She sauntered into the room like a porn star arriving on the set, hips jutted out in front of her in a walk led by her groin. As she strolled past me, I noticed the chipped polish of her neon green pedicure, the bleach blonde highlights that swayed between her tattooed shoulder blades, and the outfit that was slightly too revealing for her firm, yet post menopausal body. "Namaste," she murmured, in an Oxycontin slur, as she crossed her tanned, bare legs into lotus pose. Thus, began my workshop with Shiva Shakti, the yoga celebrity who boasted a national following.*
She was here to give a master class to other instructors. The course description implied that Shiva Shakti would lead us step by step on how to safely teach advanced postures to our students. So, I was surprised when Shiva, one of the pioneers of alignment based yoga, spent the class parading in and out of inversions and intricate arm balances, in a semi-trance like state, offering no verbal cues on how to deconstruct the postures, and never once leaving her mat to work with the rest of us.
Whenever a student asked Shiva for specific instructions, her response was "Feel it, baby, feel it!" in a breathy, chanting tone, that made me wonder more than once, if Shiva Shakti was there to teach yoga or sell adult toys.
At the workshop's end, a Shiva Shakti devotee seated beside me said, "Wow, that was intense."
"Yeah, that was deep," offered a man in a tie-dyed tee shirt with pierced lips.
I was confused by Shiva Shakti's approach, especially with her background as a spokeswoman for meticulous alignment. When I asked Shiva Shakti after the class to offer specifics on some of the postures, she narrowed her eyes at me and spat, "Did you not hear me? I said feel it." And with a flip of her college coed tresses, she strutted toward her handlers and disappeared into the night.
I exited the building silently. Near me were a minion of Shiva Shakti devotees whose montage of enthusiasm included words like "Awesome!" and "Breathless!" I questioned my opinion of the workshop, wondering if I just didn't "get" what Shiva Shakti had offer. She was touted as a genius. What gave me the right to doubt her?
I spoke with some friends in the yoga world who confirmed that Shiva Shakti had changed her style, taking her long time focus off the subtleties of the postures and shifting to something more "intuitive." It was probably no coincidence that in recent years, she had been losing a grasp on her following to a younger, hipper, generation of instructors. Many believed that this abrupt transformation was in a desperate attempt to stir up publicity and attract a new crop of fans. The irony of this is that yogic philosophy teaches non-attachment, which Shiva Shakti apparently forgot, in her frantic effort to hold onto her superstar status.
Once I saw the big picture, I gave myself permission to feel the disappointment over the seminar, which had been completely unproductive. But then I began to wonder why I needed the background information before I allowed myself to formulate an opinion.
I had been reluctant to trust myself. I wasn't the yoga authority, but supposedly she was. We assume we should trust someone who has been presented to us as a great teacher, and has the reputation to back it up. However, it's equally, if not more important that we trust ourselves and our own instincts.
Fierce Divas have the right to question everything and everyone, not necessarily to call something or someone right or wrong, but to decide whether something is right or wrong for you. Every now and then, someone asks me about that Shiva Shakti seminar I went to. I don't criticize it, but I say, "It wasn't for me."
There are many truths to choose from. Know yours.
Namaste, Divas!
*Yoga has gotten some unfavorable press lately, including coverage on a leader of a yoga based organization for abuses of power. This post is not meant to be disrespectful to the science and tradition of yoga in any way. While people within the yoga world may be flawed, the institution of yoga is not. Unfortunately, there are people in many different sectors of society who exploit their influence.
©2012 Ilene Evans
What a great post! I have been going to seminars lately and leaving the room feeling the same way…like “I just paid for that!?” And yes there are always the followers that sink into the novelty of it all and fail to see the bigger picture. This gal Shakti has really gotten into her own head. That IS NOT what yoga or divine love are about. It sounds as if she has allowed her ego to get the best of her, not her intuition.
I hate it when people allow their egos to get the best of them. That was not a class, and how dare she bark at you for wanting to learn.
My class with Shiva Shakti was a “live and learn” experience. But it did remind me to trust my own instincts – so maybe a blessing in disguise?
Zen Chakra – LOL about her ego over intuition or the “intuitive style” she was touting – you are exactly right!