Yoga Selfies

I have discovered a new fad... the Yoga Selfie.  At first I was resistant to any and all selfies, but I started following yogis on my Instagram, and discovered I was inspired and learning more about yoga poses and yoga in general.  In my book, anything that inspires and teaches is a good thing; hence, my standpoint on Yoga Selfies (and selfies in general, I suppose) was forced to shift.

I read an article this morning that criticized the Yoga Selfie fad.  It claimed that it was creating a shift in yoga that was too far away from yoga's original purpose.  It claimed That the Yoga Selfie encourages the ego and hence it is B-A-D, bad.  I liked the article; I thought it was balanced and had a good point.  But it doesn't mean I am going to stop participating in challenges and posting Yoga Selfies.  Why?  Because I believe in my life, the benefit of these yoga photos outweighs the negatives.  And, let's face it: we do live in a technological age.  In fact, my New Year's Resolution was to stop being so dang technologically resistant!! (Which is why I started writing a blog, and opened a Twitter and Instagram account).  I came to the realization that if I don't hop on this technology bandwagon, I am going to be left in the dust!

All this is not to say that Yoga Selfies may have the potential to encourage the ego.  I think that if you are posting these photos in order to increase your self-worth, then that is the incorrect motivation.  But, if you are doing it in search of a community and a place to learn new things and go deeper in your practice, then why the heck not?!  I can tell you that this has opened me up to a whole new sense of community, challenged me like I have not been challenged, and taught me new concepts (i.e.- I have found this is a great way to learn the Sanskrit names of the yoga poses).

All of this may be true especially for me and those like me who do not belong to a yoga studio.  I practice at home through my yogatoday.com membership.  I am already connecting through technology via streaming videos in a way that yogis have not for thousands of years.  It makes sense to find community in a new way as well.  And really, all this does is make yoga more accessible to everyone, everywhere.  And that, is never a bad thing.

Namaste