Judgement of That Which is Non-Yogic

by Jill Sockman

It can be all too easy to fall into that dualistic mind of partitioning the world into things/people that are yogic and those that are not. Ultimately unhelpful, but this is what we do. The recent effort across the broader yoga community to block YogaGlo from patenting the recording of yoga instruction during a live class (what?!?!?!?!) is one example which has ruffled a lot of feathers.  And don’t get me wrong:  I think it’s even crazier than trying to patent a sequence of asana which have been performed by millions of people over thousands of years.  But it got me to thinking…

If I’m not careful, I can move pretty quickly into Judgement of That Which is Non-Yogic.  This, from a person who should truly be banned from ever even driving a car for the number of “un-yogic” thoughts, words and probably actions that stem from said activity pokies free online.  (Yogi, Know Thyself)  Teachers spouting more sales pitches more than sangha and self-promotion than self-inquiry, we yogis are just as susceptible to the un-yogic as those who’ve never even heard of Downward Dog.

Here’s the thing. We can’t do anything about others’ behavior. But we can – and should –  work on our own.  And for me, the practice of non-judgement of myself and others is a constant. So what do you do when you see yourself behaving in an un-yogic way? First, take a breath. Whatever you’ve just done or said doesn’t make you less of a yogi, it just makes you human. We’re here because we’ve got some shit to sort out. As yogis, we just need to get real about looking at the stink pile, and sorting through it. Use that energy to cultivate and spread the light from the inside out instead of pointing the judgement spotlight somewhere else. Do the practice. All is coming.