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Super star snobbery? What, elitism in yoga?
Yoga Modern’s recent post “Are the kulas of today the cults of tomorrow” is afire with comments. Author Chelsea Roff has clearly touched a nerve. When she asked readers if anyone has ever been cast out by a yoga community, reader Meherbani responded:
“I was on a yoga retreat in Costa Rica and it was all Kula-this and kula-that, and I hadn’t ever felt so left out of something before in my life.”
Such feelings of separatism touched a couple of nerves in me, too.
I came to the yoga to get away from exclusionism. I reluctantly gave up a career as a museum curator for this very reason. I stepped down from the ivory tower in hopes of sliding away from cronyism. A dissertation could be written on the “kulas” of the art world (where they are granted supposed worthiness by inclusion in a “school of,” or an “ism”), but I need look no further than The New York Times recent announcement of the death of artist Cy Twombly. Witness this quote from critic Robert Hughes as he calls Twombly “the Third Man, a shadowy figure, beside that vivid duumvirate of his friends Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg.”
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In an essay pointedly titled Your kid could not do this and other reflections on Cy Twombly, Curator Kurt Varnedoe writes:
Modern art does thrive on a kind of clubbiness that brings together in pocketed associations people who value…esoteric activity. But it’s the very self-appointed nature of those “elites,” and their diversity that recommends them: membership has always required enthusiasm, curiosity and commitment.”
Or maybe when you read the title of Varnedoe’s essay and see that the untitled painting by Twombly below sold for over $15 million you agree with the writers Big Think… that those are just scribbles and random marks that your kid in fact could do?
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Having been a curator, I’ve worn the shoes of being the “juror” and made selections based on my own education, knowledge, and…discrimination. (When I look at Twombly’s work, I think, “Ah, mark-making.”) Discussing elitism in the art world, critic Dave Hickey once said, “Start at the top, because there is no ladder.” Basically, if you’re an artist trying to start at the bottom you might as well not bother. But many believe that “elitism” in the art world is exactly what ensures quality. Columnist Jerry Saltz wrote,
“no one rails at physics or science or medicine for being “elitist.” Like physics, medicine, etc., art is a specialist field — something you understand more the more you study it.
Maybe the art world has something figured out that yogis don’t yet. Do we accept a hierarchy of quality for Who’s Who in the art world, but not for famous yoga teachers?
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(Read more about the infamous “Irascibles,” the group of abstract artists who protested their exclusion by the Museum of Modern Art in 1950.)
I would love to hear from other artists and yogis out there:
What does it take to gain “fame” as an artist or as a yoga teacher? Are celebriyogis at the top because of quality or something else entirely? And who decides what’s quality and what’s not?
Having watched friends immerse themselves into basking in the light of a yoga leader, it's an odd thing to see. As a mutt yogi and textile designer finding some success in a commercial world I find myself standing within and without groups of like-minded individuals.
I slide away from groups that expect me to toe a specific party line; to me a party line means accepting another's vision as your own instead of being a piece of a whole. The whole of the universe is within me; why would I need to be attached to a vision that I may be attracted to but isn't totally mine?
The idea of family, of kula in the yogi world is by it's very nature of leader and followers is excusionary…there is a ladder.
Thanks for your reply, v, I appreciate hearing your feedback from the standpoint of both artist and yogi. Yes, toeing a particular party line may mean buying that group's precepts wholesale. In the world of artists who have become "famous," many were grouped into certain styles not by their own declaration, but by that of critics and curators (such as myself!)…as a curator one of the toughest challenges I faced was asking artists to provide a personal statement, many were very reluctant. I was once asked in response, "If I write you an artist statement, will you draw me a curatorial one?"
And that ladder…I am wondering… in the traditional guru/disciple relationship…a ladder?
B: And that ladder…I am wondering… in the traditional guru/disciple relationship…a ladder?
V: Yes. Watch the group dynamics of a yoga class, especially one where the teacher has a following. The dynamics of the people often appear to be jostling for position by either physical proximity or by learning to speak the teachers "language" and using only their language. It allows them to be seen as a dedicated yogi as opposed to those who don't jostle for position in the front ranks.
Oh and btw, I missed a letter up there in exclusionary.
Too early this morning for me to catch it.
Oh, yes, I have seen that. I love and embrace the fact that I have followed the path of yoga, but an interesting thing occurs to me after reading your note above. I have in the past (egad!) thought of certain died-in-the-wool religious folk as "sheep" who just follow the leader, while thinking of myself as a "goat," with a will (and ability to form opinions) of my own…I now realize I've subconsciously made this same dualistic assessment about those in yoga who "speak the language" so as to be seen as dedicated…hmmm… And then there is the Who gets to sit next to the teacher during meal breaks at retreats…the Inner Circle…does take me back to high-school days and not being "picked" for clubs, etc…What a practice this all is!
It is a practice to see past the desire to be within that sphere of influence and look within to see what we follow: the path of being the little one in the family or the one ready to spread their wings. Both are right for where we are now but one feels more right than the other and if we can see both paths instead of a single path it's time to let go.
