Rebecca Volynsky
Laura Douglass
Yoga: Theory, Culture and Practice
Spring Semester 2013
2/27/2013
My back made an audible popping sound on
January 1st of last year. I was having dinner with my partner at the time and
ended up rushing to the emergency room, which was only a couple blocks away
from the restaurant. From that day forward, I regularly saw a back specialist,
attended physical therapy sessions, and did a light asana practice every
morning. I also participated in hot vinyasa yoga classes at BE Studio in Union
Square, Somerville every single week. The pain I was experiencing at the time
was physical; however, I soon realized that I was experiencing a lot of mental
pain as well. It was if I had a gigantic mental block; school wasn’t going
well, I hated my job, and I never spoke to my friends or family. This struggle
stemmed from the self-sabotaging anxiety I developed due to my relationship.
The yoga that I regularly practiced and therapy sessions that I attended led me
to see my place in the world, future goals, and relationship a little clearer.
I learned how to let go, and I eventually did for my own self. This process was
complicated, but somehow I managed to go through it gracefully with what I
learned through my practice. After moving home to Providence for the summer, I
made my way back to Cambridge in the fall of 2012 and started every aspect of
my life over. I wanted to begin going to yoga regularly again, but I wanted to
try out a different local studio first. This is when I began attending classes
at Prana Power Yoga in Central Square, Cambridge.
Prana Power Yoga was established by
self-acclaimed “Super Mom”, Taylor Wells and her husband, Phillipe Wells ten
years ago in Newton, MA. They later created additional studios in Winchester,
MA, Manhattan, NY, Brooklyn, NY, and Cambridge, MA. A hot vinyasa flow is what instructors
normally teach at Prana. In addition, restorative and unheated classes are
practiced on occasion at a higher “workshop” price. In their teacher bios, both
Taylor and Phillipe talk about how they once led superficial, seemingly happy
lives, but didn’t feel like they were doing anything personally meaningful
until they began to seriously practice yoga. Taylor opens up more about this on
the Prana website, “I did a lot of stuff, got a lot of stuff, achieved a lot of
stuff and won–a lot. But I wasn’t happy…” (Wells, pranapoweryoga.com). However,
their expertise in time-management and leading businesses is still evident in
how they run their studios. Taylor and Phillipe travel between all of their
spaces and teach classes, lead teacher trainings and special workshops, do book
signings, write a blog for the Boston Herald, and lead an unbelievably thorough
social media campaign for Prana Power Yoga. While managing every single aspect
of their business, they also raise five children. After learning all of this,
it did not faze me why Taylor would call herself a “Super Mom”.
In
a video for the Boston Herald, Taylor talks about waking up at four in the
morning to begin her practice or head to her Newton studio to teach a pre-dawn
class. This sense of discipline is most likely inspiring to those with busy
schedules; however, it seems overwhelming to me. In our modern culture, we want
to be able to do everything in a short amount of time; but with the
distractions that pop up throughout the day, it seems nearly impossible. I
think that developing a routine while allowing yourself to “let go” throughout
the day, even when you’re not practicing yoga, is possible. However, I believe
that it’s important to just let go and be mindful of your well-being when you
can’t pursue everything all at the same time.
Prana
Power Yoga’s goal is to provide a welcoming environment that will allow you to
develop inner-strength and self-love. “You’ll experience a feeling of love,
connection, belonging, acceptance, and good energy in our Prana community. We’re
not about ego or competition, because that’s not yoga and it leads to
suffering.” (Wells, pranapoweryoga.com) While eliminating outside pressure, one
can become more mindful of their body and well-being. “Create The Best Life
Ever” is a book that Taylor Wells also wrote to inspire her students. It is a
collection of real life stories that she promises will help you make your goals
in life more possible. The book is available in a section of the Prana website
that is dedicated to selling books, inspiration cards, and yoga-inspired
clothing. I found this to be extremely hypocritical of what they claim to be
their beliefs. Is someone who is dealing with anxiety or body image-related
issues supposed to purchase these products in order to be happy? This is a
perfect example of how yoga is marketed to Western society. The idea that Prana
Power Yoga is an ego and competition-free space is plastered throughout their
social media and public campaigns for the studio. However, this is not what
exactly what I first observed when I walked into the “Prana 2 Music” class in
Cambridge.
