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.
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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.
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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:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yogahands.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yoga4Love_Freedom_Gratitude.jpg
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