Escape to Yoga
I am staying at a Yoga ashram in India, as it was close to the place I was traveling. I meet a lot of yogis here in the ashram. 90% of them are from Europe and America (as in continent) and the rest from India. After talking to many people, I get a feeling that a good percentage of the people are simply using Yoga to escape from the actual responsibilities of life. There is nothing wrong with taking a break to practice Yoga. But, I keep hearing the same stories being repeated.
can’t hold onto a job and decided to quit
giving up smoking
don’t know what I should be doing
wanted to meet new people
fascinated by all things Hindu, especially chanting
More Kalaripayattu
I have been reading up about Kalaripayattu from the book called ‘when the body becomes all eyes’ by Phillip B. Zarrilli. I thought the title was tacky but then I read that it is a literal translation of a Malayalam phrase meyyu kannakuka like Lord Brahma, the thousand eyed. I do not like this book as there is no flow in the way it is structured. I bought it as this was the only book that I found on Kalaripayattu and has some historical tidbits. This post is mainly sourced from this book.
Kalaripayattu is derived from two major traditions, Tamil traditions dating from the early sangham culture and the Sanskrit Dhanur Veda traditions. Although Dhanur Veda means science of archery, it encompasses all martial arts. Indian epics Mahabharata and Ramayana follow Dhanur Veda for the specifics of combat and warfare. Although many martial arts and a form similar to Kalaripayattu have been practised since ancient times in India, Kalaripayattu as a form primarily to Kerala is said to have been established during the eleventh or twelfth century AD. This style of Kalaripayattu is also practised in adjacent Tulu speaking Coorg district of Karnataka.
East is East, and West is West – or are they?
“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet…”
- Rudyard Kipling, “The Ballad of East and West”
It is taken almost as a self-evident truth in contemporary Western public discourse to talk about the Western way as embodying the values of rationality, truth, and of course, democracy. This is then held in juxtaposition against the Eastern way, which conveniently comprises everything that the West is not – intuitive, spiritual, and irrational. Even ardent admirers of the East – philosophers like Thoreau or scientists like Jung, have subscribed to this view, even if their position was one of admiration.
One manifestation of this supposed stranglehold of the East on philosophical pursuits is the periodic flowering of Godmen, much like mushrooms in mold. If there is one industry that has survived the vagaries of economics, it is this. It is always on an upswing, and there is never a shortage in demand for the next shaman from the East. India in particular has catered admirably to this demand, from genuine philosophers like Tagore to flamboyant glamor-gurus like Rajneesh or Mahesh Yogi to unapologetic charlatans like Deepak Chopra or Bikram (of hot Yoga fame). Yoga in particular presents an interesting sub-culture within Western society, and some of the same attitudes may be glimpsed among Yogis, though in this case usually couched in uncritical admiration. For example, a Yogi in San Francisco would consider his education incomplete, unless he has made at least one trip to India – the purpose of which is unclear. Perhaps to breathe the enlightenment-laden air. I was once asked, without a trace of irony, whether my soul took flight like a dove when I stepped on Indian soil. My bemused response was that I was too busy with my feet stuck in the dirt to notice.
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