Once
I paid the fee for the class, I walked into an almost full room of women that
were mostly wearing super tight tops and leggings. The space was lit by
colorful lanterns hanging from the sea foam green painted ceiling, and had an
extremely large window that faced Massachusetts Ave. in Central Square. It felt
very welcoming and open, despite the suffocating humidity filling the space. It
was hard to find a place to lay down my mat because it was extremely full in
the room and I didn’t want to step on anyone. I settled for a place in the back
so I could observe the
rest of the students. I admit that I felt a little self-conscious and didn’t
know what kind of reaction I would get from the instructor or other students if
I made a mistake or went too slow. I try to keep up with the pace of hot yoga
classes; however, it’s important for me take breaks and slow down due to my
asthma and lower back pain. At the studio that I used to go to in Union Square,
the teacher would always ask everyone if they had any injuries prior to class.
Unfortunately, and to my surprise, this did not happen at the class at Prana
that day. In addition, I felt a sense of “competition” within the class, which can
turn people away from popular hot yoga studios like Prana. On the Prana Power
Yoga website, blog, and in various videos, Taylor Wells also talks about body
image and how Prana is a community that accepts everyone. Our modern culture is
obsessed with body image, which is what yoga is now often associated with. Letting
go of that mental block when you go to classes is extremely important if you’re
new to the practice and don’t understand the way it’s represented in modern
culture.
The
instructor, Caitlin Green, came in and started playing some music that filled
the space. I immediately sensed that playing music while practicing yoga wasn’t
for me. I didn’t feel relaxed, in fact, I felt extremely tense during the
entire session. It was even difficult to let go in child’s pose while Coldplay
blasted through the speakers. I’m sure it enriched the flow and movement for
some students, but the stress that I was bringing to my mat and trying to
unravel that day only amplified within me. I was really surprised to see her
waltz around all of the students without helping them with alignment throughout
the class. She did not practice or demonstrate any of the poses herself;
rather, she called some of the complicated names out loud instead. I had to
look up from my mat and check out what other students were doing most of the time because I didn’t
know what she was saying. I found myself struggling to keep up with the pace
and music, so I occasionally had to escape into child’s pose instead. Although
this class is advertised as being suitable for “all-levels”, I don’t feel like
Caitlin did enough to make sure that her students were aware of alternate poses
in case they were feeling pain or couldn’t hold the pose long enough.
After
another oddly uncomfortable experience, I still want to keep giving Prana Power
Yoga a chance. I left the class feeling rejuvenated and like my muscles
loosened up. I was excited that I had something to write about, but I’m eager
to go back and see what the other instructors are like. Going to studios that
offer a variety of classes taught by around twenty different instructors can be
hit-or-miss. I don’t think this particular class reflects what all yoga classes
are like at this studio, just like how the one session I went to at BE in Union
every week might not reflect what the other classes are like. I might have just
been lucky to find an instructor who was fully invested in the student’s
success and growth within the class. Although I did not agree with their
methods of advertising and promoting living the “best life ever” by purchasing
their products, I hope to give some of Prana Power Yoga’s other classes a
chance. My
experience at Prana reminded me of how important it is to focus on your own
mind and body when you are practicing. He writes “…the aloneness of seeing in
its purity, without any distortions introduced by the organs of perception,
namely, the mind, the heart, and the senses” is the power of yoga (Ravindra
50). While eliminating outside pressure, one can become more mindful or their
body and well being.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Works Cited
Ravindra, Ravi. The Spiritual Roots of Yoga: Royal Path to
Freedom: Sandpoint: Morning Light
Press, 2006.
Print.
Wells, Taylor. Prana Power Yoga. 2013. Web. 22 Feb 2013.
Thanks for a sharing a information Power Yoga gurgoan.information
ReplyDeletePower Yoga gurgaon