AustralianYogaJournal-May2018

6

may/june 2018

yogajournal.com.au

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AUSTRALIAN YOGA JOURNAL

Contact Media PTY LIMITED

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PO Box 582 Robina Town Centre Qld 4220

http://www.yogajournal.com.au

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EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Todd Cole

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EDITOR

Jessica Humphries

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ART DIRECTOR

Angela Reeves

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PUBLISHER

Alison Cole 0411 623 425

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ADVERTISING MANAGER

Sam Valentine 0403 372 323

[email protected]

CONTRIBUTORS

Loraine Rushton, Kelly Fielding,

Lorien Waldron, Chris Dixon

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The exercise instructions and advice in this magazine

are designed for people who are in good health and

physically fit. They are not intended to substitute for

medical counselling. The creators, producers, participants

and distributors of Australian Yoga Journal disclaim any

liability for loss or injury in connection with the exercises

shown or instruction and advice expressed herein.

letter

Change

OUR LAST

ISSUE

FEATURING

Nude Yoga Girl

was one

of the most

controversial

issues ever,

provoking

some

exceedingly

strong

opinions. The majority were

supportive and congratulatory;

some were critical, but

constructive.

Sadly, some were downright

nasty towards our team and Nude

Yoga Girl herself, a young woman

who struggled with body issues

and used nude yoga and

photography to find self-acceptance

and consequently attracted a

sizable social media following.

Her struggle, her art, her

bravery and her practice should be

congratulated and celebrated, and

the potency of her underlying

message – “you are perfect the

way you are” -- should not be

diminished because of her nudity,

fame or her weight, or as one

harsh critic awkwardly described

her physique, “able-bodied”. She

is no less deserving of recognition

than our current cover yogi,

Tiffany Cruikshank, or the other 68

wonderful, perfect yogis who have

graced our covers over the last 10

years. 

The late Roma Blair famously

pioneered nude yoga over 40

years ago and attracted the ire of

the establishment and jeers from a

conservative population. While she

was undoubtedly criticised then,

today she is celebrated and revered

as a fearless pioneer and the

mother of yoga in Australia. 

Hypothetically, in 20 years will

the enormously popular “Robot

Yoga Teacher” be howled down

as wrong and “not yoga”?

Probably. Will we put a Robot

Yogi on the cover? Maybe.

And that’s the thing. Yoga, in

its essence, is formless, pure, and

timeless. But how it manifests in

a society depends upon the

society’s mores, cultural norms

and technological advancement.

With the advent of social media

the practice and teaching of yoga

is changing and it’s our bounden

duty as a journal to chronicle

that change. Like Rachel Brathen’s

(aka Yoga Girl) enormous

social media following (page 16),

NYG’s social popularity and

impact on yoga is an inerasable

part of the yoga landscape for the

time being, as is drunk yoga, dog

yoga, goat yoga and nude yoga

and as will be the scores of as-yet

not realised derivatives and

approaches we’ll see over the

coming years. So putting NYG on

the cover was not exploitation,

sexualisation or profiteering as was

varioulsy suggested by the critics.

It is the history of yoga, being writ

now. And everyone, all of us, is a

part of it.

SEND COMMENTS TO

[email protected]

ISSUE NO 67. MAY/JUNE 2018

THE MORE THINGS

PHOTO:JULOS/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM