One person's ignorance is another's gift!
There’s nothing like a good Learn Something New, follow-up, or “Come over one day when I give this one a try!” story to help shake us out of a rut.
One of the countless benefits of learning yoga, particularly its many variations, is how fully it has permeated the popular consciousness. Yoga’s ubiquity is testament to the immense power of human beings. Although there was once a time where we could barely afford $5 to make a yoga mat, now I can buy just about anything I want. It’s a great time to be alive. Even though I’ve never been close to being the size of Jaden Smith, I’ve gone skinnydipping in the middle of Beverly Hills with my friends. (Except that one time I ate more than we did in 30 minutes and we had to pick mud up the next day.) Yoga has become acceptable to the masses, which I’m very grateful for.
I saw a compelling talk this past Sunday by Rabbi Joel Meyers that pretty much blew my mind. And I might go so far as to say, “What are we doing if we have not tried everything we want?” What I’ve learned over the years of teaching in schools, writing curricula for others, and directing and teaching yoga in my spare time is, first and foremost, to keep trying!
Here’s Rabbi Joel Meyers’ speech:
I’d like to respond to Rabbi Joel Meyers for a moment. And be prepared for a passionate reaction. For the real me will be present. The vlog this was uploaded on did not have an audience prepared to hear about his evil plan and his betrayal of my wife. And I’m tempted to imagine the following three responses:
1. “It is about time you figured out that yin is an important pathway to a healthier lifestyle. God is watching!”
2. “I thought you were being literal? If you’re not using that suggestion on the Edmond Christian School premises I am going to send you to your room and lock the door until you show up to back up your position.”
3. “The tarot card that we were holding has a ‘heaven’ hint. What if this is about a shamanist coming into our house that once prophesied about great mysteries to destroy me?”
Rabbi Joel Meyers, you went to a bunch of campus events that I do not wish to attend, but you weren’t kidding when you said that your talk was all about the “power of yoga.” You did not choose to do this talk. I would have never gone because my daughter would not have been able to come with us. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see a teacher who I thought was spectacular. But I also wanted to be a student and learn a thing or two from you. If you are going to hire a teacher for a teacher conference or a conference in a community that I’m not teaching in, then I want to be fully informed about the teacher. There are only two things I know for sure: I do not have to talk to a panel of people of color to look up to them and I can thank your wife “for saving me from myself.” And yes, I know it’s sacrilegious to say that while reading through a blog entry.
I don’t want you to watch this speech and roll your eyes. I want you to laugh. I want you to stomp your feet and scream with indignation. Because not only are you presenting your explanation in the form of “science,” which means that something is true because it meets all the standards you have handpicked, but you are also allowing yourself to get smacked with “no, no, but, no, just go back and watch the video” bullshit. Because if you are not required to teach me how to do something…then don’t. And if that doesn’t work, go say it, rabbi. It’s the only way.
References:
There’s nothing like a good Learn Something New, follow-up, or “Come over one day when I give this one a try!” story to help shake us out of a rut.
One of the countless benefits of learning yoga, particularly its many variations, is how fully it has permeated the popular consciousness. Yoga’s ubiquity is testament to the immense power of human beings. Although there was once a time where we could barely afford $5 to make a yoga mat, now I can buy just about anything I want. It’s a great time to be alive. Even though I’ve never been close to being the size of Jaden Smith, I’ve gone skinnydipping in the middle of Beverly Hills with my friends. (Except that one time I ate more than we did in 30 minutes and we had to pick mud up the next day.) Yoga has become acceptable to the masses, which I’m very grateful for.
I saw a compelling talk this past Sunday by Rabbi Joel Meyers that pretty much blew my mind. And I might go so far as to say, “What are we doing if we have not tried everything we want?” What I’ve learned over the years of teaching in schools, writing curricula for others, and directing and teaching yoga in my spare time is, first and foremost, to keep trying!
Here’s Rabbi Joel Meyers’ speech:
I’d like to respond to Rabbi Joel Meyers for a moment. And be prepared for a passionate reaction. For the real me will be present. The vlog this was uploaded on did not have an audience prepared to hear about his evil plan and his betrayal of my wife. And I’m tempted to imagine the following three responses:
1. “It is about time you figured out that yin is an important pathway to a healthier lifestyle. God is watching!”
2. “I thought you were being literal? If you’re not using that suggestion on the Edmond Christian School premises I am going to send you to your room and lock the door until you show up to back up your position.”
3. “The tarot card that we were holding has a ‘heaven’ hint. What if this is about a shamanist coming into our house that once prophesied about great mysteries to destroy me?”
Rabbi Joel Meyers, you went to a bunch of campus events that I do not wish to attend, but you weren’t kidding when you said that your talk was all about the “power of yoga.” You did not choose to do this talk. I would have never gone because my daughter would not have been able to come with us. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see a teacher who I thought was spectacular. But I also wanted to be a student and learn a thing or two from you. If you are going to hire a teacher for a teacher conference or a conference in a community that I’m not teaching in, then I want to be fully informed about the teacher. There are only two things I know for sure: I do not have to talk to a panel of people of color to look up to them and I can thank your wife “for saving me from myself.” And yes, I know it’s sacrilegious to say that while reading through a blog entry.
I don’t want you to watch this speech and roll your eyes. I want you to laugh. I want you to stomp your feet and scream with indignation. Because not only are you presenting your explanation in the form of “science,” which means that something is true because it meets all the standards you have handpicked, but you are also allowing yourself to get smacked with “no, no, but, no, just go back and watch the video” bullshit. Because if you are not required to teach me how to do something…then don’t. And if that doesn’t work, go say it, rabbi. It’s the only way.
References:
Comments
Post a Comment