Yoga in Suburban America
Rebecca Morse
Lesley University
CSOCS 3452
Introduction
Yoga is an experience
designed to stretch the mind, body and soul. Though I am very new to yoga, this
has happened for me already, on all accounts. When this midterm project was
proposed, I was excited to begin exploring different yoga studios in my area. I
hoped to continue a yoga practice outside of school. I felt like yoga could add
to my education in counseling and guide me through some much desired lifestyle
changes. Because of this I was eager to find a studio which I loved. Though I
was excited to find a studio, something held me back from actually going to a
class for a very long time. I began my search for the perfect studio when we
received our syllabi on the first day of class. As I searched through what
seemed like thousands of studios around me I knocked off studio after studio.
One looked too posh, another too run down. Another studio did not make the cut
because the classes looked too easy, but the next sounded much too challenging.
I tried, and failed a few different times to attend different classes around
Cambridge and Somerville. Finally, the Sunday before this paper was due rolled
around, and I still had not made it to a studio. Putting things like this off
is very unusual for me, and I was beginning to panic. I was home for the
weekend, so I found the closest yoga studio to my house and I dropped in on
their 9:30 am Prana Flow class. The studio that I went to, Union Studio Yoga in
Andover, was a thoroughly different experience than the yoga which we have
practiced in class. I don’t know that I’ve found my dream studio, but I am glad
that I finally went.
Union Studio Yoga
Union Studio Yoga is a small yoga studio in a building known for its fitness
centers. According to their website, the studio presents a philosophy based on
tradition. They emphasis a yoga practice built on the pillars of exercise,
breathing, and meditation. Union Studio aims to bring together a variety of
styles and intensities in their class offerings in order to “create a true
union of teachers, students, and community,” ("Union
yoga studio").
The studio promotes a holistic approach in their teaching. They define this as
an emphasis on the relationship between a strong body and a calm mind
("Union yoga studio"). They also support yoga as a non-competitive
activity. Students are encouraged to stay within their limits, without any
pressure to compete or overexert themselves ("Union yoga studio").
In reality, the studio has a very cosmopolitan vibe. Upon entry I had a feeling
that the holistic approach advertised on their website might take a backseat to
maintaining the image of a fit and athletic yogi. The classes offered were in
keeping with this deduction. The classes tend to focus on fitness and strength
training. I spoke with the instructor of the class which I attended about
different class offerings. He said that classes tended to be Iyengar based, or
focused on alignment (Urban, 2012). Classes offered include a number of Vinyasa
and Prana Flow classes as well as core training, pre-natal yoga, and therapeutic
yoga classes. The studio also offers a number of workshops ranging from
mindfulness to introductory yoga (“Union yoga studio”).
The Class
The class which I attended was taught by Jerry Urban, a registered yoga instructor
who is originally from Los Angeles. He began his career as a weight lifter, and
added yoga as a compliment to his fitness routine. He began to study and teach
yoga in New England following Shiva Rea’s Prana Flow practice (Prana Flow, 2012).
I found that understanding his background helped me to better understand the
class and Jerry’s teaching style.
Though Jerry is not a tall man, he certainly holds a dominant presence in the
room. He is well built, with a distinct beard and tattoos down his arms and
legs. He is not the kind of teacher who would appear on the cover of “Yoga
Journal.” The women who attended the class however would not have been out of
place in the magazine.
Prana Flow is a practice derived from the Vinyasa style of yoga. It is an
energetic and fluid approach to yoga which encourages growth through the use of
rhythm and creativity. The object of Prana Flow is to allow students to
experience prana, or “the universal source of breath, life-energy, and
conscious intelligence,” (Prana Flow, 2012).
The Prana Flow class
which I attended opened with energetic music and a very social atmosphere. The
women in the group talked to each other throughout the majority of the
practice. They commented on not only how strenuous the exercise was, but also
on their recent ski vacations, childrens’ hockey tournaments, and their
husband’s upcoming galas. The instructor was very jovial and joked with them
throughout the session. As he led the yoga practice, he focused on breath-work
and alignment. He encouraged the use of props in order to achieve perfection
within the poses. He spent most of his time correcting my posture and
alignment, pushing me far past where I was comfortable.
