The world's practice of yoga deviates from its original pursuit and becomes secular

The pursuit of yoga

What is yoga, which has spread from India to all over the world, for modern urbanites? It comes from religion. Is it philosophy, practice, and way of life? Or is it just a fitness exercise?

Every practitioner has his own answer.

YOGA means "connection" in Sanskrit, meaning the unity of man and nature. It balances the body through the practice of asanas and breathing control. By controlling the body, it ultimately controls the spirit and will, so that the practitioner can be stable, happy and finally reach the realm of samadhi. Connect the body with the world, nature, and the universe. Connections include the connections within the self and the connections between the self and external things. It is similar to how masters in martial arts novels need to open up the meridians of their bodies before they can learn advanced martial arts and improve day by day.

Most people don't understand what's wrong with their bodies before practicing yoga. Yoga will let you know that everyone's bodies are different and the focus of practice will be different. During correct yoga practice, breathing and asanas are learned at the same time. Asanas are yoga movements. It is said that there are a total of 8.4 million asanas, and it is enough to learn more than 100 asanas in our daily lives. Every pose in yoga begins with inhalation and ends with exhalation. Unlike other exercises, it is the only one in the world that uses breathing as a practice. There are also many types of breathing methods, and different practitioners adopt different breathing methods. For example, the breathing methods of practitioners with high blood pressure and low blood pressure are different.

In addition to asanas and breathing methods, authentic yoga courses should also be accompanied by certain chanting. The content of the chanting is composed of the mantra derived from thousands of years of development and evolution of sages 'yoga. Its role is to promote the body, mind, and Spiritual sublimation, and it is also an integral part of yoga practice.

As a good yoga instructor, teach asanas and breathing techniques to lead you into a calm, relaxed meditation state. From a physiological point of view, meditation is similar to deep sleep. For example, the frequency of brain wave activity is very low and it looks like he is asleep, but people are actually awake, with peace and joy inside.

If it is not from a practical perspective, once you can lead yourself into a meditative state, your work efficiency will be very high. No matter what difficulties you encounter in life and work, it will be easier to overcome. The reason is that you can already control your spirit and consciousness, adjust your emotions, and you will not be confused or collapse in the face of huge changes.

The control of your body can be felt from the first day of practicing yoga. Yoga relaxes the body through exercise and ultimately delights the soul. It highlights the balance of body and mind. Only in a state of balance of body and mind can people gain spiritual tranquility, joy and freedom.

Spread while losing

When the essence of yoga left India and began to spread, its true nature began to change little by little. What promoters of yoga need to let the audience see are quantifiable effects: such as weight, sleep time, physical condition, etc. They gradually only intercept a small number of its functions to inform consumers, and more people think yoga is a fitness exercise.

Yoga is slowly becoming eager for quick success.

Yang Huimei, a Hong Kong modern dancer and choreographer who has practiced yoga for more than ten years, said that in Hong Kong, everyone regards time as life."I have given this hour and a half, and what have I gained, such as sweating all over my body, and it feels great! How many pounds you lost at once! I need to see the effect immediately!" This mentality is naturally a waste for yoga practice.

Huimei, who came into contact with yoga in New York, believes that this is true not only in Hong Kong, but almost all over the world. Except for a few promoters who sincerely follow the true meaning of yoga, those who can truly understand the meaning of yoga are consumers who have discovered other functions than yoga and fitness during the practice process. After getting introduced to the basics, they spontaneously made a deeper understanding and exploration, and thus began a path of self-cultivation and restored the original nature of yoga little by little.

When yoga was separated from Hinduism and spread to the West in modern times, the process around the world, from the purpose and method of practicing yoga to the teaching method, to the formation of an industry after yoga was commercialized, yoga itself began to take place. Various changes began.

The most controversial one in the yoga world is Bikram Choudhury, an Indian who drives a pure gold Rolls Royce driven by the King of Brunei in Los Angeles. In 2001, he selected 26 movements from ancient yoga books as a standard process for high-temperature yoga. Intellectual property rights were registered. According to the law, anyone or institution around the world that runs high-temperature yoga teaching projects must obtain his authorization and approval, that is, they must pay a certain amount of authorization operating fees. The high-temperature yoga instructor trained by him and his "factory" also needs to be inspected every three years-another opportunity to make money.

This quick method of collecting money has been resisted by many yoga enthusiasts and practitioners, but his followers are still large, and his class is always full. As the "inventor" of this yoga pose, Bikram Choudhury began to enjoy his luxurious life in Beverly Hills with peace of mind.

The popularity of high-temperature yoga has increased the number of yoga clubs around the world by 60%. Its popularity itself shows the mentality of audiences and promoters-because it can quickly lose weight and has significant effects, this most "utilitarian" yoga has been enthusiastically sought after by countless Hollywood stars, from music diva Madonna to flying Michael Jordan.

