Tuesday, 30 November 2010

Yoga Studio

I am a pretty straightforward guy. I am, have always been, and always will be an atheist, and I do not ascribe to anyone's superstitions. I do not care if they are Christian, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, or a member of one of the many New Age cults that seem to be taking over the entire West Coast nowadays. No matter what, it all seems like nonsense to me. None of it is worth my time.

Because of this, it is a tremendous challenge finding a good yoga studio. Now, with the popularity of yoga classes nowadays among practical, upwardly mobile business types, you would expect there to be more places where you can study the art deeply without being subject to a barrage of superstitious nonsense. Perhaps it is just where I live – Berkeley California is not known to be a haven for the practically minded. Whatever the reason, however, every time I try one of the newest yoga studios I hear about, it is hard to make it through class without laughing.

Honestly, I would have never gone to a yoga studio in the first place if it were not for health problems. Sitting at a computer all day can do terrible things to your back. I never really paid much attention to it until it was too late. Although physical therapy helped, what I really needed was classes at a yoga studio to help me get back in shape. I was taking yoga classes at a local fitness center, and was unhappy with them. They just did not seem to go deeply enough into the practice of yoga. But honestly, the yoga studio was so much worse.

It seems that all of the yoga instructors that I've met have one thing in common. They think that we are there to hear a sermon, and that their status as yoga teachers qualifies them as spiritual leaders. I don't want to hear about letting go of past anger. I don't want to hear about taking more time to relax. I get all that from my life coach. If it makes you feel happy to believe all of that hokum, more power to you. What I want is a yoga studio that will show me the breathing, the postures, and the theory behind them without all of the religious superstition. Until I can find something like that, I'll have to put up with all of the silly spiritual talk.

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