I am a Yoga teacher. The more I teach the deeper my understanding of myself and the need to help others becomes. We live in a world of madness. Yoga is a way to help use cope.
I would like to see this film as an entry in The Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis. It is the highest prized film festival in the world (more than Cannes, Sundance, etc) and celebrates Truly Moving Pictures.
I noticed that Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Intermediate Senior I. Jaki Nett, (the highest ranking African American female Iyengar certified teacher in the world) was included in the "YogaWoman" post film discussion panel (when the film premiered in San Francisco). Yet, I would like to know if Jaki Nett was included within the film. (I did not hear the voice of African American Yoga Teachers in the trailer).
I was in tears, v. powerful trailer, v. powerful subject. Of course, yogi's know about reincarnation - all of us western female yoga teachers were of course some type of spiritual monks in some of our past lives. . . great responsibility comes with being at the leading edge of evolution. must divinize our Selves while allowing the rest of the world, male and female, to develop an interest in inner peace. ..
Absolutely true, I believe western women changed yoga practice, and have brought yoga into our lives, and healthy living, eating & love. But still wonder why yoga brings so much rancor and anger among the non yogis. Is it because the meat they eat? Bad karma
Thank you, well put. Nothing like the women of the west trying to dominate saying it over and over again in this video. i teach kids all day long, i dont care if they are male or female, they all enjoy being grounded and balanced in breath.
Yoga mean Union. Union with our true self. The real object of Yoga is to dissolve our tension, free the energy inside us, so that the meditation that follows takes us to a new dimension, awakens us to the profound life force that animates us, which opens the door to inner freedom and divine joy.
2:55 "Yoga is one of the most politically subversive practices that any person, male or female, could do in our time." Ha ha. This movie is nothing but marketing for a multibillion dollar exercise industry masquerading as feminist empowerment.
Well said. This is heart of the contradiction in yoga in the west. Sometimes it seems the only thing "subversive" about yoga is that it purports to be about making one feel whole in her own body when really it's about aspiring to the perfect bikini body. The funny thing is though, that even in the midst of a multi-billion dollar industry, even if you are going to hot vinyasa to look good in your lululemon pants . . . even there . . . a moment of authentic yoga can happen.
@magicponyrides Unless you have "exposure" in the yoga community (casting couch approach works), one's ability to make a living teaching yoga is VERY limiting. I know several yoga teachers that can't make a living teaching yoga so they "mate poach". Most yoga teachers that I know here in the West are female, NOT married and DON'T have children. Not very empowering.
This looks like an awesome movie and I hope it plays somewhere in Ohio... Is Beth Shaw included in this film? I would hope her contributions to spreading safe traditional yoga to a large provincial and inactive population can not go unrecognized. YogaFit is reaching parts of this country that sees few other yoga options... Namaste.
I do want to point out that for every woman in this film that has a high profile, world-traveled, Yoga career...there are thousands of nameless, anonymous, Yoga women who nurture their families, sacrifice, and still give back to the community through teaching, sharing wisdom, and compassion. This is strength. This is Yogawoman.
Sure, yoga has feminized, but this is precisely the thing I deplore. I have a strong (vinyasa) style and I am really happy when 1/3 of my class is filled with men! Yoga should remain what it was --of course, with changes, since anything that stops evolving dies-- but we should not discourage men to practice yoga. To such a point that there are now "yoga for men" classes. This ironical! It's too bad. In China where I live, ask Chinese in the street: they're all convinced yoga is only for women
Indra Devi was indeed an amazing woman, but she didn't bring yoga to the west (I'm also of her direct lineage). Yoga was brought to the US by Vivekananda in 1893. The daughters of the American Transcendentalists were among his most devoted pupils, and it is they who enforced the trend in the West. It's my belief that women of the era responded so favorably to the teachings of Union because there's no patriarchy involved - it empowered them as individuals. Women's suffrage came right on its tail.
My teacher 's teacher was Indra Devi who was the first woman to bring Yoga to the west. I am truly blessed to be from her lineage. I do however, appreciate the evolution of Yoga in the West. But please let's not forget this remarkable woman, Indra Devi.
