Don’t Be a Yoga Ditz
I have a little yoga peeve I’d like to share. There’s a woman who teaches classes at a gym I teach at, and whenever she sends out an email to the other yoga teachers, she often signs it with hugs and kisses, i.e.:
xox
And maybe a smiley face. Sometimes, if she’s in a hurry, it will just be a double or even a single x:
x
I feel like I have warped back into high school, and if she were writing the note by hand, every “i” would be dotted with a heart on top.
I’m wondering if she’s just really young (I have yet to meet her in person). But maybe coming from a more business-y background, I feel such communication is a bit too intimate as well as immature. As a feminist, I also feel that it infantalizes women when we communicate like that professionally. It makes us appear to be someone who should not be taken seriously.
Now, this is “just” yoga, but I feel that acting professionally and maturely should be something we strive for to a certain extent, and that includes communicating to our work peers regarding covering yoga classes. We’ve got enough sleazy videos on YouTube now of “models” doing yoga in skimpy clothing…to me, yoga is something that should be treated with a small amount of respesct.
Or do I have a bug up my you-know-what? Thoughts and feedback are appreciated.
xox (just kidding!)
Trust your intuition.
Thank you! Since when does namaste have to be some gushy heart cakra lament.
Satya should prevail but not at the expense of ahimsa. That seems to be enough but as a male yoga teacher, if we are not openly efeminate, we are considered surly or gruff.
Mature communication is that thin blue line where the ocean meets the sky. Sat Nam
I agree with this wholeheartedly. It is “just yoga” as you said, but this is also a profession where we have to be aware of our ethics and presentation at al times. Yoga is a powerful practice and can deeply affect our students and we need to take that very seriously. Of course, there is always opportunity for playfulness and fun but perhaps not on work related emails.
Haha, had to add that in.