If you thought the latest trend of Goat Yoga was bizarre, prepare to be astounded by various other forms that are cropping up. We ask experts for their take on these
The world is a strange place, indeed. Recently, Goat Yoga caught the fancy of yoga practitioners. A couple of months ago, it was Beer Yoga. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Look up online and you will come across tons of bizarre forms of yoga. While most of these are practised abroad, a few of them have made their way to Mumbai. For instance, Doga (yoga with dogs), Cat yoga and Beer Yoga. So, do these encourage those intimidated by yoga to give it a try or dilute the essence of yoga as a discipline? We ask yoga experts in the city for their opinions on these strange yoga forms.
Dilutes the essence of yoga
Radhika Vachani, Founder & MD, Yogacara Healing Arts, is an Iyengar Yoga practitioner and teacher for the past 17 years. She says, “As a yogi, it makes my blood boil. It 100 per cent dilutes the essence of yoga. People who invent these bizarre types of yoga are trying to capitalise on it and make money, which I find blasphemous. Have people come up with Dog Tai Chi, Nude Tai Chi, etc and the like, with other martial art forms as well? In countries like China and Japan, there’s so much reverence for their heritage. If something like this were to happen, the Chinese Government would be up in arms,” she says, condemning such outrageous fads.
Herd mentality
In Vachani’s opinion, such yoga practices are a rage thanks to people’s herd mentality. She says, “Today, the world doesn’t stop to think before doing something. With technology, these trends are going viral and people are simply jumping on to the bandwagon without thinking.”
The West has bastardised and capitalised on yoga
Vachani suggests that the Indian Government should take strong steps to claim its heritage and prevent the use of the word ‘yoga’ so freely. She states an example of the French champagne protection policy against misleading claims made for wines, beverages that trade off Champagne’s reputation — that Champagne only comes from Champagne, France. “The West has bastardised and capitalised on yoga, and made billions of dollars from it. Till today, the Indian Government has not effectively claimed and capitalised on its own heritage and science, to make India a hub for yoga,” she says.
What fuels the bizarre
Shweta D’souza, previously a dancer-choreographer, took up Capoeira, Parkour, trained in Ashtanga and Vinayasa Yoga has been teaching yoga since a couple of years now. Currently, she teaches yoga by the beach on the weekends at Juhu beach, and also conducts yoga classes in studios in Bandra and Juhu. In her opinion, “Yoga today has evolved as a trend workout. Traditional yoga practices are rarely followed in today’s classes. It’s more about the fitness element than the holistic lifestyle. Being the current fad, many instructors are looking at adding their own elements to a yoga class to draw in more interest and students. In this search for the ‘new’ or ‘unique’, a number of outlandish forms have evolved,” adding that in the end, it does make for a fun workout but completely changes the form and approach of traditional yoga.
Some trends are for fun
D’souza agrees that these weird yoga practices do generate more interest and even those not keen on yoga do these classes just to experience something different. “Some of these work in tandem with the regular practice of yoga. However, some practices like introducing alcohol or cannabis dilutes the whole essence of the discipline. These classes are done not to experience yoga as a form of fitness but just for fun. Yoga being a holistic form of fitness has a few guidelines with regard to diet, lifestyle and such which some of these bizarre trends totally disregard,” she explains.
Few takers in India
Nirav Gandhi is a trained Iyengar Yoga practitioner with 15 years of practice and 10 years of independent teaching experience, teaches at Seva Sadan in Gamdevi and Yogacara Healing Arts in Bandra. “These bizarre yoga practices do dilute the essence of yoga. A lot of these are small takes from traditional yoga. We’re living in an age of consumerism. Most of these yoga practices take place in California and New York in the US. Smoking weed or cannabis is legal in some states in the US, and so Cannabis Yoga comes as no surprise. Americans are capitalistic and they are capitalising on these bizarre forms of yoga. There’s a very small percentage of people in India who would try these, as most stick to traditional forms. I know a few people who have gone to New York and tried Nude Yoga. These bizarre forms won’t sustain for a long time,” says the yogi who has previously been affiliated with Yoga House, Colaba as a teacher.
Does he feel disheartened about these bizarre trends in the name of yoga? Gandhi says, “Me feeling disheartened or not does not help. I find it amusing. Let’s not forget that if there are makers, then there are also takers for these trends. You can’t really put a stop to them as nobody owns yoga and it cannot be patented. Just like you can’t patent Origami or Bonsai as they are cultural art forms which are practised globally. One can educate and voice their opinions on social media.”
Stand-up comedian and writer Anuvab Pal shares his funny take, “I love it. I think we are only moments away from goats doing yoga, which I expect to be the next trending thing on social media,” he jokes. Pal agrees that the Indian Government should penalise all those who invent such peculiar practices. “I would like a dance off as punishment. Yoga instructors vs goats. Whoever wins, escapes jail!” he quips about the punishment.
Bizarre yoga around the world…
Goat Yoga (involves having a goat perched on one’s back while doing yoga; for variety, piglets are roped in)
Beer Yoga (combining yoga poses while drinking beer)
Hoga or Equine Yoga (stretching and doing poses alongside a horse and continuing poses on horseback)
Alien Yoga (a challenge that has doers contort their ribcage into inverted shapes)
Voga (a fusion of yoga and vogue, fitness and fashion)
Loga or Laughter Yoga (classes begin with initiating laughter and later, deep-breathing exercises)
Doga or Dog Yoga (combines meditation, stretching and massage for dogs and their human partners)
Cat Yoga or Feline Yoga (having cats around while doing asanas)
Karaoke Yoga (participants sing, dance, sweat and do stretches)
SUPoga or Paddleboard Yoga (doing yoga on the water, with a Stand Up Paddleboard in place of a conventional mat)
Tantrum Yoga (releasing stress by screaming, yelling, stomping and chest-pounding while doing yoga)
Twerking Yoga (involves activating the lower chakra with a mild sexually-charged twerk)
Yoga Raves (this rave is sans alcohol, smoking and drugs. Sessions begin with stretching and meditation prior to it progressing to a full-down dance party)
Cannabis Yoga (participants come prepped or rather “high” before the class to practice yoga)
Noga or Nude Yoga (yes, you read that right! It’s meant to encourage participants to shed their inhibitions, body-related insecurities, shame and negativity associated with the body)