Connecting People through Yoga: An Interview with a Yoga Teacher

WRIT2011

Katie Cosgrove (s4032973)

Connecting People through Yoga: An Interview with a Yoga Teacher

I’ve arrived at the Yoga in Daily life in Newstead on a rainy afternoon to interview the yoga teacher Tulsi Devi. As Tulsi opens the door I am greeted by the smell of incense, music and sense of calm. Tulsi is dressed in relaxed clothing and quietly invites me to sit down in their cosy lounge.  

It wasn’t a conscious decision for Tulsi to become a yoga teacher she says “it just happened”.  With a life of travelling an interest in the occult and the beyond and a knowing that there was something more in life Tulsi began to practice yoga.

“I had never planed on being a Yoga teacher. When I was practicing yoga teaching it was not to be a yoga teacher it was to deepen my own understanding - I was focused on my own development”.  

Growing up in Melbourne the yoga teacher describes her upbringing as very affluent and conservative. Originally studying Business management and Interior design at university the change to yoga teaching was a bit hard for her family and friends to accept but it was a very easy and natural decision for her.  

Tulsi has been teaching yoga for over nine years. Whilst she identifies with Hinduism as part of her spirituality because it is part of the yogic tradition she is practicing she also sees yoga as transcending religion and spiritualities. She says

“in our yoga book we have a beautiful quote that yoga is a source of spirituality and spirituality is the base of all religion therefore yoga is the way to go. You have then think of yoga as beyond a physical practice.” 

Tulsi identifies yoga as an internal religion with qualities that you would find in any religion or spiritual practice.  So for Tulsi she feels she is not limited to a particular religion or spirituality preference it is about being open minded.

For Tulsi teaching yoga it is ultimately about helping people and giving back to the community. Yoga in Daily Life is a not for profit organisation that practices a type of yoga called Karma yoga. Karma yoga is about giving back to the community and volunteering their time. All the teachers at Yoga in Daily life are volunteers they do not get paid. At Yoga in Daily life Tulsi not only teaches two to three classes a day but also manages the centre and other administrative work. Yoga in Daily life has a large network around the world and is involved in many community projects Tulsi works with the centres around Australia coordinating these projects and programs.  Giving back to the community is an important element at Yoga in Daily Life Tulsi says that:

“It’s a spiritual practice that needs to be done everyday. It’s a big big part of yoga in daily life. What can we do everyday to help someone?”

When asked what she thought are the biggest social issues that are confronting society today Tulsi said that individuality is causing a lot of problems and separation in society. That it is causing people to feel alone and disconnected from their communities. Tulsi argued that people need a support network especially during hard times and Yoga in Daily Life is committed to helping and being there for those people.  Indeed when religious and spiritual activities involve a social community it can help to raise an individual’s awareness and enhance their lifestyle (Bouma, 1942: p.67). Without a doubt media has taken an important role in today’s society for providing information and altering peoples perspectives (Hjarvard, 2008: pp.11 & 13). Whilst Tulsi believed that media plays a role in individualism and separation she thought that people ultimately have choices as well.  Tulsi argued that people seemed too dependent on the media and that they could choose whether or not to watch or read the news every day.

“I think naturally Yoga is about bringing people back to themselves. And then they realize what is important in life. They are often more kind to people around them and their families. People become more generous to the people and the world around them and that is our purpose that is why we do what we do at Yoga in Daily Life and practice yoga”.

Media plays an important role at Yoga in Daily life and they utilize popular media well with a website, yoga TV, you tube, face book and twitter just to name a few.  The incorporation of popular media in religious and spiritual organisations is an important aspect to keeping connected with their communities (Cheong, 2010: pp.2). Tulsi affirms how important media is in the daily running of Yoga and Daily Life.  That it is what people are using today to communicate and it is important to be sensitive to that.  The website helps to manage Yoga in daily Life as people are able check class times and who is teaching and it frees up the volunteers time.  Tulsi affirms that it can make some peoples life easier and influence whether people will come to a class or even book a class online.  Through media they are able to help more people.  Yoga in Daily Life has a face book that sends inspirational quotes or messages everyday and a twitter account that also sends prayers and spiritual quotes. Tulsi affirms that it’s not so much as promoting what we have on, but giving back and staying connected to the community.  Today faith tweets are becoming more popular amongst religious communities (Cheong, 2010: pp.1). Faith tweeting involves the tweeting of prayers, religious texts or inspirational quotes. Faith tweeting helps to bring religious and spiritual communities closer through the creation of a continuous online religious presence (Cheong, 2010:pp.2). 

