The Overview
The big news in the Yoga world (well, the Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga world, at least) is the formal release of the long-rumored revised teacher authorization guidelines from the (newly named?) K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute (KPJAYI) in Mysore, India. Thanks go to ashtanganews.com for providing the first perspective on the changes as well as links to the source material.
This essay will provide an attempt to analyze the changes and project the potential impact of said changes on the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga brand in the United States from a strategic marketing perspective. Please note that the author has no ‘skin in the game’ as I’m not currently interested in becoming a yoga teacher and I don’t think that I can even be considered as a practitioner of traditional Ashtanga anymore, as I haven’t been to mysore-style classes in months and I’ve modified the series beyond all recognition. I believe that technically makes me a generic ‘vinyasa’ guy.
The Objectives & Strategy
It’s always helpful to start by analyzing the objectives (overarching goals) behind any business initiative. Unfortunately, the KPJAYI never explicitly states why they are implementing these changes. Therefore we’re forced to try to infer their intentions from the scant details that they have provided.
It is clear, however, that their strategy is to exert control over the transmission of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system by reducing the number of officially authorized/certified teachers. All of the changes are directed at current and prospective teachers. They are providing more explicit direction on how to obtain and maintain official authorization/certification. This seems to be a positive development, as prospective teachers now have more information at their disposal when determining whether to pursue a long-term career as a teacher of AVY.
Now that we have identified the strategy we can attempt to back into the objectives. I have identified two potential goals:
1) Ensure the proper transmission of the AVY sequences/method.
2) Reduce competition for consumer share of spending against AVY.
At this point, the pro-AYRI reader will be inclined to embrace option #1 – that this move is a noble attempt to ensure that the teachings are spread properly outside of India. The anti-AYRI reader will be inclined to believe option #2 – that this is all about money. It is wise to remember, however, that these options are not mutually exclusive. It is very possible that these changes were enacted in order to increase the perceived quality of the instruction and to direct the revenue to a smaller pool of individuals.
The New Criteria
So, how does one become a teacher of AVY nowadays?
In order to become a teacher of ashtanga yoga the aspirant should demonstrate an appropriate attitude, devotion towards the practice, and a respect for the tradition of parampara, the succession of teacher and disciple. These qualities can only be determined on an individual basis by the directors of the Institute.
Specifically,
General criteria for Authorized status:
• At least four extended trips to the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute
• Proficiency in the primary series
General criteria for Certified status:• More than eight annual trips to the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute
• Over ten years of experience with daily ashtanga yoga practice
• Proficiency in at least the first three series
Authorized teachers are generally limited to teach the primary series, while Certified teachers are qualified to teach as they have been guided by the directors of the KPJAYI.
The most interesting aspect, however, is clearly:
The K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute is dedicated to the education of yoga practitioners. Practitioners should come with the sole purpose of studying the tradition from its source. Students traveling to Mysore should not come with the expectation of obtaining Authorized or Certified status, nor should they claim such as soon as they meet the minimum requirements. Teaching authorizations and certifications are only offered by the directors of the Institute, they cannot be requested.
So, while the guidelines have been clarified, the actual process of authorization is still quite arbitrary.
The Implications
Clearly, the KPJAYI wants to stop people from making (multiple) trips to Mysore with the primary (sole) intention of gaining authorization. This seems to be intended to separate the dedicated practitioner from the opportunist; one can no longer plan on making x number of trips over the course of several years with the ultimate reward of authorization. Prospective teachers must now accept that it’s a crap shoot. They can meet all of the criteria, go to Mysore a dozen times and still never be authorized.
Of course, some prospective teachers (the opportunists) will soon realize that while an official authorization to teach Ashtanga from the KPJAYI is prestigious amongst Ashtanga circles, it is probably less recognized as a means of employment as a yoga teacher in America than a generic 200-hour certificate from Yoga Alliance. And since authorization is never guaranteed by the AYRI, they’ll probably be inclined pursue a more reliable course as a yoga teaching professional.
This will ensure that the KPJAYI will only have two types of customers amongst western students in the future: true believers (those whom see the value in making multiple trips to Mysore but aren’t driven by any desire to teach) and yoga tourists (not meant in a pejorative sense – tourists are merely those visitors whom love the practice and want the experience of going to the AYRI and plan a break from their ‘regular’ lives to acommodate the visit.)
As this move will probably reduce the number of people making multiple trips to Mysore, it can be viewed as an attempt to trade potential revenue for purity. This may also be an attempt to lessen the crowds in an overcrowded shala. In the future, authorized teachers will consist exclusively of true believers, not practitioners that are driven by the desire for a piece of paper.
