Is Yoga a fad?
I am fortunate enough to be mother of two teenagers, it might make you laugh, but actually I consider myself very blessed because not only have got the delight seeing their fluctuations so clearly I also see the latest trends come and go almost as quick as the wind changes.
It has not escaped my attention that yoga is being treated like a fad at the moment. So what is a fad?
noun
- an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived; a craze.
"some regard green politics as no more than the latest fad"
Thanks google.
Yes, there is an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for yoga, or at least various versions of yoga that have been adapted to the modern life in the west, as well as classical and traditional practices..
..and yes it can be short lived.
But to play devils advocate, my experience it is that yoga is only ever short lived when not coupled with the philosophies and histories of yoga. (This is just my opinion btw.) As in; introducing to the participants what it actually means... Thus indicating that some forms of "Yoga" aren't actually classable as yoga at all.
My friend and I, Pippa are organising a retreat this coming January, (no apologies for a shameless plug- flier below) We have had quite an interesting chat about marketing, (or as another friend likes to put it; covert prostitution) namely that there are so many fliers, posters, facebook events, you name it, its up on a board or page somewhere. It is a craze gone bezerk!
And everyone's at it!
It is really frustrating! 10 years ago this cacophony of visual and virtual noise about excellent things was pretty easy to digest, ok, pretty limited, but now we are bombarded! right?!..
..and the choices are phenomenal! no wonder we're mostly all attached to whatsapp groups, finding out what our friends are doing so we can get an idea of which direction to go in!
My instinct with all of this is to turn my back on it and wait for something to catch my eye (hopefully not too late).
One of the eye catchers- actually through word of mouth- (another shameless plug coming up...), is for my friend and teacher Jane, who is holding a 5 week yoga Nidra course November- December, which I booked before I even looked at her flier or knew how much it cost.
I just know this is what I need right now, and I will prioritise my own health and wellness in order to function well into the winter.. (remember the oxygen mask analogy?)
Incidentally, yoga Nidra is not a fad as such, but it seems to have caught the limelight somewhat recently, and even my mother's GP has prescribed Yoga Nidra for her high blood pressure. I hope you know how massive that is.
For a GP to have figured out that its not all about the drugs baby! and jumped out of the box to find a better option.
Honestly my faith in the NHS has started to return with this leap of brilliance. It also helps me to prove that yoga and its various forms have indeed integrated into the fabric of our culture, just like Humous in our supermarkets and whatsapp on (some of) our watches.
It also shows me that "word of mouth" seems to be the most influential, and also, I think, most effective mode to carry information in its purest form. This is what Jane has shown me with this latest project. So keep talking to each other! It's the best way to share our superpowers!
This fad of "yoga" and "wellness" activities is a good thing, I think, because just like the craze for laptops and humous in the 90's, and 00's it is starting to become part of the background of our lives, rather than something that passes, it has become integrated, so in a way, the fad has morphed into something else, mercifully staying with us for the foreseeable future.