Recently someone wrote a blog putting down a very popular yogi saying that their videos are just arrogant peaces of self promotion. I don't know this yogi personally and they may be an arrogant ego driven person, however, just a little bit of research will show that yogis doing demonstrations is a part of yoga's culture. Krishnamacharya's students did it. Pattabhi Jois did them when he was a student. He had Sharath do them. Demonstrations were just old school versions of You Tube videos. What is the problem?
What is up with all the hating on successful yogi's? If someone masters a pose, makes a video and they get picked up by YAMA, Oprah Winfrey and Giam, why are we going to hate on them? Should they say, "sorry, real yogi's don't make money. I prefer to grovel and be broke for the rest of my life?"
We bash yoga in the West so damn much(me included) but we owe the spread of things like Ashtanga to those cheeky Western students who set at the Guru's door and wouldn't take no for an answer. Many of these Guru's were broke and written off as crazy. When the Western kids got there and brought their hippie friends, these teachers blew up and started wearing gold chains and traveling all over the world. Hell, they liked money too.
There is nothing wrong with money. There is nothing wrong with people knowing your name. There is nothing wrong with wearing Lululemon, tubetops, fake boobs and kissing babies if at the end of the day, the teacher's intentions are pure and people's lives are made better through yoga.
Please, lets put down the Haterade!
Video of the Day: Being a teacher takes a bit of selfishness too