(Of course, this raises the interesting question of whether the true believer that has no desire to pursue a career in yoga will actually possess the equity or business acumen required to successfully run a studio in the US when they are ultimately asked to teach by the KPJAYI.)
In a theoretical sense this is a good move. The KPJAYI will have greater confidence that their remote teachers are doing things the right way – their way. In a practical sense this will probably be terrible for the long-term health of Ashtanga in the U.S. and Canada. There are already a limited number of traditional Ashtanga teachers/studios in the West. Yes, certain markets (i.e. larger cities, communities built around ‘name’ teachers) will have Ashtanga studios, but there’s already a teacher shortage and it just got a lot worse.
As of today, there are only 20 teachers that are officially “allowed” teach in North America per the AYRI list. There are about 338 million people in the US and Canada. That’s one teacher for every 17 million people. That’s a lot of adjustments!
The Potential Impact on Studios
I guess these teachers are lucky that the competition will be so thin, because the rules for operating their studios (a.k.a. running a small business during a U.S. recession) just got tighter:
Teachers listed here are required to teach the method as it is taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath at the KPJAYI in Mysore, India. They should maintain a yoga room or shala to allow for daily, preferably morning, Mysore-style practice and should honor Saturdays and the full/new moon days as rest days.
And:
Please note that the KPJAYI is the only authority able to authorize or certify individuals to teach the ashtanga yoga method as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and R. Sharath. There are no teacher training programs approved by this Institute under any name (e.g., Ashtanga Teacher Intensive);
Now, this has been interpreted as a “no workshops” policy, but I interpret it as a “no teacher training program” policy. Both are significant sources of revenue for teachers/studios outside of monthly/drop-in fees. I don’t see why David Swenson wouldn’t be able to teach his “Physics of Flight” workshops. Actually, David isn’t on the new list, so I guess he can’t technically teach anything under the brand name “Ashtanga.”
Which brings up another interesting question: how is the Jois family ever going to enforce these rules? I don’t believe that they own the trademark on the name Ashtanga in the U.S. (please correct me if I’m wrong.) Therefore, they can either ask practitioners to shun non-authorized teachers/studios (a marginal tactic at best) or they can attempt to get the service mark.
Hmmm, yogis didn’t seem to like it when Bikram went that route…
The Relevant Case Study
Actually, the Bikram case study is an interesting one. I was practicing Bikram back when he “cracked down” on his teachers/studios with more stringent franchisee agreements (the right to use his name and sequence). Fearing lawsuits for non-compliance but afraid that they couldn’t afford to make ends meet under the new agreement, a lot of studios decided to abandon the name Bikram and just start selling “Hot Yoga” with superficial changes to the sequence. And while Bikram true believers might only patronize an official Bikram studio, most other practitioners don’t know enough about Yoga to know the difference between official Bikram hot yoga and unofficial Bikram hot yoga, especially when the teachers possessed the exact same training and certification.
The Hypothesis
I suppose the same thing will happen in the Ashtanga community. Studios will probably just continue to call themselves Ashtanga studios unless there’s some type of legal enforcement. The true believers may attempt to ostracize unauthorized studios, as is their right, but it will probably be an ineffectual tactic, as most new practitioners won’t know the difference and there won’t be enough authorized studios (for the foreseeable future) to satisfy the demand.
Assuming that there is some legal enforcement in the future, unauthorized studios will just change their names to the generic variants ‘Power’ or 'Vinyasa' which are already more popular yoga brand names in the US anyway.
Beyond the teacher authorization restrictions, the need to run mysore-only studios that are closed on Saturdays and moon days is a tough one. I’m guessing that a mysore teacher can only really handle 50 students at most (which still seems high – I’d guess the proper student/teacher ratio is closer to 20:1). At $200 per student per month we’re looking at topline revenue of $120,000. That’s a recipe for disaster – no business is going to survive anywhere on $10,000 a month gross revenue – that’ll barely cover rent and utilities and certainly won’t leave much for salaries or profit. Then again, the guidelines don’t seem to prohibit offering other types of classes (Bikram’s franchise agreement specifically prohibited this practice) so there are probably two options:
1) Run a mysore program within a larger studio; or
2) Run a mom & pop type mysore studio and augment the revenue via other sources.
