A Little Bit Of History Repeating

Dear Yogis!

I was listening to Naga Munchetty on Radio 5 this week and her exploration of the QAnon phenomena in the yoga and wellness world. The interesting thing is that yoga has a history of being anti-establishment and anti-science. (Wind forward to 39:20). Listen to how conspiracy theories and wellness communities have always converged.

Naga speaks to Derek Beres the co-host of Conspirituallity and a former yoga instructor. She asks (48:43) if the yoga community has always been disenfranchised or separate from the medical community. Yes, says, Beres, and you can trace it back to the invention of vaccines by Edward Jenner, creator of the smallpox vaccine, the world's first ever vaccine (1749-1823). 1853 saw anti-vaccine riots in London; the National Anti-Vaccination League was founded in 1886.  I’ll flesh the other examples he gives.

Beres starts his history of American yoga and anti-establishmentism with Henry David Thoreau in the early 19th Century. Thoreau was part of the Transcendental movement which was anti-mainstream, anti-colonial and anti-xenophobia. Colonialism was the all-encompassing political reality of the time; perhaps it seemed idiotic to wider society to be opposed to such an entrenched reality. Transcendentalists wanted to embrace all other races, cultures, and religions. Yoga and ‘Hindooism’ were part of their identity.

Then Beres jumps to the 1940s when the physical aspect of yoga became popular with Theos Bernard, a yoga pioneer and celebrity of 1908–1947. His yoga journey was probably set in motion by his celebrity yogi father, 'The Great Oom', Pierre Bernard. His actual search started when he was ill with rheumatic pneumonia and his discovery in a book that yoga could provide 'infinite energy'.

In those two examples you have the promise of a lifestyle that rejects the establishment, and the promise of health that rejects mainstream medicine.

Five years ago the Guardian carried an article by Brigid Delaney titles 'Time to roll up the yoga mats and man the barricades' about how yogis typically turn inwards and abandon public duty. She said 'the obsession with “wellness” represents a flight away from the public fight into the self.' 'We rolled up our banners and rolled out our yoga mats.'

Anyway, it’s an interesting little listen. Food for thought.

Zoom Classes – New Class

OK. There have been so many requests for me to restart Ashtanga classes. We’re well into the dark months and no more lightness and sun and warmth to keep us out and away from the mat. I’ll be teaching a morning Ashtanga class on Thursdays from 8.00 to 9.00. For all classes, you can book here.