While I believe there needs to be more respect given to women in yoga, this flim does poorly with the interviewee's. It is clear their understanding of women in yoga is superficial and their knowledge in yoga history is minimal.There have been many instances in ancient yogic texts that speak of Yogini's including Yoga Yajnavalkya and Mahadeviyakka writings to name two.Krishnamacharya believed women needed to practice yoga for the benefit of our future.You tube the 1938 videos watch his 2 girls.
looks inspiring, and is focusing on the role of women in yoga; since women are known for taking better care of themselves. I don' t think that automatically mean it's bashing men, just focusing on one topic.
Sadly, I've seen many women pummel their bodies as much on a yoga mat as they did in a gym. It's not a guarantee of spiritual awakening or physical enlightenment any more than church or running marathons. But the world is definitely a better place for the proliferation of yoga, and hopefully both men AND women will be enriched by the practice...
It is wonderful that American women have celebrated, developed and found strength and promise in the asana tradition. It is misleading to solely equate the 5,000 year old yoga tradition with the recent rise of asana in the last 300 hundred years. For thousands of years, yoga was a seated meditation practice about stilling the opaque noise of the mind, going beyond persona, beyond gender, beyond body, language, concepts, dropping identification, non-clinging, into Oneness, unitive consciousness.
This is Extremely beautiful. I am literally still trembling with the power, truth and beauty. Thank you! I teach and lead in Jamaica and have seen SUCH power in the practice of women here. Thank you!
@Sienna4peace well said, I'm an American white male who discovered yoga 10 years ago as a physical exercise and then found it transforming me into a more conscious, compassionate and peaceful human being...I just completed yoga teacher training a year ago and have been able to share it with many people, from teenagers to seniors, and it works for everyone, we meet people wherever they are...a my favorite teacher says about yoga, 'come for the exercise, stay for the enlightenment'
women might not have done yoga in the olden days coz of the customs of the society in India during those days, it is not right to correlate this custom to yoga. It is still a male dominated society, and there are lots of things women dont do coz its frowned upon.
Maybe what's really wrong with Western yoga is western women. Call me delusional but I see a lot of cat fighting among teachers and studios, lots of narcissism, disregard for yamas and niyamas and a lot of sexual misconduct justified by the natural opening of one's heart.
@Wendyness01 well I'm not sure about 'delusional' but cynical may be appropriate, and I can relate to what you say...I've seen much of the same behavior you mention in my yoga classes but choose to ignore it, or at least be ok with it...as my favorite teacher says about yoga, "come for the exercise, stay for the enlightenment"...it worked for me, a *typical* 52 y.o. white American male, so it can work for anyone! :)
@oneirishpoet I personally know of three dissolved marriages that involve yoga teachers getting emotionally/sexually involved with their married students. I had a yoga teacher tell my husband that when she is intimate with her boyfriend she is thinking of my husband. She tried to convince him she knew him in another life! She asked him for $5,000 to take a trip to India without me finding out! Cynical is not the word I would use, disgusted is more like it!
@Wendyness01 guess I should have been more specific, my reply was referring to your remarks about narcissism and disregard gor yamas/ niyamas...personally I haven't seen any 'sexual misconduct' or 'catfighting' in the teachers or studios I go to...got certified to teach last year and thankfully have had no issue with this at all in the classes I've taught either (thankfully) and I don't put that 'vibe' out in my teaching either...opening of the heart, yes...opening of the legs, no!
Women were ancient Tantric gurus and were part of modern yoga when it first blossomed worldwide 1893. Powerful women gambled reputations in Victorian society to help Swami Vivekananda. The first modern female teacher, B. Devries taught in NY at century’s turn, and in the 20s, Mollie Stack made yoga flow before any man. By 1947, Indra Devi had made yoga Hollywood-hip, then The Beats, the Beatles and Beatniks picked it up. By the Age of Aquarius, both sexes were hooked. Yoga means union.
The fact is that the influences and stereotypes that are feeding young girls and women these days are largely toxic and at times perpetuate a dynamic in which both men and women dampen women's power and sense of freedom. If this video helps deconstruct that dynamic and provide examples of women who have found that empowerment, I think that is awesome. I am hopeful that they also discuss how contemporary yoga can also feed into that body-obsessed and competitive aspect of our culture.
@tedgrand very well said and I agree wholeheartedly...I know a lot of women yoga friends and they are ALL shapes/ sizes/ ethnicities...the beauty of yoga is you begin where you're at, be here now!