The Alternative
There’s a relatively new studio in Boston – South Boston Yoga – that has an interesting new model: non-Ashtanga specific mysore-style classes every morning. Here’s the official description:
Open Practice: a space for students to come and develop their own style of practice under the guidance of an instructor. This is not a led class. Open practice is a time where restorative, ashtanga, movement exploration, Forrest, Yin, Vinyasa, Iyengar and Power Yoga can find a place to practice together at your own individual pace. Take this time to create a sequence that strengthens, heals, and awakens your own body. Some yoga experience and a personal practice is helpful, though the instructor is available for guidance and suggestions.
This is an interesting development. It takes one of the strengths of the Ashtanga method – guided self-practice – and divorces it from Ashtanga. It’ll be interesting to see if this takes off in more studios in the future. It’s a cool experiment that may negatively impact the official Ashtanga Yoga brand in the future (as they’re losing a unique point of differentiation.)
The Conclusion
In the end, I think these changes will have a minimal impact in the US. Unless the AYRI aggressively attempts to shut down non-authorized studios (which I doubt,) then the only thing that will change is that basically nobody (with a few exceptions) will be authorized to officially teach Ashtanga so therefore the authorization of Ashtanga teachers will be an irrelevant qualification.
I do feel sorry for the prospective teachers that have been making numerous trips for years expecting authorization. That’s one hard lesson in non-attachment.
If the AYRI does pursue the legal route, then the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga brand will be screwed anyway because there will only be a handful of places to practice. It’ll be like rolling the growth of the practice back to the 1970s level.
Maybe that’s exactly what the Jois family wants – to scale the practice back to just a few true believers. There are rumors that Sharath is taking a few years off and the rest of the family probably can’t handle the current workload for much longer.
I’m guessing that this is a conscious attempt to limit the practice to a smaller group of practitioners that are dedicated true believers and in exchange they’re willing to sacrifice the potential revenue.
If, however, this is an attempt to control the brand and concentrate revenue, then I think it’s a horrible plan. Managing growth is one thing, but choking it to death is quite another.
No matter what, us crafty Westerners will figure out a way to get Ashtanga regardless of what people in Mysore say – the cat’s already out of the bag. Everyone knows that Anusara is just Iyengar with a ‘heart-opening’ schtick and I’m sure the Ashtangi version of John Friend is waiting in the wings to sell a Western-alternative to the AYRI, given the worst-case scenario.
"New Frontier"/Donald Fagen/The Nightfly
43 comments:
What legal route do you mean? It doesn't seem like AYRI would have any teeth to make legal action happen. They wouldn't have the resources to dedicate to chasing down unauthorized studios that offer "ashtanga."
I only practice two or three of the limbs so the product name is no big deal to me. If we figure that people are okay with four limbs then we could call it Chaturanga Vinyasa Yoga, which is kinda slick. Chaturanga will bring droves of yoga shoppers to studios. All the asana, pranayama, deluxe samadhi and "dwi-yama" without all the hype. Of course, the astute shopper will see that dharana and dhyana must be somehow mixed into the deluxe samadhi because you really can't have that kind of meditation without the other two prerequisites. And, also, the dwi-yama is obviously a hybridized variation of yama and niyama. It's much more efficient though. And pratyahara... Pfft! Who needs pratyahara? People have iPods -- they're already tuned out.
South Boston Yoga sounds cool. I hope it turns out to be as good a thing as it sounds like it could be. Open practice is tops.
I can only address a few of the more fundamental errors here as I've things to do today.
"the formal release of the long-rumored revised teacher authorization guidelines"
None of the policy is new. Guruji has always said these things, people simply ignored him in the past without consequence. There is a difference between new rules and new enforcement. Be accurate in your claims.
"the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga brand"
Many of us do not look at this as a "brand" any more than Vedanta, Judaism, Janism, Christianity, or some other spiritual endeavor is a "brand." Clearly, you're coming from a particular perspective (neo-liberal American capitalist?) and while that's normal and good, it's erroneous to believe that is the only perspective, which is what your entire essay does by means of these foundational statements.
"the KPJAYI never explicitly states why they are implementing these changes."
Yes they do, quite clearly. I believe it's called parampara and means honoring the teacher/student tradition. Just pull it up on wikipedia if you need a primer and the objective becomes clear. It's important to do your research before making claims, otherwise you look like the fool in the back of the classroom who clearly didn't do their homework and just spits out wild statements to the chagrin of the rest of the class.
"It is clear, however, that their strategy is to exert control over the transmission of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system by reducing the number of officially authorized/certified teachers."
