I have avoided the Instagram challenge world for quite sometime. I couldn’t understand its purpose if there was any, beyond glorifying asana-athletics and an aim for popularity. I like IG for its visual quality, but I am keen to know its just another medium to share your life and propose it is moving in a certain way. I also know it is for promotion, and I do use it for that, without shame. Everyone is on social media, so if I want folks to know what I have coming up they may be interested in attending, I post stuff. Simple enough.
At the beginning of the month, two of my trainees decided to take part in Kino MacGregor’s #BackToBackbends Instagram challenge. Krista and I started talking one day after class at the studio, and I became intrigued. She showed me the picture of the poses day by day to practice and post, with the appropriate tags of people and words. “Catherine is doing it too!”, Krista exclaimed. I became intrigued. Suddenly this whole IG challenge thing had meaning. It just happened – as I posted pictures I am struck by the connection I feel to these two students of mine, Catherine and Krista, and the wider scope of practitioners participating. I know very, very little about Kino, don’t know beachyogagirl at all, and actually do not even like Alo Yoga Clothing. So funnily, the 3 hosts had zero to do with why I agreed to participate and decided to have my own good fun with it.
Catherine just moved from Brooklyn back home, and suddenly this felt like a great chance to keep connected. A support system to keep practice going during her transition, and a way for us to stay in touch as a community. The community of students and trainees here in Brooklyn is very strong, and one of my greatest joys is to promote community connection. Once I started posting pictures I realized people were actually responding and I then felt connected to others around the globe. So I thought I’d continue with the pictures.
Ah, I thought. This could have meaning, this could be about community, about kula.
Then a few other things came to mind as I began that led me to change my mind.
I took a good close look at the poses and sequence that the B2B challenge is hosting for the month and became somewhat horrified. I am a teacher of asana. I have been trained and train others in the art and skill of sequencing – to plan poses in a particular order and that order matters for the body, and the mind-body. The series of poses in the B2B challenge has very little in the way of intelligent sequence. Poses are in fact widely out of order to be safe and sensical. I began to get concerned to promote that, and it also brought up another notion for me. It really had no meaning. No purpose. No reason. Just a promotional partnership between 2 people and a clothing company.
So why do it? To win clothes from Alo? Is there even a contest? I have no idea. For some, maybe that’s the draw. Me, I don’t even like their clothing, so this whole thing has even less meaning. What I realized is that if I made the IG challenge about kula – each and every picture has a reference to the meaning of kula – then the pictures have a meaning. A reason to exist, a reason and reminder why the practice has value and is worth practicing – even with this sequence that makes no sense for the average practitioners body. If you are already adept at practice, the sequence is possible. The adept practitioner will likely warm up with other poses and breath work prior to shooting the picture. That sequence made me squirm.
Then, just this morning an article by Matthew Remski began circulating – widely – about “Kino’s hip injury”, and opened up yet again wide debate about advanced asana and who should or shouldn’t be practicing it. I became more concerned that this teacher of yoga seems disconnected to her own practice and its effects on her body. Now I know she is from a different system of yoga with its own theories and practices. With great respect, I know this. And in her own statement, claiming to be “floppy”, her work was to build and learn strength. I get that, and that’s been my personal work too. I fear her popularity and visibility to the mainstream is grossly misrepresenting yoga. She’s more like a symbol of yoga, and not necessarily a fair one. I think as teachers we bear the responsibility of teaching yoga, not just representing yoga.
So I’m backing out of the IG challenge. Until I can find a deeper reason to either start one or participate in one, you won’t see me doing it. Yes, its fun at points. But it has begun to feel irresponsible on my part, and I take teaching seriously.
I hope Kino’s hip heals well so she can get back to her training with a contortionist.
Leave a Reply