The poses were clearly rooted in yoga, but many felt Americanized. For much of
the class I felt like I was at a sports practice, rather than a yoga class. We
began in Balasana, or child’s pose, and moved into Adho Mukha Svanasana, or
downward facing dog, (Yoga Poses Alphabetically, 2011). From here each pose
flowed into the next, and there were no moments of stillness in a pose. The
instructor guided us into a number of variations of planks as well as
variations of the warrior pose (Virahadrasana I, II, and III) and the pigeon
pose (Eka Pada Rajakapotasana), as well as a number of others, (Yoga Poses
Alphabetically, 2011). The poses flowed in and out of each other. They were
repetitive and ever changing. He focused on stomach muscles and upper body
strength.
The practice was very
demanding and the instructor clearly pushed each of the students to their
limit. Some of the students who were very comfortable with the poses and were
able to achieve perfect and proper alignment were pushed to lengthen farther,
or invert their feet a different direction than usual. Since this was my first
time experiencing many of the poses, I was stretched to twist my body and
maintain correct posture. I was surprised by how much the class focused on body
over mind. At the end of the class we spent only three minutes in relaxation.
During this time Jerry talked about the importance of being okay with where you
are at in your practice.
Yoga
in Suburbia
During the class, Jerry
named all of the poses in English as we went through them. He also named many
in Sanskrit. The women in the class joked about this. They told Jerry that he
was being “fake,” and “showing off.” I was struck by this, as Sanskrit is
yoga’s language of origin. In class we have talked about what it means to
practice yoga in America. Western culture certainly shapes yoga in America and
yoga has evolved into a very different form. The idea of yoga for
physical fitness has become prevalent over yoga for mindfulness. Yoga has
become an American franchise in part because it is notoriously “photogenic” and
“sensual” (“More on the commodification of yoga”, 2003).
In the studio where I
attended yoga class it was easy to see the commercialization of yoga. In
speaking with the women who attended the class, it seemed to me that they used
yoga in order to get fit and as a social experience, more than as a mindfulness
technique. They said that they generally attended the same classes each week,
and that they attended three to four classes a week. The women in the class all
knew each other and there was a sense of camaraderie and community within the
circle.
Based on my understanding
of yoga up until the Prana Flow class, I expected a class where we may or may
not have experienced a vigorous workout followed by a significant period of
guided relaxation. The women who attended the class, however, did so with the
expectation that they would receive an exciting and intense physical workout,
and that there would be a short relaxation period at the end of the workout. This
difference in practices may have resulted from a variety of causes. The more
cosmopolitan atmosphere presented by Union Studio Yoga could create a different
way of thinking about yoga than is presented at Lesley University. Yoga in this class was certainly more fitness oriented, however, the argument could be made that the women in the class stretched their bodies and in doing this stretched their minds.
Conclusion
Although I am not far
into the semester, I am amazed at how relevant yoga has become to my life. Each
class I find myself connecting to the theories on a personal, professional, and
spiritual level. Yoga is certainly a practice which I will continue to carry
throughout my life and one which I hope to mold into my practice as a
clinician. The yoga class which I attended opened my eyes to a different face
of yoga. It lacked the spiritual aspect which I find so dear in yoga and to which
I am becoming acquainted with in class. The Prana Flow class did however
stretch me to my limit physically and force me beyond my comfort zone. I would
love to find a mix of this as I continue to practice and further my knowledge
of yoga.
Sources
More on the Commodification of Yoga--or the
Evolution/Devolution of Yoga in America and Abroad. (2003). Yoga
Studies, 12.
Union
Studio Yoga. (2012). Prana Flow with
Jerry Urban [Brochure]. Andover, MA: Union Studio Yoga.
Urban, J. (2012, February 26). Interview by R Morse
[Personal Interview].
Yoga poses alphabetically by sanskrit names. In
(2011). The New York Times Company. Retrieved from http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposenamesinsanskrit/Yoga_Poses_Alphabetically_by_Sanskrit_Names.htm
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