That's just a gross misreading. Their *objective* is to honor the tradition and not allow people to trade on Guruji's name if their not. Their *strategy* is to control the list of people they certify/authorize rather than having others do it for them. Neither the objective nor the strategy prevent people from transmitting the ashtanga yoga system, it simply could mean you have not received the blessing of the living guru. That doesn't mean, nor should it, that people can't continue to teach ashtanga (or the heavily modified version they've created), it simply means they haven't received the blessing, which is no big deal if they don't care about it enough to honor the tradition in the first place. Accuracy in terms is important, it prevents confusion both on the part of the reader, and the writer, the latter being the more detrimental and difficult to correct in a discourse.
"1) Ensure the proper transmission of the AVY sequences/method.
2) Reduce competition for consumer share of spending against AVY."
Point one seems to be clearly stated. But where do you get point two? Again, it reveals more about your perspective and capitalist tendencies than about the true objective of KPJAYI
"It is very possible that these changes were enacted in order to increase the perceived quality of the instruction and to direct the revenue to a smaller pool of individuals."
Yes, it is possibly, but a rather unsupported conclusion. There is not very solid evidence to support the earlier second option and thereby this sloppy amalgamation. In fact, if the new enforcement of old standards decreases the number of students, doesn't that provide a rather significantly strong counter point against the second objective? Again, a rigorous and logical argument would spot such missteps...
It's too painful to continue on here. Your essay is just completely off balance and full of such pure speculation that it does little more than continually illustrate your own neo-liberal capitalistic upbringing and tendencies. Again, such a perspective is fine but it's so strong that it's clearly altering your reading of the original text to a grossly erroneous place.
I've seen many discussions on this topic littering the web over the past few days and frankly no one seems to confront the matter on solid ground. There is a strong critique against KPJAYI that's available. It uses the very ideas from whence yoga came, it uses long-standing and logical (in the philosophical and rhetorical sense) ideas from vedanta and yoga. Such a critique would be far stronger and, more importantly, more intellectually rigorous.
Unfortunately, your conclusion does offer something solid, supported by centuries of evidence: "us crafty Westerners will figure out a way to get Ashtanga regardless of what people in Mysore say." Well if that aint the truth! White Western Europeans have been raping and pillaging the other cultures of this planet for so many centuries that we've become incredibly efficient at it. Where we once used guns, steel, and germs with our current state of globalized economic enforcement we now need only a strong sense of self-righteousness and entitlement along with enough disrespect and ethnocentrism to slap a logo/label on anything we can make a buck off.
The reason the authorized teacher list is so short is that everyone has to sign an agreement form and mail it to India before they will be included on the list. Sharath has given the teachers 3 months to do this. His list will not be complete until 3 months from now.
How are these requirements new? I remember reading these requirements on the ARYI's site last year. These requirements enforce that the teacher-student relationship is more than what you get in a led class.
Anonymous,
Thank you for your thoughtful response. I'm not sure why you're surprised that I'm coming from a particular perspective - I state up front in the overview that I was looking at the "potential impact of said changes on the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga brand in the United States from a strategic marketing perspective.
Like it or nor, AVY is a brand and a business in the US. Yoga studios and teachers have the burden of running successful businesses in addition to properly transmitting the teachings.
I have tremendous repect for the teachings of Ashtanga. That doesn't mean that we can't also discuss the business of yoga. The impact of capitalism on yoga is a fascinating and important topic.
" I'm not sure why you're surprised that I'm coming from a particular perspective"
Again, as I clearly describe, it's not surprise at the fact that there *is* a perspective but disappointment that your perspective apparently blinds you to certain an obvious misreading of the text and errors of logic.
"Like it or nor, AVY is a brand and a business in the US."
I and many others don't like and can do things to change it. And technically, if we stick to your perspective, it is neither. In your discourse it would be far more accurate to name it a trend at best and a style or fad at most accurate.
"Yoga studios and teachers have the burden of running successful businesses in addition to properly transmitting the teachings."
Do as Guruji did: get a job. I mean seriously, yoga doesn't have to be burden nor a business. In fact, I'm certain many are uncomfortable with it being either.
"I have tremendous repect for the teachings of Ashtanga. That doesn't mean that we can't also discuss the business of yoga. The impact of capitalism on yoga is a fascinating and important topic."
Indeed, it is and interesting topic but one you fail to enter in to with either good research or sound reasoning.
This all reminds me, for one example, of how Picaso just painted african masks he had seen at an exhibition and was hailed as an artistic genius while Africa was still considered the "dark continent" with all the racist ideas about it "lacking a culture" continued on in the West. The "impact of capitalism on yoga" (a clause that already reveals your ethnocentrism as "capitalism" is the subject and "yoga" is the predicate) is part of a long trend of Orientalism, of a kind of cultural imperialism where we simultaneously fetishize and denigrate the cultural other. It leads to practices such as those you see with yoga today.