We all deserve to feel comfortable and welcome in a yoga class, to suggest that a room full of women would somehow be detracted from by the presence of a man is sexist. Thankfully there are men and women who realize the lack of male representation in western yoga culture does more harm than good. This movie isn't the true face of yoga it just perpetuates a stereotype!
@notch76 To deny that some women would feel uncomfortable, self-conscious, or distracted with a man in room is to deny a condition that clearly exists. I feel it is better to offer a variety of environments suited to the variety of people who come to yoga, rather than insist that everyone must conform. Ironic, in that your comment suggests a lack of flexibility in approach. We all start from different places anyway.
@garyji No doubt there are women who may feel uncomfortable and so forth by the presence of a man in a yoga class or for that matter any class room or even the work place but that is personal issue for that individual and should not be allowed to interfere with another person's progress in any Field regardless of gender. I'm writing this while at my yoga studio and there are men and women that come here to work through their issues both mental and physical in a safe place where all are welcome
However, to suggest that some guru came from India and GAVE yoga to women exclusively (as if he had a patent) is ridiculous. Yoga is universal! people of all races, shapes, ages and genders can and do gain countless benefits from the practice and philosophy.
I am a man and I practice yoga but my understanding is that a major aspect of the practice is the move toward dissolving the ego along with any attachment to ones identity (including gender) in favor of a realized oneness with all. That being said I don't take issue with the fact many women find peace, comfort and strength through yoga practice, i think its beautiful when anyone makes such a discovery.
@notch76 I think what you say points to the heart of what yoga can awake in all humans. I've been practicing yoga for how good it makes me feel in my mind and body, through my practice I came to the realisation of who I AM, beyond form, age, and name. In the relative reality I am a man. But, beyond gender, history, and drama, I just AM, one with everything, not separated from anything, in LOVE, being the dancer, the public and the dance.
One of the speakers in the trailer points out the irony in the fact that yoga was originally practiced exclusively by men but seems to have undergone a reversal in western culture. If any woman at any time would take issue with yoga excluding them than isn't it total hypocrisy to support the reverse situation?
Yogananda named a woman, Sri Daya Mata, his successor, who recently passed after about 60 years helming SRF in LA, a worldwide organization.
Yogi Bhajan was an avowed feminist and champion of women's rights. His mission of Kundalini Yoga, which he brought to the States in 1969, was to 'turn chicks into eagles'. He believed women are the backbone of society, and in 1972 inaugurated annual women's yoga camps, all for their empowerment.
@irlianna484 actually Yogi Bhajan was known to be quite a womanizer and often abused his power and control over them, as evidenced by quite a few lawsuits against hin that were settled out of court of course
@oneirishpoet I have a dear friend who worked with/for him for yrs both here and in India. She's a gorgeous woman. Never any impropriety. Why? People create their reality. If someone is experiencing abuse/catty yoga teachers/seductresses/sexism it's because they're creating it.
Let's remember, there are no victims. Realizing this liberates the self and brings enlightenment.
@irlianna484 I can dig the idea of taking responsibility for ones own energy and recognizing that energy as a personal lesson when it returns to an individual. However to say that if someone is experiencing abuse/sexism/ect its because he/she is creating it is a slippery slope and I'm not sure if enlightenment is at the bottom of that hill.
@notch76 It can be. If we're really committed to transformation we'll dig deep and ask tough questions of ourselves. It's no picnic but the rewards are huge. as one of my teacherssaid, 'there's gold in them thar hills!'
Well this film has got people talking and passionate & that's a good thing! Blessings to all!
@irlianna484 well maybe Yogi Bhajan just wasn't interested in your friend &/or had enough women to take care of his 'needs', it is documented that he DID take advantage/ control of women who were his students/ followers whether you believe it or not ..many lawsuits against him are posted on line & you can read allegations against him for the personal & sexual abuse he perpetrated against a number of women...these lawsuits were settled out of court, which tells me YB did NOT want people to know!
@oneirishpoet There are plenty more where Yogi Bhajan came from. Rodney Yee was screwing his students while he was married. In fact he left his wife of 24 years for Colleen Saidman who is part of this film. He and Colleen fell in love in a hot tub. Not only is Collen Saidman a yogi she is a HOME WRECKER. Lots of yogis behaving badly.
