is no explicit instruction that this should be done. Likewise at the end of class for the final relaxation, students face the opposite direction from the position they had been facing during the class. In both cases, novices are unaware of the ritual behaviour and look around to take their cues from the veterans. Another way in which behaviour in yoga studios resemble religious services is the frequency and consistency of class attendance. Once students settle into a pattern, they tend to repeat the same number and exactly the same classes week after week. The manager of a Montreal yoga studio that I did not study for this thesis, once quipped to me that his Sunday morning class was especially popular.
The social aspect of a religious community is reflected at the yoga studios. Sattva Yoga Shala has its lounge and dedicated regulars who attend the daily morning Mysore class. Although the Iyengar studio seems a little cold, due to its structured organization, a community among teachers is always active. At Moksha Yoga we can see the community amongst teachers (although mostly online) described by MT3 as the Moksha Yoga “sangha”, invoking the notion of a Buddhist religious community. The notion of a spiritual community does not need to be recognized overtly; students feel the connection on a more informal level. When asked about the benefits, AS1 said it best when she simple said, “I get to see people”. The sense of community and connection to people with 75
things in common who meet on a regular basis fulfills certain basic social needs, similar to that of a religious community.
I have a suspicion that due to Quebec‟s unique history with respect to organized religion, particularly the Catholic Church, the participants‟ reception of the studios‟ Indian features is rather secular. None of the participants expressed any kind of displeasure nor felt threatened by Hindu iconography and language. Quebec society is strongly secular and its people don‟t look upon religious symbols with much religious significance. The reception of yoga has been different in the United States, as recent articles in the American press have indicated. There, at least some people are concerned that yoga may be in competition with mainstream Western religions. There is a range of responses, including the adaptation of yoga by other religious faiths as indicated by the books Yoga for Christians: a Christ centred approach to physical & spiritual health (2006), Torah Yoga: Experiencing Jewish wisdom through classic postures (2004) and Aleph-Bet Yoga: Embodying the Hebrew letters for physical & spiritual well being (2002). Despite the fact that most responses fall into this category, some offer stronger critiques of yoga‟s Hindu roots. Dave Hunt‟s Yoga and the Body of Christ (2006) discourages Christians from practicing yoga under any circumstance, calling it “pagan”, “heathen”, “Satanic” and “Devil worship”. Although some responses may represent the view of a minority of North Americans, there is a perceived religious threat on the part of some, a threat which is not expressed at all in the context of Montreal.
Students and teachers at the Montreal studios used spiritual language to describe the benefits and effects of yoga, just as they did when asked about their definition of yoga. Their benefits from yoga incorporate secularized spiritual or ethical principles. 76
AT3 declared his aim to be “to help myself to then help others... [and to be] a positive force for the evolution of others”. Also among the students we find them seeking peace of mind and happiness. Although only one participant mentioned the yamas and niyamas, the ethical code of yoga and the first two of the eight steps found in the Yogasutras, many participants used yoga not so much as an ethical guide but rather ethical inspiration. IT2 aims at being “a better participant in the world”. The definitions of yoga practitioners provided always include the physical exercises but also a type of spiritual jargon, for example the goal of “knowing yourself”. MT3 is trying to “cultivate peace” through her practice and MT1 is trying “to be a better person”. The most striking example of this sort of language is found in IT1‟s definition of yoga. He has marvellously blended Christian and Eastern spirituality and religious ethics in saying that yoga is “being kind to your neighbour, self-study, seeing God in all around and reading scriptures”.
Based on my field work at three Montreal studios, I have been able to show that yoga exerts an influence on participants‟ attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. That influence is by no means overt and is not necessarily linked to Indian spirituality or Hinduism. Even at Moksha Yoga, the least Indian of the three, participants speak in terms of spiritual values. The spiritual aims or ethical precepts expressed by participants are not at any time explicitly enunciated in the three studios‟ classes. So one wonders how the participation in the various exercises and postures in these classes has the impact that it does. I can only venture to guess that yoga, even in its purely physical form, is approached by participants with certain preconceived ideas and is viewed as being imbued with the spirit of Indian religion. Of most interest is that this “Indian-ness” – and,
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even more, this spirituality – is to a significant degree projected on the studios and the exercises by the participants themselves.
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How long have you been practicing yoga?
What originally attracted you to yoga? What benefits have you personally experienced that you attribute to your practice?
What are the possible benefits of yoga that you know? Do you have a personal practice? Please describe it.
Are breathing exercises (pranayama) important to you? Do you attend classes at other studios? Why or why not?
What attracted you to this particular studio? What keeps you at this studio? What do you particularly like about this studio? What makes this studio distinct?
Have you tried other styles of yoga? Do you have a preference and why? What can you tell me about the origins of yoga? Are the origins of yoga important to you?
Is it important that a teacher use Sanskrit terms in class?
Is it important to know about your instructor and how they were trained? Can you indicate how important your practice is in your life?
Have you read any books on yoga? Which titles? What is the aim of your yoga practice?
In your opinion, what are the markers of a good yoga class? How do you prefer to approach your practice of postures?
Are you aware of other types of yoga that do not use postures? Are you interested in these types?
Do you have a meditation practice?
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CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN “Indian Religion and Western Yoga Practice” This is to state that I agree to participate in a program of research being conducted by Sacha Mathew of the Department of Religion of Concordia University.
I have been informed that the purpose of the research is to collect data on Western yoga practices and how they intersect with Hindu religious practices and ideas.
The interview will be conducted in a public venue of the participant`s choice. Participants will give a recorded interview and depending on responses may last up to one hour. To preserve anonymity, no names will be made use of in the project. C. RISKS AND BENEFITS There are no personal risks involved in the interview. Participants may benefit in the form of greater clarity with regard to their own yoga practice due to the fact that discussion will vocalize answers to questions that the participant had perhaps never asked him/herself.
• I understand that I am free to withdraw my consent and discontinue my participation at anytime without negative consequences. • I understand that my participation in this study is CONFIDENTIAL (i.e., the researcher will know, but will not disclose my identity) • I understand that the data from this study may be published.
I HAVE CAREFULLY STUDIED THE ABOVE AND UNDERSTAND THIS AGREEMENT. I FREELY CONSENT AND VOLUNTARILY AGREE TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS STUDY. NAME (please print) __________________________________________________________ SIGNATURE _______________________________________________________________ If at any time you have questions about the proposed research, please contact the study‟s Principal Investigator: Sacha Mathew, Department of Religion. sacha.mathew@gmail.com If at any time you have questions about your rights as a research participant, please contact the Research Ethics and Compliance Advisor, Concordia University, Dr. Brigitte Des Rosiers, at (514) 848-2424 x7481 or by email at bdesrosi@alcor.concordia.ca Yüklə 0,77 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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