I can recommend some readings if you're seriously interested.
CP, this was fabulous. Coming from the States as I do and seeing how yoga studios do (or don't) market Ashtanga in a more-or-less modified form (which varies depending on with whom and where the practitioner is studying as well as why s/he's doing so), this paints, I think, a pretty wide-ranging picture of how it'll all shake out in the American yoga scene. For the anon commenters I'd just say that this whole post seems to me to be more about the American yoga scene than it does about the Mysore yoga scene (I could be mistaken, of course).
Cheers!
"Everyone knows that Anusara is just Iyengar with a ‘heart-opening’ schtick and I’m sure the Ashtangi version of John Friend is waiting in the wings to sell a Western-alternative to the AYRI, given the worst-case scenario." Okay, this blog may not have anything to do with Anusara, but please know that your assumptions about the method are pretty ridiculous and unfounded. Saying that Anusara is "just Iyengar with a heart-opening schtick" is a gross misunderstanding. John Friend studied in a number of lineages and so much of the biomechanics is similar to Iyengar because he actually knew how to move the body with intensity and safety. And the entire Anusara method in every aspect is informed and based in the Tantric philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism and incorporates the many schools of thought within that tradition as well. Yoga isn't just about asana. And besides, yoga is a living tradition, there's no "one way" to do yoga. I'm sure Pattabhi Jois doesn't do things the way Krishnamacharya told him to do things. But like that other guy said, don't make a bunch of assumptions based on lack of research.
CP, since I know your hourly consulting rate (astronomical) and your words-per-minute blogging rate (not so much), I'd say you've offered up sever thousand dollars' equivalent of critical thinking here. Thank you for that. I found it totally provocative.
To the anon who does lipservice to the validity of your perspective (the same way newbie Wilber followers do lipservice to the validity of blue) while trashing your "intellectual rigor" and reducing your perspective to "neo-liberal capitalist," it is clear that this person is speaking from a sense that he or she owns ashtanga and is out to fight the discursive and classification wars involved in the east-meets-west blending, and win those wars for the East.
What are the consequences of your mercenary project, anon? Are you worthy to take up the armor? What part of yourself are you hiding, and in what ways are you denying this wonderful practice to those who don't go to the extent of "going native" that you have chosen?
My dear anon, if you're going to fight this battle, you're going to need better armor and "intellectual rigor" than a 1980s WESTERN literature on imperalism and tired 1990s neo-Marxism.
"I can reccomend some readings."
The sad thing is that I totally agree with the mean Anon, but the poverty of hu tactics and the possessive anger they veil turn me off. Just like Sharath's letter, these efforts to keep the tradition pure may turn would-be true believers in to skeptics whereas the practice itself turns would-be mavericks into true believers. We all get in our own way.
Peace out, all.
Hey (0v0), for those of us who are long finished school but are still interested in these matters, what theoretical perspective has replaced tired 1990s neo-Marxism? (I am serious. Please save this practicing lawyer from the tedium of her daily life by discussing some theory!)
Cody, I think this is a very interesting analysis, although I am also not sure that I agree with painting ashtanga with the strategic marketing brush. I am sure I could think of some good arguments to explain this, but really it's simply because something about it just "feels wrong" to me, like there are certain things that just should not be commodified.
After all that digression, the reason I clicked here to comment was to re-iterate what someone else mentioned. I just closely read the teacher requirements on ashtanga.com and the AYRI site and I honestly don't see any substantive changes in the teacher requirements. In my view, the posting on the AYRI site just reiterates the information contained on ashtanga.com, using slightly more forceful language.
Now this is perhaps nitpicky, but I also noticed that there are country headings on the new list for countries that have currently authorized and certified teachers on the old list that are not on the new list (e.g. Costa Rica and Japan). To me, it would not make sense to have those headings there unless there are going to be teachers listed under them. Their being there suggests to me that perhaps the above commenter's remark about the teachers being re-listed is correct.
...whereas the practice itself turns would-be mavericks into true believers...
Hear, hear!
Anonymous, Monkey, et all, who don't see how Ashtanga already is painted with the strategic marketing paintbrush: To give a name to a thing is to start down the marketing path. These things always are catch-22s, if you will, in that some amount of recognition must be developed so that the guru can be found. If prospective pupils can't find the teacher, no teaching happens. When charlatans see opportunities to get in on the action, they naturally try to use the name too. The teacher naturally tries to protect his name and, thus, the virtues of his teachings. The cave dwelling yoga teachers of 3000 years ago have done the same things as today's Coca Cola corporation does now. We might like to think of marketing as cynical corporatism but, really, how is it different from protection of any kind of virtue from slander?