@Wendyness01 unfortunately the practice of yoga does not come with a guarantee for 'enlightenment' it merely gives one the tools to open the door to awakening...most folks I observe at yoga studios are there ONLY for physical practice of yoga, & MAYBE if they stick with it long enough & have the right teacher to connect with, they'll begin to wake up...otherwise it's kinda like going to the gym for many, soon as the mats are rolled up they're back on the iPhone/ monkey mind! namaste :)
Wow... this is so uninformed. Yogawoman TV please check your facts about women and yoga ... check out video evidence from the 1930s ... am really sad that yoga which is a non dualistic movement is so much anchored into gender difference from the get go. Very sad indeed, wow ... did you guys learn anything?
Buy Lululemon stock before this movie comes out! In the weeks after Morgan Spurlock's movie, SuperSize Me, came out McDonald's stock tanked. YogaWoman is going to make Lululemon stock SKYROCKET. In the US the ticker symbol is LULU in Canada it is LLL. Buy the stock now before Nike buys them out & before this movie comes out.
Regarding comment about beautiful women in the trailer...I see many different types of women and they are all beautiful. Real beauty comes from within and maybe their inner beauty is shining through and their practice, spirituality, inner self and sense of community, cohesiveness , inner light is what we see.
That is totally untrue that in early times women were 'never ever part of the yoga tradition at all.' That woman doesn't know much about the history of yoga to make such an uninformed statement. Some of the very greatest and highest spiritual masters of yoga were women. In fact there was a time when one great woman called Maitreyi had a great showdown with another great sage, and she beat him completely. And there are many many more. The greatest of all is perhaps the very famous Meerabai.
If they are against the "cultural brainwashing of what it means to be a women" why did they put only (by the same standards) beautiful women in the trailer? Other than that I solute the movie!
I am a Yoga teacher. The more I teach the deeper my understanding of myself and the need to help others becomes. We live in a world of madness. Yoga is a way to help use cope.
hotdoobie 1 week ago
I would like to see this film as an entry in The Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis. It is the highest prized film festival in the world (more than Cannes, Sundance, etc) and celebrates Truly Moving Pictures.
MegaYep 1 month ago
This is a "mockumentary", right? -
danashane 3 months ago
And what about "Geeta Iyengar?"
ynottonycom 3 months ago
I noticed that Iyengar Yoga Teacher, Intermediate Senior I. Jaki Nett, (the highest ranking African American female Iyengar certified teacher in the world) was included in the "YogaWoman" post film discussion panel (when the film premiered in San Francisco). Yet, I would like to know if Jaki Nett was included within the film. (I did not hear the voice of African American Yoga Teachers in the trailer).
ynottonycom 3 months ago
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ynottonycom 3 months ago
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tinasyoga 3 months ago
Can I buy some Now?
operdoc 4 months ago
wonderful
tatianayoga 5 months ago
KARMA, I´ve been humbled, but the fact that women had changed the face & practice of YOGA is true. Let's NOT meat.
MrEkoart 5 months ago
I was in tears, v. powerful trailer, v. powerful subject. Of course, yogi's know about reincarnation - all of us western female yoga teachers were of course some type of spiritual monks in some of our past lives. . . great responsibility comes with being at the leading edge of evolution. must divinize our Selves while allowing the rest of the world, male and female, to develop an interest in inner peace. ..
lauranarayani 5 months ago
Absolutely true, I believe western women changed yoga practice, and have brought yoga into our lives, and healthy living, eating & love. But still wonder why yoga brings so much rancor and anger among the non yogis. Is it because the meat they eat? Bad karma
MrEkoart 5 months ago
@MrEkoart Another's KARMA is really none of your business. Another arrogant YOGI.
Wendyness01 5 months ago 3
Thank you, well put. Nothing like the women of the west trying to dominate saying it over and over again in this video. i teach kids all day long, i dont care if they are male or female, they all enjoy being grounded and balanced in breath.
JasmineDragons 5 months ago 19
Yoga mean Union. Union with our true self. The real object of Yoga is to dissolve our tension, free the energy inside us, so that the meditation that follows takes us to a new dimension, awakens us to the profound life force that animates us, which opens the door to inner freedom and divine joy.
jjzanoni 6 months ago
Ha! diluted spiritual practise turned into obsession with Self.
