#72 – Keen on Yoga Podcast with Zoe Ward

It actually strikes one as quite funny, that despite Zoe’s
reputation, she is hardly unruly. Actually, during this podcast
she and Adam spend a good majority of their time praising Mysore
and Sharathji’s ability to make the general rule specific to
individuals.


In fact, neither of them are ultimately rebellious. They like the
system, its traditional aspect (respecting the sequences); what
they are both outspoken on is the kind of dogma and polarity
Ashtanga yoga often enters into when it makes its way out of
Mysore, which treats individuals as generalisations, to be fitted
into ideal structures.


When, instead, what they really require out of yoga is a practice
that serves one’s life and doesn’t cause injury. One that
respects the demands of your own circumstances. That is, real
life, when we have jobs, families and health issues, as opposed
to the idealised picture painted of how Ashtanga should be
practiced and taught in Mysore.


Adam and Zoe talk along these lines then. Having met many years
ago in Mysore, they re-connected in the online world through
their similar opinions


 Zoë is a US based cynical observer, writer, and comedian.
After a decade of Ashtanga practice in Mysore and around the
world, she now directs the sharpness of mind cultivated by the
method toward critiquing the policies and politics of the
community on her Instagram account, @unrulyascetic.