Monkey, I agree with you that it feels like something shouldn’t be commodified. Cody and I tangle over this sometimes. But… I feel like that’s a part of me that longs to keep my spiritual practice “pure” from other parts of the world. As if. My teachers have to think about this stuff. And these requirements make it impossible to “do what Guruji did—get a job.” If you want to teach traditional ashtanga in a way that follows the rules, given the price of real estate in the US, the cost of flights and healthcare, and the needs of one’s own students to learn what suits them (which is probably more than primary), SOMETHING has got to give. Is it going to be a teacher’s belief system or her health insurance?
I feel like what is happening is that those who do follow the letter of the law will become even more sure that they “own” the practice and nobody else’s devotion counts, while people who want to be devoted will have to choose to let some rules slide simply in order to survive.
Krishnamacharya may have lived in rags and survived on patronage. SKPJ did not follow his guru in that. What’s our path?
About your question to me, I tried to give a short answer
Here.
Well said, as so often, Ms. 0v0.
I hate it when I'm late to the party. Cody, your post was insightful and thought provoking, as always. As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being someone who has some dear friends who are trying to run a successful yoga studio that teaches ashtanga, among other things, I find Anonymous's comments quite ridiculous in comparison to the things they struggle with. Would that we could all live in your world, anon, where we throw caution to the wind, forgo the welfare of our partners, family and children and just live for our practice. Sometimes yoga IS a commodity. Accept it and move on. I always find it funny that the most hostile and defensive commentators are anonymous.
Hi Cody
Wow. Wow. Wow. But it's not news. Thanks for your well written post.
Cheers,
Arturo
Everyone,
Thank you for keeping the conversation going in my absence yesterday. I was hosting a backyard bouncer party for my 4 year old!
Anon 10:07:
(On a side note, I’m totally fine with anonymous comments but could you at least use a consistent alias? I don’t know if you’re all the same anon or different ones and it make following the debate unnecessarily difficult.)
You’re funny. You criticize my bias and my lack of research when I state up front that I’m looking at the issue from a business perspective and the extent of my research was reading the article on ashtanganews.com. Did you confuse my blog with the FT? Look, I came home from class, read the article and thought “this will make for an interesting post today.” That’s my whole agenda. I never thought it would be viewed as controversial because I’m neutral to positive in my hypothesis of the AYRI’s motives. Of course, I was naïve in not realizing that just discussing the topic at all would be controversial. I forgot that open discussion is frowned upon. My bad.
Therefore, you’re niggling comments based on your insider knowledge are irrelevant. Of course I don’t know what’s being said in Mysore. I just went on what was being discussed on line and at the official site. I based my thinking on the information that was presented on the official site at that time.
Furthermore, I get that you don’t framing yoga as a commercial issue but we have to deal with things as they are, not as you’d like them to be. Once yoga teaching is exchanged for profit it becomes a business. Once it’s named it becomes a brand (like Carl said.) AVY is a brand and a business in the US and in India. By the by, do you think the cottage industry in Mysore that survives by providing goods and services to yoga students are mad that capitalism has entered the picture? Are they exploiting yoga too?
Finally, you seem to agree with most of my conclusions! – that this is a move intended to purify the system at the potential cost of lost revenue. So I guess we’re really pals after all!
Anon 9:15:
Sorry, the Anusara bit is a running gag. I’m sure that John Friend is a great teacher and a wonderful yogi. It’s just a funny bit to say that Anusara is Iyengar with 65% more hugs. That’s comedy gold right there! Anyway, shouldn’t John Friend be considered a Yoga Villain by the fundamentalists? He took his knowledge of various Indian systems, synthesized it, branded it and sold it throughout the US.
Owl,
Thank you for providing an intellectual defense for my stream-of-consciousness thinking. I’d be in deep trouble without you!
Monkey,
I’m neutral on the commodification of yoga. On the one hand I agree that it just feels wrong. On the other hand, anything that spreads the yoga message to more people has to be a good thing. I strongly believe that nothing that anyone says or does can ruin MY practice. In the morning it’s just me, my mat, and my unsettled mind. It’s up to me to practice and find stillness. Blaming capitalism for ruining yoga is a fine topic to debate, but it doesn’t really affect my vrittis, my samskaras and my vasanas.
Patrick, Sonya, Arturo – thanks!
Cody
"It’s just a funny bit to say that Anusara is Iyengar with 65% more hugs."
