Yoga: Beyond Religion and Fitness | Christy Lynn Hicks | YogaScussion Preview

[00:00:00] Speaker A: So what I was really touched by is that you're passionate about like preserving yoga's integrity while still kind of understanding that, you know, it's always been evolving and we're trying to apply it to, you know, modern understandings, modern audiences. But you know, you did kind of see the importance of thinking of yoga beyond like performance or something. That's about a perfect, a perfect form, the commodification of yoga. I appreciated you acknowledging that. Like, is there any classical teaching that resonates with you that you think is maybe a little bit more misunderstood in Western minds or audiences? [00:00:39] Speaker B: You know, I think that a lot. Well, I'll just start from where I'm at, which is in the South. And a lot of people don't understand the context of yoga as its own Darshana. And that is separate from Vedanta, which is the Hinduism and the Buddhism and the Tantra. And a lot of people won't practice yoga because they think it's Hinduism. And look, I've blended all of it. My yoga studio was called Yoga Blend. I blended everything, but I knew I was doing it, you know, like, that could educate people on that. But I think a lot of people are turned off by. Because they think it's like a religion, like a lot of people, particularly in the South. And it's like, well, the way that I've learned it again, you know, we all have different teachers and different paths and different, you know, lineages that we've studied. But yoga is its own Darshana that offers God as a super tool. It offers it as, you know, there's six sutras about it that offer it as, you know, a really deep, powerful tool for bringing us back to wholeness. But it also offers faith in yourself, you know, and all that you've overcome to get here. Like, we're living proof that we'll overcome everything that's come our way because we've overcome everything that's ever been our way. So that means it'll always happen because it's always been true. And you know, to really relate it in that way of you don't have to believe anything specifically, but tune into your own knowing and your own beliefs. And that's why I love the Yoga Sutra, specifically because it offers tools. It's very tool based and psychology driven. And the Sankhya philosophy doesn't really say one way or the other. It just says here's how it is. And yoga's like, and here's what you can do about it, you know, like. And I think a lot of People don't understand that differentiation, and they think it's either a religion or it's a workout. You know, some of the things. And y' all know, I mean, y' all been doing it, too. Like, you know, going into a class and there's like, bass music playing. I'm like, what is happening? You know, so that turns off people, too, that are looking for more of a quieter, internal sort of practice. They think it's performance based, and everybody puts things on the Internet and whatever it'll be, it'll be. But I think it just really discourages people from giving it a try, whether they think it's a religion or they think it's a fitness that you have to wear certain outfits and perform poses and play really loud, obnoxious music. There's, you know, I think that there's a place for people that don't have to believe anything. They just want to feel more whole, and then they can decide what's important to them, and they can decide how they want to live their life and how they want to take responsibility for the world that they're creating and really care for the things that are right in front of them. You know, it's like the best way to show people you care is you act like it. And so yoga can teach you to really care for your whole system in a way. And then you naturally want to extend that out to everyone around you, because you realize that if you're not here, what's the point? So I should start here taking care of this, and then a natural effect of that will be to care for others. [00:03:47] Speaker A: No, I appreciate that. [00:03:47] Speaker B: It's not selfish, you know, it's really. [00:03:50] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, I appreciated that answer, Christy. And, you know, I love this, you know, analogy of a river. Yoga is river and, you know, hop in whatever canoe or kayak you really want, have whatever style of stroke you know you want. But there's a lot to be gained from getting in the river at some point, you know? Yeah. So I really appreciated that answer. Thank you. [00:04:11] Speaker B: Yeah, you're welcome. Yeah.