RISHIKESH, INDIA, March 22, 2011: The organizers and participants in the International Yoga Festival reported in yesterday’s HPI, ‘US-Style Yoga Upsets Balance at Indian Festival,’ have challenged the Telegraph newspaper report as blatantly inaccurate. A further report and numerous comments are posted at the spiritvoyage.com blog (above), including these two, the first from Sadhvi Bhagawati of Parmath Niketan, organizer of the festival, and the second from Shiva Rea, the yogini criticized in the Telegraph report:
Sadhvi Bhagawati: The media in India (and everywhere for that matter, but laws of integrity in journalism tend to carry more weight in other countries) focus almost entirely on negative or controversial topics. There was no controversy at the festival at all that I was aware of, and I am one of the main organizers…. Yes, there are always ‘issues’ between Indian traditionalists and the more modern interpretations by Western teachers as well as some of the traditional Kundalini yoga practices. However, the balance goes both ways. For everyone who says, ‘this isn’t yoga’ in response to some of the Kundalini or Vinyasa types of practices, there are ten people who say, ‘this has transformed my life. It is the best practice I’ve ever experienced.’ It is never difficult in India to find someone who will say something negative about anything, so if that’s what a particular reporter was looking for, he could find it easily. However, we got lots and lots of great, positive coverage – we were in 3-4 of the largest papers every single day of the festival. So, one or two controversial articles is probably par for the course. None of this played out at all at the Festival in any way. Also, we do give very strict guidelines to our teachers and students about dress codes and we sincerely request everyone to follow them. From what I’ve seen, almost everyone does, and Shiva was fully dressed that day – in long pants and a long sleeve shirt.
Shiva Rea: I am a bit surprised by the article…very bizarre as it was not at all what was happening. I am still in Kerala studying Kalarippayatu and I have been bringing students here to connect with the roots of Indian culture for the last seven years. I am very respectfully dressed when I am in India as this was my 12th pilgrimage over the last 20 years. I was offering a namaskaram for Ma Ganga [on the platform over the Ganga outside Parmath Niketan] and instead of being on a big stage we faced Ma Ganga all together. One of the most beloved Mataji of the Parmath Niketan ashram was singing Ganga slokhas and mantras the whole time and we closed the whole practice by making offerings to Ma Ganga. I was wearing either crop pants with a skirt over the pants or long pants – honestly I don’t remember – but skimpy is ridiculous. There was a part of the namaskaram in which we were moving in a sahaja flowing motion with the mantras with the powerful flow of Ma Ganga . I remember a small handful of Indian students leaving within 15 minutes but I thought it was too cold or that they were very much beginners. I felt such blessings from Pujya Swami [Chidanand Sarawati, Muniji] and all on Shivratri. I actually intentionally offered classes to honor the source of yoga. Quite bizarre…I think they were seeking publicity or coming with an agenda. It was a blessed Shivratri and Ma Ganga is alive in my heart. This was my workshop description not as a ‘defense’ but just a glance how limited the engagement of the press is at going deeper. I would have loved to be interviewed before being plastered as the ‘cover girl’ of this article. I am a student and sadhaka like everyone else. ‘Ganga Namaskar – A Prana Flow Movement Offering with Live Music. In this energetic vinyasa sadhana on the banks of the Ganga, we will experience a prana flow namaskaram dedicated to Ma Ganga as the living flow of the Shakti and the healing power of the water element. Through mantra, mudra, healing asanas, and sahaja flow, we will explore movement as meditation as a way of embodying the flow of the sacred for realization and awakening.