As usual, I have to disagree with you Cody....Anusara is Iyengar with 99% more hugs!
Let's all be Anusaran and just hug it out!
DZM, don't you mean 'hug it out, bitch'? In true Entourage verbiage.....
Sweet! Everybody, you have to hug now. I mean it bitches.
Even the Anusari. C'mon people. Anusara has deep philosophical roots.
Deep.
Roots.
They even have their own philosopher! Can ashtanga say that?
Oh wait, I just remembered why I prefer yoga aged, imported, and well seasoned. Ashtanga wins! Both its Indian and its US faces. Dualism, sweethearts!
Owl said "bitches."
Never again.
I felt I needed to break the seal on this occasion.
These are interesting developments, but in the end, "certified" or "authorized" are just labels.
Being dropped from the official list will not change an established teacher's reputation or methods.
I've always been curious about AYRI's expectation that authorized teachers can only teach primary. That would be really limiting, given the number of certified teachers. In most shalas that I've visited, at least half the students do at least part of intermediate.
What Rick observes is true, and may be because students and teachers have realized that practicing at least half of intermediate is necessary for the health of the spine - that continuous primary series practice with all of its forward bending is not healthy.
Some people also learn poses beyond intermediate from teachers who know the poses. So many poses are held back, like there is some mystery to them. They are just body movements.
I've noticed at least one traveling authorized teacher has started modifying how he describes his workshops. He states that his classes meet yoga alliance credits regardless of where it is in the globe. So teachers will adapt in their own way to these new requirements imposed by AYRI.
Occasionally I go to an anusaran class on weekends and get a hug before and after class.
hugs
Arturo
Cp, the set-up you describe at sth Boston Yoga is starting to develop elsewhere, too. May well end up as a somewhat ironic loop back to the Mysore palace school...
Actually, this 'streamlining', the clarified guidleines from ayri and the subsequent debates may well help people to realise that is better, much better, to find an excellent 'yoga' teacher rather than chase around after a particular style of asana practice.
Dang, I read this yesterday and missed the chance to leave the first comment. At least that way, people would know that this lapsed blogger/ashtangi is still alive.
And I agree with Carl - the legal route would be tough. Unless SriKPJ's got a notarized assignment of rights from the Yoga Korunta author . . . .
Oops, the cat's eaten it.
Has anybody noticed the changes to ashtanga.com? A few days ago there was no listing of teachers-just a notice that said the list had been moved to AYRI site. Today the list of teachers is back up but there is no mention of AYRI any where on the site? No links to AYRI or Sharath? Do I smell a rebellion?
I noticed the changes on ashtanga.com also. And no one is labelled as authorized or certified either.
Once upon a time, there was a large family. They were middle aged and noisy. Once when all the family got together, a grandfather casually said: "If I have enough money I will order the biggest pizza ever."
Upon hearing this, his favorite neo-liberal capitalistic son, Cody, jumped and said: "Dad, will you give me the biggest piece? Please dad, please, give me..." Then his sister, the practicing lawyer in the tedium of her daily life, said: "What do you think? We should follow the law. Everyone should get a slice according to what desires and more importantly, to what deserves." So it started:
Carl, an experienced pizza consumer pushed the things in the oven: "Only a pizza? In the last 3000 years the pizza has always been followed by the Coca Cola!"
The social theorist, oVo , said: "I should clarify that neo-Margaritanians have not effectively been replaced by Quotro-Stagionians. For me, by far the richest pizza period, so I prefer a large slice of cheese culture, mushroom philosophy, fromagio sociology and an egg."
Zen practitioner was brief: "No pizza, I would like to smell oregano."
Monkey jumped: "Smelling oregano??? I want a big slice NOW!"
An anonymous environmentalist called Arturo decidedly said that he wants a small slice but only if it is baked in a wooden oven: "forward pizza doe bending is not healthy. We should look at the tradition."
However, Rick categoricly replied with an amazing observation: "these are interesting developments, but in the end, "pizza hut", "pizza delight" or "domino's pizza" are just labels.
An ashtanga futurist mentioned his worries about the future of such a large pizza: "It can be easily spoiled." But yet another ashtangini solved that problem: "We should get leftovers distributed to the Mysore children".
Li Ashtangini sadly mentioned that she hates when she is late to the pizza-party: "Cody, your pizza post was insightful and thought provoking, as always. As usual, I'm late but I find Ashtangini comment about the leftovers quite ridiculous. Would that mean that we can not all live by eating pizza, anon, why we should leave any to the wind, forgo the welfare of our partners, family and children. Sometimes pizza IS a commodity."
