I haven't been to this Board in a while, & I'm
also behind on my reading. I just the NY
magazine<br>article on-line, which some people actually thought was a
parody! The 1 thing that I got out of it is the
"identity" of El Senor: Mr. Hedge Fund Guy. He's the only
person not mentioned by name, & he also referred to
Jivamukti as Jive-Ass-Monkey; I've never seen any one refer
to Jivamukti in that way except El Senor. The
article also said Mr. Hedge is a serious Yogi-goes to
Eddie's. So, El Senor-I think it's you. That dizzy woman
who wrote the article gave you away. I must say, it's
the most bizarre article I have ever read about about
Yoga & those who practice it; it flatters no one, not
even the author herself!

I haven't read this article. Can you post the link?

Here is the article in New York
Magazine:<br><br><a href=http://www.nymag.com/page.cfm?page_id=5394
target=new>http://www.nymag.com/page.cfm?page_id=5394</a><br><br>Links to more
online articles on Ashtanga yoga are here
(at bottom of
page):<br><br><a href=http://www.ionet.net/~tslade/yogabook.htm
target=new>http://www.ionet.net/~tslade/yogabook.htm</a>

Congratulations, you have discovered my secret.
I, El Senor Pinche Wey, am indeed the hedge fund
manager from the article. From now on you may refer to me
as El Senor Hedge Fund. I am blessed with mastery of
ashtanga yoga, vast wealth and a hot wife. I owe my
success to drinking a glass of urine every morning before
practice and smoking a fatty every evening before
bed.<br><br>El Senor, Ole!

I think the article points out just how unconnected and pathetic mainstream
American yoga is from its spiritual roots--resulting in such yoga distortions as
El Senor and those like him.<br>Draupadi

what is ths link to this article?

it's sad that that awful article is so
misleading. Jivamukti, the center it focuses on, is the most
spiritually-rooted yoga center i've been to in the west. that
magazine is just puttting a spin on stories that will
attract their audience -- rich upper eastside new
yorkers. most of the people practicing yoga at jivamukti
and other centers in NY are true devotees - whether
they have money or not. please don't base your opinion
on that article. it's a true injustice.

clk0893: I began my Yoga practice @ Jivamukti in
1999, & that's why I found that article so disturbing.
I had never done Yoga before, knew very little
about it, & felt very fortunate to be able to attend
Basics classes in a room that held 20 people max, with
teachers who were very knowledgeable & caring. When I felt
comfortable, I began attending Open classes, & eventually Led
Primary Series out of curiosity; @ that point,
Christopher enouraged me to begin Mysore practice. It's a
shame New York magazine ran that article, & not 1 about
how knowledgeable & dedicated the instructors there
are; it's also a shame the author pratices @ Jivamukti
& that wasn't what she chose to focus on. I suppose
since her scene is peopled with the kind she wrote
about, that's her vision of what JYC is; sad, isn't it?
Most of the people I met @ JYC were not like those in
the article. Also, I am aquainted with Russell
Simmons, & was very dismayed that nothing was mentioned
about the programs he funds for inner city youth. Yeah,
he's made a lot of money, but he also uses it to help
people. As I said, it's the most bizarre article I've
ever read about Yoga & the people who practice.

OOPS-I started my practice @ JYC in 1998, not 1999-@ that time there were still
many people taking classes from the origional 2nd Avenue studio, hardly
millionaire-wanna-be's.

i read the article and found it not evil at all and no reference to the hedge
fund guy - was this THE article?

Yes that's the article. Note that the link (in
post 11439) is just to the first page. The article is
4 pages long. ("Flex Appeal" 1|2|3|4) at the bottom
of the page is the navigation. I don't know why they
didn't just make it one page. I didn't think it was too
bad, though it was from a kind of odd and superficial
perspective, very gossipy with lots of name-dropping.
<br><br>For anyone who doesn't know, there is a VERY COOL
documentary about yoga made by the Jivamukti people. Its
called "What Is Yoga?" and can be ordered from
<a href=http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com
target=new>http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com</a><br>Also David and Sharon are putting
out a book called
Jivamukti Yoga (in April). Here is an Amazon link:
<a href=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345442083/
target=new>http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0345442083/</a>

Terry,<br><br>What is the Jivamukti video like? <br><br>Thanks.

kia72 i noticed you are now in SF. where are you practicing there? how is it
compared to jivamukti?

You shouldn't be surprised, NY Magazine is the
essential journal of crass existence. They could do an
article on the Dalai Lama and leave you with a foul taste
in your mouth. Spend some time on the Upper West
Side on a Friday night to get a sense of their
dedicated readership. Then get in a good strong practice
first thing Saturday morning to wipe it off quickly.

B u s ted...ooops

The article was actually very well written for
its audience by one of them. and wouldn't i just
leave if someone preaches to me about commitment in my
downdog - what bs. But i feel the pain of those who have
experienced fullfillment at Jivamukti - i am sure it is not
all trendy superficial crap but people people yoga is
not group stuff - it is when you are quiet at home
facing the challenge of practicing alone ...(meditation
or asana)and it is not particularly fun but through
commitment (that word again) it can become much more than
satisfying (i trust).

Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!
Ole! Ole! Ole! Ole!

clk0893:I practice @ Open Door Yoga in SF; they
have, in my opinion, the best teachers in SF. Devorah
is the instructor for Mysore classes; she has
Guruji's blessing to teach. The classes other than Mysore
practice are varied, not all are Astaga-based, but all the
instructors there are wonderful. It's very different than
JYC, but I really like the energy and sincerity of the
teachers.