The Ego Strikes Back or something the like.
trulsman88 6 months ago 28
2:55 "Yoga is one of the most politically subversive practices that any person, male or female, could do in our time." Ha ha. This movie is nothing but marketing for a multibillion dollar exercise industry masquerading as feminist empowerment.
magicponyrides 6 months ago 34
@magicponyrides
Well said. This is heart of the contradiction in yoga in the west. Sometimes it seems the only thing "subversive" about yoga is that it purports to be about making one feel whole in her own body when really it's about aspiring to the perfect bikini body. The funny thing is though, that even in the midst of a multi-billion dollar industry, even if you are going to hot vinyasa to look good in your lululemon pants . . . even there . . . a moment of authentic yoga can happen.
annarumba 6 months ago
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tinasyoga 3 months ago
@magicponyrides Unless you have "exposure" in the yoga community (casting couch approach works), one's ability to make a living teaching yoga is VERY limiting. I know several yoga teachers that can't make a living teaching yoga so they "mate poach". Most yoga teachers that I know here in the West are female, NOT married and DON'T have children. Not very empowering.
Wendyness01 6 months ago 21
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tinasyoga 3 months ago
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tinasyoga 3 months ago
@tinasyoga I have no idea what the details of your life have to do with my comment.
magicponyrides 3 months ago
@magicponyrides yeah you are right
chand145 5 months ago
@magicponyrides why would you bash yoga?
cortijobull73 3 months ago
@cortijobull73 Why do you regularly drive drunk?
magicponyrides 3 months ago
This looks like an awesome movie and I hope it plays somewhere in Ohio... Is Beth Shaw included in this film? I would hope her contributions to spreading safe traditional yoga to a large provincial and inactive population can not go unrecognized. YogaFit is reaching parts of this country that sees few other yoga options... Namaste.
kcoakleypense 6 months ago
I do want to point out that for every woman in this film that has a high profile, world-traveled, Yoga career...there are thousands of nameless, anonymous, Yoga women who nurture their families, sacrifice, and still give back to the community through teaching, sharing wisdom, and compassion. This is strength. This is Yogawoman.
islenafaircrest1 6 months ago 3
Sure, yoga has feminized, but this is precisely the thing I deplore. I have a strong (vinyasa) style and I am really happy when 1/3 of my class is filled with men! Yoga should remain what it was --of course, with changes, since anything that stops evolving dies-- but we should not discourage men to practice yoga. To such a point that there are now "yoga for men" classes. This ironical! It's too bad. In China where I live, ask Chinese in the street: they're all convinced yoga is only for women
yogayantra 6 months ago 5
@yogayantra i'm a man doing yoga in shanghai, the classes are 99% women...and usually older women. :(
abramjessiah 6 months ago 2
@abramjessiah what do you mean by older women? so you may know me, as I teach in shanghai
yogayantra 6 months ago
Indra Devi was indeed an amazing woman, but she didn't bring yoga to the west (I'm also of her direct lineage). Yoga was brought to the US by Vivekananda in 1893. The daughters of the American Transcendentalists were among his most devoted pupils, and it is they who enforced the trend in the West. It's my belief that women of the era responded so favorably to the teachings of Union because there's no patriarchy involved - it empowered them as individuals. Women's suffrage came right on its tail.
ultravioletdivine 6 months ago
My teacher 's teacher was Indra Devi who was the first woman to bring Yoga to the west. I am truly blessed to be from her lineage. I do however, appreciate the evolution of Yoga in the West. But please let's not forget this remarkable woman, Indra Devi.
Namaste
smokinkindone 6 months ago
Yoga was not "brought to the west India by a lineage of male teachers." It was brought here by Indra Devi!
lauraplumb1 7 months ago
While I believe there needs to be more respect given to women in yoga, this flim does poorly with the interviewee's. It is clear their understanding of women in yoga is superficial and their knowledge in yoga history is minimal.There have been many instances in ancient yogic texts that speak of Yogini's including Yoga Yajnavalkya and Mahadeviyakka writings to name two.Krishnamacharya believed women needed to practice yoga for the benefit of our future.You tube the 1938 videos watch his 2 girls.
mayansmeloff 7 months ago 2
WHEN, WHEN, WHEN, DOES THIS MOVIE START??!!!!
nawmmbr 7 months ago
looks inspiring, and is focusing on the role of women in yoga; since women are known for taking better care of themselves. I don' t think that automatically mean it's bashing men, just focusing on one topic.
