Sometimes I swear to God they’re fucking with us; that this whole yoga thing, with the poses, and chanting, and esoteric teachings is just a big joke on all of us taking it so seriously.
I imagine our gurus, shala director Sharath, (Pattabhi Jois’ grandson,) and his mom, Saraswathi, sitting around the dinner table, pigging out on hamburgers and French fries, and washing it all down with pints of beer and just laughing and laughing at the thousands of students worldwide and hundreds of us who’ve made the pilgrimage here to Mysore to mainline the teachings; I see them concocting up ever more difficult postures and even more convoluted claims about Ashtanga just for the sheer comedy of watching wide-eyed Westerners eat it all up. I envision the non-stop LOLs and ROFLs they have when they think about all the stuff they get us to do and believe, and not only that, to pay reasonably big bucks for the privilege.
Yuk-yuk, if that don’t beat all.
Of course, I know that’s not really the case; I realize we’re engaged in a noble tradition that truly is liberating on any number of levels; I know that the underlying philosophy is thousands of years old and is steeped in cultural traditions even more ancient than that; I know that the devotion of our teachers is sincere and that they’ve given over their lives to the furtherance of this incredible, life-affirming, and even transcendent practice.
But sometimes, you gotta wonder.
Like yesterday, in Sharath’s weekly conference, when the entire student body gathers to hear him speak and answer questions about yoga n’ stuff; he was talking about the bandhas, the internal body locks we employ in our practice; specifically, the root lock, mula bandha, which I’d always understood as a tightening of the muscles around the perineum.
Nope, said Sharath, “Mula bandha means pulling your anus inside, locking.” Seriously. “Always mula bandha; locking your anus is secret of long life. Locking anus, old man can become young man.” And even when someone asked whether that’s what he really meant, or if mula bandha was more about contracting the pelvic floor, Sharath reiterated: “It’s all anus.”
A couple people, myself included, couldn’t help giggling.
No joke, scolded Sharath, mildly.
Still, I can't help wondering.
Hey David,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog linked to Claudia's, and I've really enjoyed reading your posts. I particularly like this latest one. Made me laugh, as I sometimes wonder about the whole thing...it's a damn good business model and immensely profitable for the family, but surely there's more to it, right? Yes, of course there is. But perhaps a dose of periodic skepticism helps us to remember that. Thanks for framing it in such a clever and amusing way. I myself am thinking about translating "it's all anus" into Sanskrit and getting it as a tattoo.... :)
Enjoy the rest of your time here, and we'll be in touch!
Cheers,
Callie