"It's A Sexual Playground"?

Maybe I am the odd one out. But all throughout training, I rarely thought about sex. In fact, here are thoughts that frequently through my mind:
  • I am so tired.
  • Not another fucking late-night 4-hour movie, please!
  • Did he really just say, "When you go against nature, you get ...?"
  • I am so hungry.
  • I feel so bloated.
  • OMG... Your name is spelled "Sharon." Pronounce it fucking "Share-on!" Not "Shaw-ron!"
  • I am so tired.
  • Get your fucking feet off my mat and out of my face!
Yes... I was an angry yogi. And very much taking things personally at training. But out of the mush that my brain became of the nine weeks of Bikram Yoga Teacher Training, I never once saw the place as a hot bed of sexual activity.

So, this evening I picked up the February issue of Details magazine and read the article about teacher training...


First... I don't see teacher training as a cult. It's a necessary evil. It's what you need to do in order to teach this type of yoga. And I do believe passionately in this yoga... It's sequence. It's poses. The heat.

So maybe I am subscribing to that part of the cult. But would I call myself a "Bikram fanatic" and willing to do whatever for the man?

No.

While I truly believe in the yoga that Bikram and his guru created, I don't see Bikram as my spiritual guru or someone I would want to spend time with personally. He is my yoga teacher. My yoga guru. And if he tells me to teach a pose a certain way, or to say dialogue a certain way... I do it. He knows best.

But the article claims that people are at teacher training to hook up in addition to becoming certified. And that they are going around screwing like bunnies. And, more disturbingly, some of them are there to get it on with Bikram himself.

All of this is true... But not to the degree the article states. Yes, people do hook up at training. But I only heard of a few people. The article makes it sound like there were orgies. And yes, I have heard the rumors that Bikram sleeps with female students... But I never knew anyone who did it.


In short, I would really hate for someone to read this article and think this is what teacher training is like. I don't want men thinking it is a place to go and land "easy scores." I don't want women to think that they have to fear being preyed on... Or that if they aren't down with sex they will be left out socially while there.

Now, I realize this is Details magazine. It is not exactly a legitimate source of entertainment news. I have written for magazines myself. I know, as a writer, you have to put a "sexy spin" on your pitch in order to get something greenlit for spec and then published.

"They had to write that article," The Husband said. "Other wise it wouldn't have been published."

Teacher training is hard work. It is exhausting. Emotions run rampant. For me, none of them were sexual emotions. But again, maybe I am the odd one out.

Comments

Corey said…
Moxie:

Wow! That's still being published? Who knew?

Who's the target demo this week? Guys who like girls?

DETAILS was almost the more enlightened cousin of the man-mags you could snatch up out there. Then at some point it went headfirst for the "Bad-boy-douche-bag-played-by-James-Spader-in-the-Eighties" demo. They might have their hearts on the 'Metro's with hearts of gold' now. I'm not sure. You can't judge a book by its cover, but a magazine is pretty upfront about what it is and who it thinks its readers are.

Ignore whatever they say about anything. Those rags are a kind of literary comfort food for dudes nursing wounds. Or just scared of women. That's my take anyway.
Kat said…
thanks for posting this. Glad you have the insiders view it's all been blown out of proportion or I would feel a bit put off TT.
Anonymous said…
wow. I totally agree with you, sex was the furthest thing from my mind or desire during training. I was rather angry during TT too. I did hear of others hooking up but that's expected and it certainly wasn't on a grand scale. would love to see the article, just to get the blood boiling while i sit in the chilly office.
thedancingj said…
Yeah, I can see why they had to write the article THAT WAY to get it published in that magazine - but did they REALLY have to write it at ALL?!?

UGGGHHH...

Of course anytime you have 400 adults in a confined environment for an extended period of time, a few of them are going to think that they are at summer camp. Their loss. I worked my ass off at TT, so that even on graduation night, I was so tired that the only thing on my mind was SLEEP!!

If I happen across this magazine, I might end up burning it in the bathtub just for kicks... I mean seriously, "cult"? I thought we were past that... :(
Anonymous said…
It sure looks like teacher training has changed since I got certified, ha ha. When I was there Bikram and Rajashree told us not to have any sex during those 9 weeks.

They said it would be a distraction and was frowned upon.

It sounds like the most oversexed guy in the yoga room was the writer. He does have an entertaining view of reality though.
thedancingj said…
Actually, I found the full text online!

The author DOES quote Bikram - verbatim - on "no kissy kissy, no touchy touchy, no fucky fucky." He just goes on to say that everyone is breaking the rules.

You are right, anonymous person, the most oversexed person is DEFINITELY the author. He is overwhelmed by all the healthy sweaty women!! When some poor trainee is trying to encourage him to stick with the class, he's all like "her appearance is overtly sexual." Dude!!
Anonymous said…
http://www.details.com/culture-trends/critical-eye/201102/yoga-guru-bikram-choudhury?currentPage=1

it is online!

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