Effectively Judging “Other” Kinds of Yoga: Five Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Effectively Judging  “Other” Kinds of Yoga:

Five Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

You are reading this because, you, like me, think it is important to make sure everyone knows how to effectively judge, evaluate, and reject other types of yoga and yoga practitioners.  

Why judge? Because being judgmental, on the positive side of righteousness, and morally superior is very important to your long-term journey as a yogi. I am pretty sure that is what Patanjali meant when he described discernment in the Yoga Sutras. Further, “yoga” essentially means “union.” As the ego is 50% of the ego-and-soul union, it is important that you are sure to carefully tend and nurture the ego. You see, our culture may not sufficiently feed the development of the ego. We must do more.

To help, I have reviewed many posts that judge, evaluate, and exact moral superiority on “other” kinds of yoga. Then, I distilled what I learned into the FAQ format (i.e., frequently asked question). Once you read through this, you can write an effective, judgmental, and morally superior post of your own.

First, you are welcome!!!!

Second, Please write! My only hope is that I can see more judgmental yoga posts in my news feed on Facebook. It does so much for our community. So please, please write. 

FAQ #1

Is my type of yoga “good” enough to judge others? (or) Is my yoga, the “right” yoga?

Take a deep breath and relax. When you are judging others, it does not matter what kind of yoga you practice. No matter the nature of your practice, you can still be morally righteous. When judging yoga, there is this one rule. All kinds of yogis can judge all other kinds of yoga. Do not worry if your yoga is too Western, Eastern, hot, cold, yin, yang, vinyasa-ish, hatha-ish, restorative, fast, slow, loud, quiet, powerful, or spiritual. The focus is not on your practice. It is on how other types of yoga are wrong. Remember that.

FAQ #2

What if I don’t really practice?

Great question. Because the focus of judging is external, your own practice is irrelevant. Keep your eye on what others are doing and how you feel about it. Do not worry about your own moral, physical, relational, or spiritual development. In fact, an internal focus could get you off track and might weaken your need to judge. Keep your focus outward.

FAQ #3

What if I don’t’ have a solid sense of the research or yoga philosophy?

That is okay too. If you look up the definition of judging, you will see that it is about forming an opinion. This is good news. In order to judge another kind of yoga, you do not need to educate yourself about the type of yoga or yoga in general. You simply need to form an opinion. Once you have formed an opinion, you have all that you need to judge. In fact, if you educate yourself, you take a risk. Like looking internally or focusing on your own practice, gaining knowledge of, and familiarity with others and their yoga experiences may reduce your desire to judge. Accordingly, I advise against it.

FAQ #4

What if my judgments and moral superiority are hurtful of others?

It is interesting you ask this. If you are asking this question you might have lost focus. Judgment is about “correction” and not connection. That is, we do not judge others to feel closer to them, have empathy, or worry about hurting them. We judge others to help correct their ways. You see, we have formed an opinion and have judged them. That is all that matters. If it hurts a little, or even a lot, it is okay- because correcting them is the most important thing. Connection, relationship, loving-kindness all get in the way of judgment and moral superiority. Avoid these things.

FAQ #5

What if my judgments don’t help others change or grow?

You have so many good questions. However, like the previous question, this question shows you are off focus. As a morally superior judge, you should not be too interested in helping others grow. In fact, there is a substantial body of behavioral research that suggests that harsh judgment of others does not, in fact, help them grow. Psychologists have discovered many other factors such as warm supportive relationships, connection, collaboration, and empathy effectively support behavioral change and growth. Appropriately, judgment is not about helping others change, it is about having the right opinion. Do not get confused. It is important to stay on track.

So that is it. Do not worry about your own yoga, your own practice, your knowledge of yoga in general or of the type of yoga which you are judging, if you hurt others, or if you are helping others grow. Form an opinion, focus externally, and judge. It is the RIGHT thing to do.

There is one final note, do not worry about what your missing when you spend your mental resources, time, and emotions being upset about what the other yogis are doing. You are only missing chances to grow, connect with others, learn, and develop your own practice.

Who needs that shit? Not you.

Namaste,

Catherine Cook-Cottone,

The Yoga Bag

Image from http://www.writingwishing.com/2012/10/are-you-judging-me/

What Yogis Could Learn from Runners

What Yogis Could Learn from Runners 

I am both a yogi and a runner.

In fact, I have been running since 8^th grade (which works out to about 36 years). I have run cross-country, track, triathlons, marathons, half marathons, 5ks, and the famous Boiler Maker in Utica, NY. I have run in cities all over the United States, in the winter, summer, fall, and spring. I am a life-long runner.

My yoga practice began in a more serious manner in 2001 and is much younger than my running. When I started doing yoga, I learned about non-judgment. I also saw non-judgment practiced and modeled among my teachers, by the yogis that I met in my travels to trainings, and in the studios I attended.

Lately, something has shifted in yoga. Online, in conversations, on blogs, all over--there seems to be a growing need to judge other yogis.

I truly love that there are variations of yoga and my yogi friends across a variety of practices. I have done Hatha, Vinyasa, Bikram, Power Yoga, Ashtanga, Acro, TIMBo, and many more types of yoga. I have taken classes with Ana Forrest, Baron Baptiste, Seane Corn, and studied at the Himalayan Institute and Kripalu. Each variation has its own beauty, wisdom, and focus. I have experienced this as openness. The more ways I learn to practice- well, it is like learning more ways to love.

I wish we could let the judgment go. I am not sure how it serves us.

All these decades that I have been running, fellow runners ask about your running history and your goals. You might say, “I am training for a full triathlon” or “I do 5ks” or “I do half marathons” or “I jog with friends and do walk/run a lot” or something else like that. Nearly universally, the other runners honor the efforts of their sister or brother runner. We are glad you get out there, take care of your body, and share the love of the run.

As I was running this morning, I was reflecting on how as a yogi I am always telling runners how much they could learn from yoga, how yoga can help them, and all that. It was then that I thought about this judgment-thing that has manifest among some yogis. I realized that perhaps we, the yogis, could learn something from runners. 

Like runners, we could honor our fellow yogis for their spiritual journey; however like or not like ours it is, no matter how many limbs are integrated, and how Western or Eastern, or reflective or active. 

Like runners, we could just honor the practice, the importance of the individual, self-directed journey, and be in non-judgment.

So, here it goes. This is a shout out to my running friends and to my fellow yogis- all types of runners and all kinds of yogis:

I love you and I honor your practice.

Runners, I know what it takes to lace up the running shoes and get your feet on the road.

Yogis, I know what it takes to get your body on your mat.

I honor your effort.

I honor your self-love.

From a place of openhearted acceptance and non-judgment, I say- however you shine- keep shining!

See you on the roads, trails, or yoga mat soon. I look forward to sharing a knowing nod, a smile, and a sense of camaraderie as we honor each other for our efforts to be on our journey. 

Catherine Cook-Cottone

The Yoga Bag