JArtistandYogini 7 months ago
Sadly, I've seen many women pummel their bodies as much on a yoga mat as they did in a gym. It's not a guarantee of spiritual awakening or physical enlightenment any more than church or running marathons. But the world is definitely a better place for the proliferation of yoga, and hopefully both men AND women will be enriched by the practice...
jadv311 7 months ago 5
Look like a beautifully made film.
isabellastoloff 8 months ago
It is wonderful that American women have celebrated, developed and found strength and promise in the asana tradition. It is misleading to solely equate the 5,000 year old yoga tradition with the recent rise of asana in the last 300 hundred years. For thousands of years, yoga was a seated meditation practice about stilling the opaque noise of the mind, going beyond persona, beyond gender, beyond body, language, concepts, dropping identification, non-clinging, into Oneness, unitive consciousness.
Shiva3334 8 months ago
Does anyone know who the african looking woman with the lower lip piercing and tattoos doing what looks like a form of tai-chi is?
addictivedumplings 9 months ago
Does anyone know who the african looking woman with the lower lip piercing and tattoos doing what looks like a form of tai-chi is?
addictivedumplings 9 months ago
why do so many people that practice yoga have to be such weirdo's.
abootube 10 months ago
This is Extremely beautiful. I am literally still trembling with the power, truth and beauty. Thank you! I teach and lead in Jamaica and have seen SUCH power in the practice of women here. Thank you!
Sienna4peace 10 months ago
@Sienna4peace well said, I'm an American white male who discovered yoga 10 years ago as a physical exercise and then found it transforming me into a more conscious, compassionate and peaceful human being...I just completed yoga teacher training a year ago and have been able to share it with many people, from teenagers to seniors, and it works for everyone, we meet people wherever they are...a my favorite teacher says about yoga, 'come for the exercise, stay for the enlightenment'
oneirishpoet 10 months ago
women might not have done yoga in the olden days coz of the customs of the society in India during those days, it is not right to correlate this custom to yoga. It is still a male dominated society, and there are lots of things women dont do coz its frowned upon.
buddievy 11 months ago
Maybe what's really wrong with Western yoga is western women. Call me delusional but I see a lot of cat fighting among teachers and studios, lots of narcissism, disregard for yamas and niyamas and a lot of sexual misconduct justified by the natural opening of one's heart.
Wendyness01 11 months ago 9
@Wendyness01 well I'm not sure about 'delusional' but cynical may be appropriate, and I can relate to what you say...I've seen much of the same behavior you mention in my yoga classes but choose to ignore it, or at least be ok with it...as my favorite teacher says about yoga, "come for the exercise, stay for the enlightenment"...it worked for me, a *typical* 52 y.o. white American male, so it can work for anyone! :)
oneirishpoet 10 months ago 2
@oneirishpoet I personally know of three dissolved marriages that involve yoga teachers getting emotionally/sexually involved with their married students. I had a yoga teacher tell my husband that when she is intimate with her boyfriend she is thinking of my husband. She tried to convince him she knew him in another life! She asked him for $5,000 to take a trip to India without me finding out! Cynical is not the word I would use, disgusted is more like it!
Wendyness01 10 months ago 3
@Wendyness01 guess I should have been more specific, my reply was referring to your remarks about narcissism and disregard gor yamas/ niyamas...personally I haven't seen any 'sexual misconduct' or 'catfighting' in the teachers or studios I go to...got certified to teach last year and thankfully have had no issue with this at all in the classes I've taught either (thankfully) and I don't put that 'vibe' out in my teaching either...opening of the heart, yes...opening of the legs, no!
oneirishpoet 10 months ago
Women were ancient Tantric gurus and were part of modern yoga when it first blossomed worldwide 1893. Powerful women gambled reputations in Victorian society to help Swami Vivekananda. The first modern female teacher, B. Devries taught in NY at century’s turn, and in the 20s, Mollie Stack made yoga flow before any man. By 1947, Indra Devi had made yoga Hollywood-hip, then The Beats, the Beatles and Beatniks picked it up. By the Age of Aquarius, both sexes were hooked. Yoga means union.
atelierviva 11 months ago 2
The fact is that the influences and stereotypes that are feeding young girls and women these days are largely toxic and at times perpetuate a dynamic in which both men and women dampen women's power and sense of freedom. If this video helps deconstruct that dynamic and provide examples of women who have found that empowerment, I think that is awesome. I am hopeful that they also discuss how contemporary yoga can also feed into that body-obsessed and competitive aspect of our culture.
tedgrand 11 months ago
@tedgrand very well said and I agree wholeheartedly...I know a lot of women yoga friends and they are ALL shapes/ sizes/ ethnicities...the beauty of yoga is you begin where you're at, be here now!
oneirishpoet 10 months ago
We all deserve to feel comfortable and welcome in a yoga class, to suggest that a room full of women would somehow be detracted from by the presence of a man is sexist. Thankfully there are men and women who realize the lack of male representation in western yoga culture does more harm than good. This movie isn't the true face of yoga it just perpetuates a stereotype!
Namaste
notch76 11 months ago 14
@notch76 To deny that some women would feel uncomfortable, self-conscious, or distracted with a man in room is to deny a condition that clearly exists. I feel it is better to offer a variety of environments suited to the variety of people who come to yoga, rather than insist that everyone must conform. Ironic, in that your comment suggests a lack of flexibility in approach. We all start from different places anyway.
garyji 9 months ago
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notch76 9 months ago
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notch76 9 months ago
@garyji No doubt there are women who may feel uncomfortable and so forth by the presence of a man in a yoga class or for that matter any class room or even the work place but that is personal issue for that individual and should not be allowed to interfere with another person's progress in any Field regardless of gender. I'm writing this while at my yoga studio and there are men and women that come here to work through their issues both mental and physical in a safe place where all are welcome
notch76 9 months ago 3
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notch76 9 months ago
However, to suggest that some guru came from India and GAVE yoga to women exclusively (as if he had a patent) is ridiculous. Yoga is universal! people of all races, shapes, ages and genders can and do gain countless benefits from the practice and philosophy.
notch76 11 months ago
I am a man and I practice yoga but my understanding is that a major aspect of the practice is the move toward dissolving the ego along with any attachment to ones identity (including gender) in favor of a realized oneness with all. That being said I don't take issue with the fact many women find peace, comfort and strength through yoga practice, i think its beautiful when anyone makes such a discovery.
notch76 11 months ago 19
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hiramavalos 9 months ago
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hiramavalos 9 months ago
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hiramavalos 9 months ago
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hiramavalos 9 months ago
@notch76 I think what you say points to the heart of what yoga can awake in all humans. I've been practicing yoga for how good it makes me feel in my mind and body, through my practice I came to the realisation of who I AM, beyond form, age, and name. In the relative reality I am a man. But, beyond gender, history, and drama, I just AM, one with everything, not separated from anything, in LOVE, being the dancer, the public and the dance.
hiramavalos 9 months ago
One of the speakers in the trailer points out the irony in the fact that yoga was originally practiced exclusively by men but seems to have undergone a reversal in western culture. If any woman at any time would take issue with yoga excluding them than isn't it total hypocrisy to support the reverse situation?
notch76 11 months ago
Yogananda named a woman, Sri Daya Mata, his successor, who recently passed after about 60 years helming SRF in LA, a worldwide organization.
Yogi Bhajan was an avowed feminist and champion of women's rights. His mission of Kundalini Yoga, which he brought to the States in 1969, was to 'turn chicks into eagles'. He believed women are the backbone of society, and in 1972 inaugurated annual women's yoga camps, all for their empowerment.
Namaste
irlianna484 11 months ago
@irlianna484 actually Yogi Bhajan was known to be quite a womanizer and often abused his power and control over them, as evidenced by quite a few lawsuits against hin that were settled out of court of course
oneirishpoet 10 months ago
@oneirishpoet I have a dear friend who worked with/for him for yrs both here and in India. She's a gorgeous woman. Never any impropriety. Why? People create their reality. If someone is experiencing abuse/catty yoga teachers/seductresses/sexism it's because they're creating it.
Let's remember, there are no victims. Realizing this liberates the self and brings enlightenment.
