Deconstructing the Fitness-Industrial Complex by unknow

Author:unknow
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781623177287
Publisher: North Atlantic Books

Chapter 8

Fitness of the Soul

Sunaina Rangnekar

Beloved reader, I hope this text may lead you in more sincere devotion, dedication, and direction toward Vaikunta—the spiritual heaven that holds the liberation of all bodies.

This is not just about the fitness-industrial complex but about much more. We must dissect the binaries that create these standards constantly validated and reinforced by society, causing confusion, conflict, and mental affliction. We deserve more. These systems that analyze and critique our bodies are political and ingrained into us from a very young age. So it is not a surprise we find ourselves questioning our understanding of why this confusion, conflict, and affliction exist—gaslighting our oppression! They label us lazy, unhealthy, or unfit to be parents, which is precisely calculated to degrade our self-esteem. The reality is: every single body, including yours, deserves love, freedom, acceptance, and above all, autonomy.

Yoga comes from the root word Yuj, meaning “unity” or “oneness.” To be one, we must be present. If we can simply be present, perhaps we won’t need anything else. As the first line of Patanjali’s Yoga sutras state:

अथ योगानुशासनम्

“Atha Yoga Anuśāsanam”

“Now the Teachings of Yoga Begin”

My orientation to this work is from a queer, non-binary yoga student and guide’s lens. However, this was not always the lens I saw Yoga through. After accepting myself and incorporating all these nontraditional aspects of my identity, I began seeing a different pattern than society had fed me. Looking into my past experiences with Yoga, I understood that it plays a significant role in how I now show up in Yoga spaces. Through this process of unraveling, I received clues as to how I can alchemize these experiences to create a better future for myself and other yoga practitioners.

What does the “perfect” Yoga body look like? How does it practice Yoga? Is it thin, flexible, strong yet limber? Can it stand, walk, climb stairs, and do all the “normal” things you expect from practitioners? Does it get injured or sick? Does a Yoga practitioner only focus on asana—the physical movement of Yoga?

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