Business Experience of Yoga

When the ancient art of yoga and modern business philosophy are combined, is it a good thing or a bad thing for consumers?

A guru is a person who can help his disciples dispel obstacles, tests and difficulties and bring light during the yoga practice. He is not an ordinary teacher, but a spiritual mentor for his disciples. There is a saying in ancient yoga books that yoga is one-on-one communication with wise people. In urban yoga studios, the possibility of such communication is extremely small.

At present, yoga clubs on the China market can be roughly divided into: large-scale chain comprehensive yoga clubs, small professional yoga clubs, yoga courses attached to large-scale fitness clubs, and personal trainers serving individual students. Prices range from 30 yuan/festival to 300 yuan/festival.

Generally speaking, the single price of a guaranteed professional yoga course should be more than 100 yuan/session, but this does not mean that the higher the price, the stronger the professionalism. The founder of Jingxintang, a yoga club with a good reputation in the circle, yoga coach Xiao Suo believes: For a yoga class of 300 yuan/session, you enjoy the top-notch club. All the facilities are extremely luxurious. Drinks and juices are supplied for free. The showerhead may be gold-plated, but if you really know yoga, you will see the class. Coach, she may not spend the money. Teachers always welcome you with a smile, and practice will never be painful or tiring. This 300 yuan is for clubhouse services, facilities and environment, and has nothing to do with whether you are a yoga professional. At 30 yuan per class, there are so many people in the locker room that you can't even put your feet in, and the environment is particularly simple. The "guild hall" is set up in a residential building. There are more than 30 people in a class. After practicing for a year, you ask the students, what kind of yoga do you practice? She said I don't know, so I'll follow suit. Xiao Suo said with a smile that the effect of this "yoga" is the same as getting up every morning and doing radio exercises. The difference is that you don't need to spend money on radio exercises. For consumers, she only bought a concept, I practiced yoga.

This "dancing yoga" teaching method has just begun to develop and has attracted a group of consumers who are interested in yoga but have insufficient knowledge of it and have limited financial resources. To be precise, it does not teach yoga, but yoga is not just about asanas. You must practice breathing and asanas together. The result is not that one plus one equals two. The result is likely to be five. Of course, if the asanas are practiced correctly, it will be one, and if the asanas are practiced incorrectly, it will be negative.

According to the classification of Yin Yan, founder of "Youji Yoga", a star brand in the domestic yoga industry, it can be divided into professional and unprofessional. She commented on the current situation of the domestic yoga industry: There are a number of yoga studios that are more professional, the courses they offer are more authentic, and there are good teachers. They may teach a type of yoga, and some only do meditation. They are very professional. Excellent and have a group of followers in the local market, but marketing efforts are limited. Although the yoga taught in the gym is not the most authentic, it plays a big role in promotion and develops potential consumers of yoga. There is also personal teaching, but Yin Yan said that even a personal trainer with a price of up to 3000 yuan cannot explain how high his teaching level is.

In terms of the degree of coaching provided by coaches, there is no doubt that the degree of one-on-one coaching provided by contracted coaches or personal coaches is the highest, followed by small class education. The average number of students is controlled at about 15. Basically, every trainee can receive personal guidance from the coach. However, the guidance of instructors in yoga studios or yoga courses in fitness clubs is greatly reduced. After all, a class is so long and the number of people is so large, and the average time allocated to each person is very small.

The "Youji" run by Yin Yan is a star representative in the comprehensive chain of yoga clubs. Judging from the courses learned, it is obvious that the curriculum of comprehensive chain yoga clubs is richer than that of small professional clubs. Not only can there be more yoga genres to learn, but the density of courses is also higher, which means that consumers can choose from courses. More diverse, an annual card can consume more content, while small professional clubs have more personal characteristics of star coaches, and the teaching content will be more personalized.

Generally large chain clubs are equipped with membership consultants with basic yoga knowledge, who can make certain recommendations and answers to consumers 'purchases and questions. Their job also includes negotiating discounts that satisfy both parties. According to industry sources, the income of membership consultants is all commissions, which is simply sales. For chain yoga clubs, the number of "membership consultants" far exceeds the number of yoga instructors. They will follow you every step and explain until you finally take out your wallet.

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Samadhi is a transliteration of Sanskrit "Samadhi". Volume 5 of "Da Zhi Du Lun" explains that the mind is not moved in one place, which is called Samadhi. Han Buddhism translates it as "positive acceptance and determination". It can be said that it is to leave all evil thoughts, live your mind in one place, and set it in a state where it is not scattered. (Internship Editor: Lin Xiaodong)