Archive for January, 2010
the yoga of ‘avatar’
Unless you’ve been living under some kind of rock, I’m sure you’ve heard of James Cameron’s latest blockbuster, Avatar. I’ll spare you the plot details (see IMDB for the full story). After several failed attempts (it was constantly sold out), I finally saw the film, and I was a little shocked at the overt spirituality within it. I’d heard a lot about the technology, the environmental message, and the story lines recycled from Dances With Wolves and Fern Gully. But what I didn’t realize is that the film is totally yogic. Here’s a breakdown of the yogic elements of Avatar:
interconnectedness of all beings – the Na’vi link to other beings on the planet through neural-chemical connections. One of the characters, Grace – the biologist played by Sigourney Weaver – calls it a network. And indeed, the whole planet is an organic neural network. The Na’vi practice and believe in an interconnection of all life in balance with nature. Because of this, everything is viewed as sacred.
unity – when they get attacked, Jake and the Na’vi realize pretty quickly that they’re going to need allies. They rally up the other clans, and together they fight the humans. Even their former predators, the wild animals of the jungle, unite in the battle against the humans and their corporate agenda.
goddess awesomeness – the Na’vi worship Eywa, and believe that all consciousness is infused with her energy. In yoga, this goddess consciousness is known as Shakti ~ while yoga isn’t exactly a goddess worshiping tradition, there are strong threads of the divine feminine throughout and sects which are devoted to her worship.
hindu origins - the word “avatar” itself is Sanskrit (see this NY Times article for proof), and is rooted in Hindu mythology (as is yoga). Since the advent of Second Life and gaming culture, the word avatar evokes the graphical representation of a computer user – but it’s original meaning is “descent” and it can be “an incarnation or human appearance of a deity, particularly Vishnu.” These incarnations – including one of the most famous, Krishna – have blue skin, and the blue Na’vi beings are themselves meant to evoke hindu deities. Continue Reading
Okay, whoa, what’s with the silence? In case you were thinking I jumped off a bridge or something, I’m letting y’all know that I’m still here, still lurking around the internets. January is hard, motivation is hard ~ but yoga, for me, is all about developing compassion, so I’m not going to be too hard on myself. But I will offer up a couple of explanations:
- my lower back “went out” (still don’t really know what that phrase means) 2 weeks ago, thanks to a new office chair. I replaced the bunk chair with a highly superior chair, but my back is still adjusting. This makes sitting at my desk, blogging, a not so pleasant experience. Then just as my back started to feel better, I developed a urinary tract infection. Starting to wonder if I have some first/second chakra issues that need to be dealt with…
- I started an Anusara teacher training program last weekend, so I’ve been really focused on my practice and studies (which have also provided relief from the nagging back pain). Felt like I should have blogged about it, but didn’t know what to say. Other than I love it (the training is actually part of a year and a half long Anusara “immersion” process ~ only 5 months to go). Love it, love it, love it!
- I’m numbed out by the whole Haiti earthquake situation, and blogging about yoga feels trivial in light of such a tragedy. For the first couple of days, I was aching with sorrow and heartbreak. Then I started to feel overwhelmed by the “calls to action” and the pleas for donations and the outpour of support. I think I’ve reached my saturation point, as the constant press coverage is starting to irritate me and make me feel like a “bad yogi.” What many people people are interpreting as a global symbol of our interconnectedness and an opportunity for service actually makes me feel disconnected and powerless. I gave some clothes, I gave some cash, and I wish I could offer more but I feel depleted.
- And to top it all off, there have been 13 hours of sunlight this month in Montreal. 13 hours! I haven’t seen the sun in over a week, and I’ve been experiencing a corresponding lethargy and sluggishness through my whole body and mind. Despite all the yoga (which seems to be the only antidote).
Anyway, my lovelies, soon I will be back in the swing of things. The holidays disrupted my little life routines, and I’ve had a hard time getting back into them. But I am, slowly and gently. In the meantime, here is the awesome Larry Platt and his “Pants on the Ground” audition for American Idol (the first viral sensation of 2010):
Looking back at the first decade of the 2000s...
Despite the odds against it, we managed to survive the first decade of the new millennium ~ described by The Globe and Mail as “a decade that began in earnest with a huge terrorist attack, followed by two intense wars and more terrorism, ending with a complete financial collapse, undercut with fear of an overheating planet.” Egads – no wonder people were turning to yoga! Through the 10 years of stress and uncertainty, yoga did not only boom but thrive, as people turned to it in search of physical relief and spiritual comfort.
Yoga entered the new millennium on a wave of unprecedented popularity in the West. In 1990, yoga was this thing that old hippies and new age flakes did ~ by 1999, yoga was being practiced by uber-celebrities such as Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, and Marc Jacobs had designed a $400 yoga mat bag. Yoga had become ultra fashionable, as well as profitable. This ascent continued in the early 2000s, with yoga and all things related making big news, and big business.
Over the course of the decade, yoga found increased mainstream acceptance, greater commercialization and bigger profits ~ paralleled by an increase in yoga activism, wider diversity and investigations into yoga for healing and therapeutic uses. Yet, the jury’s still out on whether this mass popularity and commercial appeal is a good thing for yoga. In a 2006 feature article, The Atlantic Monthly described yoga as being “at a confused, precarious place, teetering on the edge of overexposure.” Has yoga reached its tipping point? Or is it still hovering at the edge? And how will the practice evolve in the next 10 years? Journey through the decade to see where yoga has come in the past 10 years…
2000
Yoga Journal, a San Francisco-based yoga/new age magazine which had been publishing since 1975, relaunches with a slick new look and branding, including a fancy new wordmark (design-speak for the title on the cover, aka ‘logo’). Lululemon, a little yoga apparel company that started two years earlier, opens its first and flagship retail outlet in Vancouver (there are now over 100 Lululemon locations in Canada, the US, Australia and Hond Kong). Big name athletic companies clue in to the retail power of yoga: Seane Corn is named Nike‘s first global yoga ambassador, and Christy Turlington launches her Nuala yoga apparel line with Puma.
2001
This is a breakout year for yoga: Time magazine features a cover story on the power of yoga (featuring Christy Turlington, of course) and Rodney Yee makes a guest appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. According to Time, an estimated 15 million Americans practice yoga (twice as many as 5 years earlier). Sri Pattabhi Jois gives one of his final North American workshops in New York City, during which the 9/11 terrorist attacks take place. Continue Reading
