The Enlightened Path, With a Rubber Duck

Must the road to enlightenment be paved in sincerity? Can only the super-earnest attain spiritual salvation?

Some yoga teachers have been pondering these mysteries with the gravity of an economic summit. And they are chanting in unison, “Nooohhhhm.”

“I do think there’s a trend toward lightening up in the yoga community,” said Kelly McGonigal, 31, the editor in chief of the International Journal of Yoga Therapy (found at iayt.org). “Mostly around the rigidity and humorlessness of doing things ‘the one right way’ — always having to get better, feeling like every yoga practice has to be one big self-improvement project.”

One stereotype of yoga is of a reed-thin, baggy-panted guru gravely pontificating on the meaning of life while a sitar strains in the background. But now some teachers are poking holes in this austere image, infusing levity into classes in an effort to appeal to more students. They are cracking jokes, chanting to pop lyrics, posting humorous videos online and putting a uniquely Western stamp on asanas, or poses. Read Article

By Abby Ellin