Peace
irlianna484 10 months ago
@irlianna484 I can dig the idea of taking responsibility for ones own energy and recognizing that energy as a personal lesson when it returns to an individual. However to say that if someone is experiencing abuse/sexism/ect its because he/she is creating it is a slippery slope and I'm not sure if enlightenment is at the bottom of that hill.
notch76 10 months ago
@notch76 It can be. If we're really committed to transformation we'll dig deep and ask tough questions of ourselves. It's no picnic but the rewards are huge. as one of my teacherssaid, 'there's gold in them thar hills!'
Well this film has got people talking and passionate & that's a good thing! Blessings to all!
irlianna484 10 months ago
@irlianna484 Gold indeed ;) peace to you as well!
notch76 10 months ago
@irlianna484 well maybe Yogi Bhajan just wasn't interested in your friend &/or had enough women to take care of his 'needs', it is documented that he DID take advantage/ control of women who were his students/ followers whether you believe it or not ..many lawsuits against him are posted on line & you can read allegations against him for the personal & sexual abuse he perpetrated against a number of women...these lawsuits were settled out of court, which tells me YB did NOT want people to know!
oneirishpoet 10 months ago 2
@oneirishpoet There are plenty more where Yogi Bhajan came from. Rodney Yee was screwing his students while he was married. In fact he left his wife of 24 years for Colleen Saidman who is part of this film. He and Colleen fell in love in a hot tub. Not only is Collen Saidman a yogi she is a HOME WRECKER. Lots of yogis behaving badly.
Wendyness01 10 months ago 12
@Wendyness01 unfortunately the practice of yoga does not come with a guarantee for 'enlightenment' it merely gives one the tools to open the door to awakening...most folks I observe at yoga studios are there ONLY for physical practice of yoga, & MAYBE if they stick with it long enough & have the right teacher to connect with, they'll begin to wake up...otherwise it's kinda like going to the gym for many, soon as the mats are rolled up they're back on the iPhone/ monkey mind! namaste :)
oneirishpoet 10 months ago 3
@irlianna484 Sat Nam
nancynywoman 7 months ago
Yoga is not a gender based practice! Any suggestion otherwise moves toward imbalance. This movie is borderline sexist!
notch76 11 months ago
awesome xxx
YogaNisha 11 months ago
yoga has never been only for men...even BKS Iyengar has never said that ...who is this idiot who has made this video...
its crap...and i accept that yoga is universal...depends on who makes use of it for His/Her betterment
einnsid 11 months ago
Wow... this is so uninformed. Yogawoman TV please check your facts about women and yoga ... check out video evidence from the 1930s ... am really sad that yoga which is a non dualistic movement is so much anchored into gender difference from the get go. Very sad indeed, wow ... did you guys learn anything?
utube2001890eg 11 months ago
check out the 1939 clip v=0zMffAP1AZM
... actually if there was any discrimination it was more around caste and social status, not gender.
utube2001890eg 11 months ago
Buy Lululemon stock before this movie comes out! In the weeks after Morgan Spurlock's movie, SuperSize Me, came out McDonald's stock tanked. YogaWoman is going to make Lululemon stock SKYROCKET. In the US the ticker symbol is LULU in Canada it is LLL. Buy the stock now before Nike buys them out & before this movie comes out.
elwalvador 11 months ago
to 333rembrandt
YES, all women are beautiful, that is why I said "beautiful by the same brainwashing standards".
ScienceOfLife1 11 months ago
Regarding comment about beautiful women in the trailer...I see many different types of women and they are all beautiful. Real beauty comes from within and maybe their inner beauty is shining through and their practice, spirituality, inner self and sense of community, cohesiveness , inner light is what we see.
333rembrandt 11 months ago
That is totally untrue that in early times women were 'never ever part of the yoga tradition at all.' That woman doesn't know much about the history of yoga to make such an uninformed statement. Some of the very greatest and highest spiritual masters of yoga were women. In fact there was a time when one great woman called Maitreyi had a great showdown with another great sage, and she beat him completely. And there are many many more. The greatest of all is perhaps the very famous Meerabai.
mayatiita1 11 months ago
If they are against the "cultural brainwashing of what it means to be a women" why did they put only (by the same standards) beautiful women in the trailer? Other than that I solute the movie!
ScienceOfLife1 11 months ago
NIce
hippychipys 11 months ago
What a beautiful trailer! I cannot wait to see the finished film. I feel inspired!
kwish2009 1 year ago