June 2014 YTT Questions

The training I'll be going to this June requires us ask three people four basic questions about Yoga.  They are:

1. What is yoga?
2. Is yoga a religion?
3. Do you need to be a vegetarian to practice yoga?
4. What benefits do you receive from practicing yoga?

It's possible that these questions could evoke some interesting conversations with the right people, however, since I've been practicing yoga for over ten years now, most of the people I know already have an informed opinion.

Person 1: Sheila - Iyengar Yoga Teacher

Practices yoga every day.  Teaches eight classes a week.  Has travelled to India several times.  40's.

1. Yoga is the union of mind & body.
2. No.
3. No.
4. For me...it integrates all layers of my being.

Person 2: Jill - Waitress & Coworker

Practiced yoga for one semester. Found it very beneficial.  30's.

1. It's an exercise.  It's stretching, breathing, focus, awareness, etc.
2. No ... some people might think so, but they're probably pretty ignorant.
3. No ... some new age people might think so but that seems unnecessary.
4. Since I've started doing yoga I feel I have less stress, more flexibility, and generally feel healthier.

Person 3: Kirstin - Customer Service & Coworker

Does not practice yoga. Cousin is yoga instructor.  20's.

1. Exercise
2. No - that's dumb.
3. No - that's like asking "Do you have to be a hippie to practice yoga?" Of course not! You can be if you want to.
4. It must be exercise because my cousin used to be a "chunker" and she's really skinny now.

Me:

1. Union of being & embodiment.
2. No.  Religion asks for blind faith.  Yoga does not.  Yoga is experiential philosophy.  A yogi makes hypotheses about existence and tests them thru direct experience.  Often running the same test hundreds or even thousands of times before drawing a conclusion.  Yoga is a technology, and art, a science....
3. No.  I know yogis from novice to nationally-known and the vast majority of them eat meat.  I understand that some people believe that eating meat is violence, but I find that to be a relatively naïve argument for far more complex question.  The fact of the matter is that even the Dali Lama eats meat.  IMHO, tying vegetarianism to yoga is totally outdated.  The most important thing for a yogi is being free to explore & experiment with any course of action.  Accepting vegetarianism without repeated direct experience and experimentation isn't yoga.
4. Bliss, Self-Awareness, and much more.