The freedom to be alone

Dear men who are on the yogic path,

Please pay attention – I have some important things to tell you…

Now…

…you know that both feminism and yoga are about moving from “bondage to freedom, from lovelessness to love” (bell hooks).

…you know that patriarchy is a socio-political system in which men hold the power and other genders are largely excluded from it.

…you know that this power and dominance expresses “through various forms of psychological terrorism and violence” (bell hooks), and more subtly in everyday assumptions, beliefs, and values (e.g. gender stereotypes, discriminatory policies and practices, the socialisation of gender roles etc).

…you know what this psychological and physical terrorism looks like, whether it’s the countless women who have experienced sexual violence during conflict, or those who have died at the hands of someone who once claimed to love her.

…you know that patriarchy is a system of dominance that is held up by people of all genders, and oppresses people of all genders.

…you know that the yoga is not immune to patriarchal culture; you see this expressed in:

• the fact that yoga teaching lineages are largely led by men
• the abuses of male power through predatory sexual behaviour in ashrams and other yoga teaching contexts
• the hyper-sexualisation of female yoga bodies and attire
• the over-emphasis of the physical practice (asana) above the other seven limbs of yoga (i.e. pranayama (breathing exercises), yamas (restraints), niyamas (observances), pratyahara (withdrawal of senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (self-realisation)).
• the ‘yang’ energy that permeates modern yoga (through competitiveness, goal orientation, and pushing bodies to their physical limit), when in actual fact traditional yoga is about the opposite; surrender, goallessness, acceptance.

…you know that the Sanskrit word ‘yoga’ means ‘to join/yoke’; which points to yoga’s original purpose – the ‘union’ of the individual self and the cosmic self (known in other terms as self-realisation, samadhi, mokṣa, nirvana, or enlightenment).

…you know that according to the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali (the primary text upon which yoga is based), the physical postures of yoga (asana) only exist as preparation for sitting in meditation for long periods of time in order to directly experience this ‘union’.

…you know the critical importance of aloneness and solitude in pursuing the path of yoga; as Paulo Coelho said, “if you are never alone, you cannot know yourself”.

…you know that self-realisation and solitude have always gone hand in hand, even in ancient Hindu mythology. In most Hindu stories (from the Vedic tradition) there is a male protagonist (a sage/ascetic) who ventures into the wilderness (deep in a forest or to a mountain top) to find a quiet place to undertake penance. He meditates, undistracted, with single-minded focus. Eventually one of the gods (such as Shiva or Parvati), greatly pleased by his unshakeable focus and profound devotion, grants him a boon to aid his spiritual development.

…you know Patañjali’s second yoga sūtra – yogas chitta vritti nirodha, translates to ‘yoga is the cessation of fluctuations in the mind’. Once the fluctuations of the mind have been quietened, an ultimate state called kaivalya, or “aloneness” can be attained; a state in which you are able to perceive the divine within.

But,

…do you realise that womxn and femmes do not have the freedom to be alone?

…do you know what it feels like to sit in meditation and then get distracted by the thought – ‘am I safe’?

…do you know what it feels like to crave communing with nature, but think twice because of past experiences you’ve had?

…do you know that the ‘male gaze’ functions according to the principles of ‘the panopticon’? The ‘panopticon’ is a concept drawn from Jeremy Bentham’s model prison design of the 18th century, revived by Foucault in the 1970s)? In the panopticon inmates never know whether they are being watched, and are therefore motivated to act as though they are being watched at all times. This is how powerful patriarchal oppression is; womxn and femmes are compelled to regulate their own behaviour as though the male gaze is always present.

…do you know what it’s like to be sexually harassed whilst in the most vulnerable and sacred of positions, sitting in nature, mediating?

I do.

Next time you take a instagram selfie on a mountain top please consider this. If you are not working to actively dismantle patriarchal culture then you are likely to be perpetuating it.

[Note: I have been harassed whilst meditating not once, but on numerous occasions. In some instances I was alone, and in other instances there were others present. I find it appalling that patriarchal violence impacts on my meditation practice, but I choose to keep pursuing the path of yoga regardless. I want to acknowledge that it is a significant privilege to have access to the teachings of yoga, and that many people (particularly womxn and femmes of colour, including many of my ancestors) do not.]