Ha, great post! Being an artist (and having worked at a major museum), I kind of marveled at how similar the art and yoga worlds are and how they operate. Though quaint by art world standards (yoga does not have near the money or history of commercialism that art has), I have seen similarities with their major players and stars, their loyal followers, the ‘it’ magazine to get written up in, the hot new gallery/studio to be associated with ,the endless festivals (is Wanderlust becoming the Art Basel of the yoga world showcasing the hottest, up and coming yoga stars), the well-moneyed consumers of both worlds, fights (um, I’m mean mindful discussions) over whose art/ yoga is true art/yoga what is art/yoga) and on and on. I’m sure the mechanics of becoming a yoga star is not all that different than that of becoming an art star in that marketing, timing, associations, connections, a minimum of talent, luck and most important, sheer bravado, a yoga agent and good hair (I’ve done my share of yoga star satire) goes a long way to get you there.
YogaDawg, you touch on something (several, soethings actually) that is on my drawing board, re: yoga festivals/art festivals…quite a ground, look for another post on that soon. As for the mechanics of becoming a "star," what is the balance between true giftedness and luck? It takes a lot more initiative/shakti for someone in a rural region to become well known than for those living in a metropolitan area. This is why artists have long fled to NYC, LA, Berlin…Does the new yoga festival circuit increase the exposure of "emerging" yoga teachers, increase their audience? Or is the case the same as it is at the local yoga studio, is it more about the buzz created by how many people are lined up outside the studio waiting for a particular teacher's class?
…Does the new yoga festival circuit increase the exposure of "emerging" yoga teachers, increase their audience?
This has the sound of Yogapalooza, the circuit as it were. Didnt know there was a circuit, how did this start? Or the thought just came to me, the weekends at Omega or Feathered pipe ranch is that what you mean? Aren't those events really expensive albeit popular?
I know that Yoga all by itself costs nothing to practice, but its all the gear we "need" to do it.
Seems to me the more popular anything/anybody is the more it costs us to attend, maybe the question is : How much is Yoga worth?
Bill, I was the Executive Director of Feathered Pipe in 2009, and hosted “Camp WannaYoga” that summer. We invited a number of regional yoga teachers (which might = emerging) and asked each to teach just one class, and then be able to attend all the other sessions in lieu of a teaching fee. It was a great model. Very inexpensive weekend at Feathered Pipe for people who otherwise had not been able to go there, and also for regional teachers to have a chance to teach in a prime, internationally known venue. It was sweet! I, too, ask the question, how much is Yoga worth. My practice gets more and more simple the more years I practice, in terms of, I hardly even bother to get a yoga mat out to practice, and have long forgotten about buying cool new yoga clothes (and I am a clothes horse). Yes, like anything else, the more popular, the higher the price…however, that is not always the case. I’ve recently begun training with Richard Miller, in iRest, and even though he is “popular,” if you go to his training, you qualify for a complete recording of the training (even five days) at no extra charge. Another of my teachers, Erich Schiffmann, also wildly “popular” offers free recordings and podcasts of his meditations and talks…like anything else, “it depends.”
After taking some online classes w/ some yoga celebs, I realized that, although they are good teachers, they aren't "better" than the non-famous teachers I go to all the time. Not that there is necessarily anything wrong with it – but some of these people are famous because they are yoga cover models and they've leveraged their visibility and beauty to be high in demand on the burgeoning yoga festival circuit. Hey – more power to em. They're making some coin teaching yoga. That's great. But in a lot of cases, the size of their notariety doesn't mean they are that much better or knowledgeable yoga teachers. Maybe in some cases they are – but not all.
Which taps into a whole other vast question, What does popularity have to do with skill, talent, or giftedness? Again, this applies to yoga teachers and artists…absolutely so in movies and popular culture. I would even add to that, whatever it is that makes someone "popular," regardless of skill, they are clearly giving people enjoyment and a certain level of joy…and joy is absolutely yoga, isn't it?
The enlightened and evolved high school mentality is what kept me out of an actual yoga studio for most of the ten years I've practiced yoga. I'd try a new studio and instantly feel as if I had infringed on someone's right of exclusivity. I won't expect that my dollar be spent on that which matches my values and beliefs 100% but I have every right to expect it not be a complete 180 from my principles.
I am not sure if it's that these people don't know what they are doing or, worse, they don't care. Either way, it's not my idea of yoga.
My first attempt at yoga in a studio was a small local studio. Everyone there had been practicing yoga since they were 18 months old. Most of them were my age or younger. I was greeted with a once over which to me indicated they thought I mistook their establishment for Baskin Robbins. Red flag number one. Back then, I wasn’t strong enough in my self or my yoga to know when I was being marginalized in my Walmart workout attire. Everyone was dressed in special yoga clothes, with designer mats, and ‘yoga b*tch’ attitudes.
I have avoided studios like the plague over the past decade instead finding teachers and gyms and community centers who don't bother with this nonsense. Did I get the best yoga teaching experience. No, but I never left feeling like I didn't belong or 'who was I to have invaded their space?'
I don’t have the right to expect any teacher or studio completely share my beliefs or values. I do have the right to believe that a complete 180 from them is not a place for me. It baffles me how people who would not tolerate this behavior amongst friends or at work willingly pay for it in the confines of a studio. They feel they are getting something out of the experience but at what cost?
LOL, downdogandcats = "mistook their establishment for Baskin Robbins!" Red flag indeed. Your preference for gyms and community centers is totally okay, for one thing, I find the quality of yoga teachers in these settings is not inferior to those in studios. Just as an artist hanging their work in coffee shops does not mean their work is not as "good" as that in galleries. Yoga teacher training programs have grown to the point that one can find very skilled teachers in many settings, not just studios. I do know there are some people who do respond to "status" who feel like yoga studios are more of a status symbol–sigh!
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Barbara,
Is the term celebriyogi a term you coined? Or where did it come from?
Thanks,
Renee
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