Decolonizing the Yoga Retreat
[www.decolonizingyoga.com]
The entire article is an excellent read. What is especially useful
is the list of suggestions on what one can do.
If there is one thing that can help is identify whether a relationship or
group is good or not-good, look for the underlings and look closely at
how they are treated. Underlings can be local persons who are hired to
do the scutwork, they can be lower ranking members of the group.
I would add another question to the list below:
Are you able to talk with the people who wait on you, do the cooking and cleaning up and the laundry? If they are kept out of sight, if they seem afraid to talk
with you or say they are in silence, be alert.
Pay just as much attention to how these people are treated as you would pay to the teacher instructions and to your own asanas.
Do the servants and cooks seem alert, healthy, good humored? Do they stand upright and walk in a fluid relaxed manner? Or do they seem nervous or even scared, keep shoulders hunched, eyes downcast?
Being to darned blissful or zombie like is another clue.
Other things to pay attention to if you notice this:
Smoke: cannabis or tobacco, if this is meant to be a drug free retreat. If waitstaff show up with booze on their breath it indicates they are unhappy and need it to cope.
If teachers are doing this, shame on them.
If this is meant to be a celibate/bramacharya retreat and you hear noises
indicating that some are doing quite otherwise, this is not good. It is bad
enough of fellow students break this vow; it is worse if the teachers are doing it. Having to pretend that nothing is happening, keeping secrets for people,
is a strain and subtracts vitality from one's dharma practice. If students or
teachers cannot maintain a temporary chastity vow for the duration of the
retreat, they have problems - especially so for teachers.
If you hear people being scolded, if there are sudden, nervous silences when you
walk into a room or someone senses your presence -- that is a bad sign. Pay attention to it.
This is how you become a Bodhisattva of Great Activity - social justice activity.
From the "Decolonizing the Yoga Retreat article cited above:
[www.decolonizingyoga.com]
The entire article is an excellent read. What is especially useful
is the list of suggestions on what one can do.
If there is one thing that can help is identify whether a relationship or
group is good or not-good, look for the underlings and look closely at
how they are treated. Underlings can be local persons who are hired to
do the scutwork, they can be lower ranking members of the group.
I would add another question to the list below:
Are you able to talk with the people who wait on you, do the cooking and cleaning up and the laundry? If they are kept out of sight, if they seem afraid to talk
with you or say they are in silence, be alert.
Pay just as much attention to how these people are treated as you would pay to the teacher instructions and to your own asanas.
Do the servants and cooks seem alert, healthy, good humored? Do they stand upright and walk in a fluid relaxed manner? Or do they seem nervous or even scared, keep shoulders hunched, eyes downcast?
Being to darned blissful or zombie like is another clue.
Other things to pay attention to if you notice this:
Smoke: cannabis or tobacco, if this is meant to be a drug free retreat. If waitstaff show up with booze on their breath it indicates they are unhappy and need it to cope.
If teachers are doing this, shame on them.
If this is meant to be a celibate/bramacharya retreat and you hear noises
indicating that some are doing quite otherwise, this is not good. It is bad
enough of fellow students break this vow; it is worse if the teachers are doing it. Having to pretend that nothing is happening, keeping secrets for people,
is a strain and subtracts vitality from one's dharma practice. If students or
teachers cannot maintain a temporary chastity vow for the duration of the
retreat, they have problems - especially so for teachers.
If you hear people being scolded, if there are sudden, nervous silences when you
walk into a room or someone senses your presence -- that is a bad sign. Pay attention to it.
This is how you become a Bodhisattva of Great Activity - social justice activity.
From the "Decolonizing the Yoga Retreat article cited above:
Quote
Here are some ideas on how we as teachers and students can work to decolonize the yoga retreat.
Talk about this dilemma both before and during yoga retreats. Become aware of the implications of yoga vacations abroad and the power dynamic that comes through that. Open the space for collective conversation about how this makes students feel.
Host a retreat in a small, locally run hotel or yoga center. Visit it first. Meet the owners and ensure they are treating their staff well.
Invite staff members to join your retreat classes for free.
From food to hotels to transportation, invest your yoga spending into the local economy instead of into wealthy foreigners’ pockets.
Get to know the workers. I have been to far too many centers where the staff was treated poorly by retreat owners. Ask them what they think of the retreat—you may be surprised by what you learn.
Learn the local language (or at least some of it). Include a language class in your retreat or a volunteer opportunity in the community you visit.
Learn about the culture and the economy before you arrive.
On the first night of your retreat, host a community orientation where you and locals unite to share histories, stories, and cultural conditions. As a yogi, can you help facilitate the union we preach when we teach?