Unfortunately my first experience with B.Gita and Sutras wasn’t clear. In my first TT almost 10 years ago, the person who was delivering philosophy was a middle aged man of Asian origin, who clearly and openly made sure that all the female participants knew that it is a history that dictates that the man is the power and woman should know their place. It really built a strong resistance to anything that relates to yoga philosophy. On top of that, English is not even second but by far the fourth language to navigate out of my birth country. I was very confused. How come I understand the words but can’t grasp the meaning of the text? So I left it for the better times. I am still trying to grasp understanding of my own culture and history, so I don’t feel confident and comfortable to mix and dive into different cultures.

To be honest, it comes natural for me to deliver physical and mental benefits of yoga to people. I believe when the body is in balance the rest will come when needed. I simply stay away from Sanskrit names, chanting, jewelry and music that I don’t understand the origin of and meaning. From the few times that I read B.Gita and Sutras, I had very mixed feelings and more confusion than clarity. Therefore, I feel it will be disrespectful to the culture and history if I start to cite what I can’t embody.

I do feel like I have been pinched by the needle when I attend the class and the teacher recites text that is not relatable to the moment of the class, it sounds fancy but very distracting for me.

Saying all above, thank you Firdose for putting the quite complicated past of yoga into an easy and digestible learning experience. I definitely feel at ease to look for more exploration of yoga philosophy and appropriation. Please bring more!