As the interview comes to a close I approach the topic of how yoga is reflected in the media when considering that the media frames religious and spiritual information that ultimately contributes to public opinion (Stout, Buddenbaum, 2003: pp.1). Tulsi answered:

“It’s still very surface yeah definitely. All you need to do is look around how many yoga studios that don’t focus on spirituality”.

Indeed the media play an integral role in influencing how people approach religious and spiritual issues (Hjarvard, 2008: pp.11). Tulsi informs me that within a 3-kilometre radius of Yoga in Daily Life there are 16 other yoga studios however Yoga in Daily Life is the only one that focuses on spirituality and meditation.  Indeed the tendency for people to be practicing a non-spiritual yoga practice is in line with the mediatisation of religion and the inclination towards a more secular society (Hjarvard, 2008: pp.10).

At this point people begin to arrive for the next yoga class that Tulsi will be teaching. Tulsi concludes on a positive note that even though many are not practicing a spiritual yoga practice there are more people practicing yoga than football she affirms happily “that’s great, that’s pretty amazing”.

References:

Bouma, Gary. 1942. Social Organisation of Transcendence. In Religion: meaning, transcendence and community in Australia. Melbourne, Longman Cheshire. pp.67 -84.

Buddenbaum, J. Stout, D. 2003. Media, Religion and Framing, Journal of Media and Religion, Journal of Media and Religion, Vol. 2, No.1. pp.1-3.

Cheong, P. 2010. Faith Tweets: Ambient Religious Communication and Microblogging Rituals. M/C Journal, Vol.13, No.2. pp. 1-7.

Hjarvard, S. 2008. The Mediatization of Religion: A theory of the media as agents of religious change. Northern Lights, Vol.6. pp.9-25.

Images:

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Sacred Nature, Mediated Nature

This week I watched the videos by Bliss nEso and the Sigur Ros BBC and I had very different emotional reactions from each video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH2Z_1-Frb8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmYz-RE9YmA

The first one that I watched was the Sigur Ros BBC video which felt emotionally uplifting, even though I couldn’t understand the words the images where so emotionally moving. I found the images to be breathtaking and awe inspiring and I was grateful for living on such a beautiful planet.

The Second video by Bliss nEso felt abrasive and negative. Even though it has a political message and is properly trying to influence change I felt like I was being yelled at and it was irritating.

The videos seem to be using a shock (Bliss nEso) and awe factor (Sigur Ros BBC) to inform and influence people. Both seem to be deeply spiritual but one made me feel angry about what is happening in the world whereas the other made me feel in awe of the beauty of the world. I feel for me personally the Sigur Ros BBC video is much more influential and powerful.

Personal Reflection:

I have always been very lucky I grew up in the country on a large property surrounded by nature.  I love visiting rainforests and the beach to recharge, relax and ground myself. I feel more at home in natural environments surrounded by nature. 

Even though I live in the middle of the city I still have a flower garden in my courtyard and any one wondering where are all the bees have gone plant more flowers I see them every day in my garden. (Hint they like yellow, white and purple flowers).  

Video References:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LH2Z_1-Frb8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmYz-RE9YmA

Images:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Australia_Cairns_12.jpg

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http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bees_flowers_pollen.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flowers.jpg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eighty_Mile_Beach,_Western_Australia.jpg

Faith Tweets: Building Sacred Communities

This week I read ‘Faith Tweets: Ambient Religious Communication and Micro blogging Rituals’ by Pauline Hope Cheong. Cheong discusses the increasing use of interactive communication devices such as blogging and micro blogs like tweets to communicate religious ideas. The act of tweeting enhances religious interactions and builds stronger religious communities (2010: p.1).