Anonymous Arturo triple wowed: "Wow, wow, wow".
And then, Tim stated the obvious: "Oops, there is no pizza, the cat's eaten it."
Finally, Zee arrived to explain, "Fools! The Pizza is an illusion!"
Namaste, Namaste. Sometimes I just love you, alas.
Detective: Wow. Thanks for the tip. You know the best part? Women who have previously had their teaching and headlines subsumed under their partners or ex-partners are now actually listed as individuals.
To me, it feels dramatically different to read down the list and see these women recognized as both equals (not the lesser-qualified half) and even autonomous entities.
Still yours in post-pizza awareness,
Zee, the famous never-present armchair critic, clicked his remote and the sitcom disappeared from his screen. He picked up his copy of Grammar for Non-dualists, opened it to his placeholder, and promptly fell asleep. The pizza delivery driver drove past his home, turned the corner and disappeared.
The situation is more like Pilates than Bikram. Pilates was a service mark and as it was not enforced it lost its service mark status.
The word Ashtanga is now in the public domain so KPJAYI will not be able to get a trade mark on it.
Wow, LIA, what a snoop about the ashtanga dot com site. I only noticed that the image on front had changed. I was adding it to the ashtanaga links on my blog and wammo! I deleted all of the links on where to practice accidentally.
What's up with that?
Is Namaste Cody synthezising with his comedic talent?
namaste,
Arturo
PS I have to go practice
True story follows....
A friends kid laid a slice of hot pizza on every stair in their hallway when friend was not looking. Friend (who is blind) thought he would just put pizza back in box to eat anyway. Was pretty good until he bit into a piece with old cat food stuck to it. The pizza was thrown out.
Moral of the story...
When pizza is good, eat the fucking pizza. When pizza is bad throw it out.
As always, I'm impressed with your post, cody. I actually read each word, not that that matters to you. Impressive. Thanks.
oh, and as to the Boston Yoga place, that's the type of mysore room we have here: it's one big love-in from all yoga types.
Laksmi - thanks! It really does matter to me! :)
Oregano actually is my favorite part of the pizza. That, and any burnt bubbles on the crust.
Cody I have just started to read through your blog and this is one of the most interesting posts as it brings out the condractions that exist in the "business" of yoga. Being from India originally, I learnt yoga as a kid. 30 years later I came back to it here in the US. I never knew yoga as a business. Im an iyengar practitioner and I find this conversation very interesting - at what point of time did yoga change from a self practice to a business. It could have only become that because of the dire need of the west... :) I see parallels of this conversation in Iyengar world as well. But I feel these regulations and guidelines are being driven by the west. Iyengar developed his highly sophisticated teacher certification program for the British. You need to know 3000 poses in perfection to get an Senior-Advanced-Advanced-level 4 certfication... probably take you ten lifetimes of 8 hours of yoga practice to get there and invention of at least 10 new poses....But I don't think this is the doing of the gurus.. its the doing of the people around the gurus who elevate them and then add all these layers of complexity around them. It seems all Iyengar studios to continue to be branded as Iyengar Yoga Studios must only hire Certified Iyengar Teachers. In order to be certfied one must teach for sometime as Iyengar yoga teachers. I know of several students who have spent money and time being trained on Iyengar Yoga, who can't find a job in an Iyengar Studio, because they are not certified.. I wonder if the same will happen in your Ashtanga Vinyasa world.
Visit me when you get a chance on theyoginme.blogspot.com. I love your blog.
The Yogi
PS. There is no money to be made in teaching yoga...its all in the cottage industry around it :)
I am SO late in the game. Fascinating, this whole thing. I wonder if all the controversy is part of the reason Sharath is feeling the need for a multiple year break.
Its amazing how the story of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from Mysore (Krishnamacarya-Jois) can be further clarified, and seen as a "modern construction" and not a "sacred and blessed" tradition. These masters are saying/doing teachings that may contradict traditional way of yoga teachings, their own previous personal practices (truly unseen), and the guiding of their own "trusted" people versus discriminations towards "westerners".
No "sacred cow" now....
I leave you my bloglinks for you to freely review some research I have done already for the past year (use the google flag-translator for your home languague):
1) http://andresdelmastro.blogspot.com/2008/09/ashtanga-yoga-de-patanjali-ashtanga.html
2) http://andresdelmastro.blogspot.com/2008/03/ashtanga-yoga-tkv-desikachar-bks.html
3)http://andresdelmastro.blogspot.com/2007/10/yoga-aun-tenemos-demasiado-que-aprender.html
Saludos
Juan Delmastro
Buddhism and Yoga Blog
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