 Faith tweeting has been found to enhance religious practice through a sense of connected religious presence. A religious community is created through the use of faith blogging, which in turn creates a sense of commonality between religious parishioners. Faith tweeting also creates a religious community outside the walls of the church strengthening bonds amongst religious parishioners. Cheong argues that some Christian groups are very aware of the power of tweeting for creating a closer religious community and use it for this purpose (2010: p.2).

Furthermore faith tweeting is another way to incorporate religious scriptures into the religious believers everyday life (2010: p.2).  They bring a sense of the sacred to everyday activities. Faith tweeting can be anything from religious scriptures, to prayers to inspirational quotes.  Cheong argues that faith tweeting has helped to

“Build a portable church where fellow believers can connect” (2010: p.3).

Importantly the religious practice of faith tweeting any time anyplace helps to reconnect believers to the sacred in the everyday (2010: p.4).

Many encourage Faith tweeting; religious leader Cardinal Brady head of the Irish Catholic Church encourages churchgoers to use twitter

“To spread the gift of prayer” (2010:  p.2).

Indeed many pastors are being encouraged to adopt the practice of faith tweeting to become more accessible and build stronger communities (2010: p.3). Faith tweeting has also allowed deeper understanding of religious members wants and needs and pastors have been able to respond to this consequently building closer communities (2010: p.3).

Cheong argues that the strength of faith tweeting is that it encourages a sense of connected community anytime or anyplace. Faith tweeting Cheong argues is a

“Communication strategy to maintain relational connectedness beyond the boundaries of established institutional practices” (2010: p.2).

That faith tweeting is a ritual that creates a sense of the sacred and develops spirituality and stronger communities (2010: p.3). Indeed Cheong asserts that

“Twitter functions as the context for contemporary, mediated ritual practices to help believers construct a connected presence and affirm their religious identities” (2010:p.3).

References:

Cheong, P. 2010. Faith Tweets: ambient Religious Communication and Microblogging Rituals. M/C Journal, Vol.13, No.2. pp.1-7.

Wkki Commons Images:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Twitschervogel01_derived_from_twitter-t.svg

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Faith_chalice.jpg

Celebrity Worship

This week I read the essay’s “Celebrity and Religion” by Chris Rojek from the book “Stardom and Celebrity” by Sean Redmond and Su Holmes. The article intends to link the similarities between celebrity worship to religious practices and beliefs.

The article begins with explaining what happens in celebrity worship - that is how the participant obsesses and projects their feelings on to the celebrity creating an emotional dependency that will never be shared (p.171).  Rojek argues that celebrity worship is used to escape life’s hardships through these imaginary emotional relations.

The article discuss what is called Para-social interaction which is when a emotional relationship is developed through the use of mass media with no face to face contact involved.  The emotional relationship is developed from the representations of a celebrity thorough the use of media.

Why celebrities? Rojek argues that celebrities offer a

“powerful affirmations of belonging, recognition and meaning in the midst of the lives of their audiences” (p. 172).

Whilst the participant has no direct contact with the celebrity they can be compensated and fed through the information provided by mass media in magazines, television, interviews and biographies to name a few.  

The article than goes on to link similarities in celebrity worship and religious worship that is celebrities are thought of to be god like, to possess magical or extraordinary powers.  Emile Durkheim wrote about the term ‘collective effervescence’ which is the emotional state of excitement or even ecstasy created through religious worship and experiences (172). Rojek links ‘collective effervescence’ these emotional states to that of celebrity worship. Other similarities that Rojek links between celebrity worship and religious practice are the act of preserving relics from the deceased. Pilgrimages are also evident in celebrity culture and religious practices (175).  

Rojek finishes by asserting that celebrity worship is not nor will it ever be a substitute for religious practice, rather it is

“ a milieu in which religious recognition and belongings are now enacted” (179).

Whilst celebrity culture may provide a sacred significance to some participants Rojek argues that it is a disjointed and unbalanced culture that is unable to maintain balanced spiritual order (180).

References:

Rojek, C. 2007. Celebrity and Religion. In Sean Redmond and Su Holmes Stardom and Celebrity: A Reader. 171-180. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Images:

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