Let Your Voice Be Heard!

 

Ain’t no secret, I’ve written a yoga book. Yes, the yoga company is called The F*cking Yoga Company. Blame it on the hubby irritating me. Maybe it was the three glasses of wine. Possibly, I’m just sick of perfect, chichi, hippy yoga companies and perfect, chichi hippy yogis. Take your pick. I may not be considered marketable, but I am accessible.

 

 

That said, the subject of marketability has popped up in multiple exchanges with different people. I get it. I’m a writer. Thinking about where on the proverbial shelf the book will fit isn’t trivial. The world, in general, likes to put things in categories that make everyone comfortable because it is easier to quantify things with labels. This isn’t a new struggle.

 

 

One of the reasons I wasn’t super popular in high school was because I kept my friends from grade school through middle school. I tried to anyway. That meant my friends were stoners, jocks, gamer geeks (we’re talking RPGs), band dweebs, drama nerds, and yes, a cheerleader here and there. People don’t like what they can’t label.

 

Being An Iconoclast Isn’t New For Me.

 

We all know how high school works. People become assholes. Not all people, but a good percentage of them shift into dickhead mode. It is what it is. BUT, that is what forged my resistance to marketability. I don’t care about being marketable, I care about being right.

 

 

Don’t get me wrong, if I could take over the yoga . . . ALL OF THE YOGA, I would. I’d love to be a yoga guru going on talk shows and racking up frequent flyer miles, but I don’t relish the idea of tweaking my ‘brand’ to make it more comfortable for people.

 

The Original Title Started As A Joke.

 

The fucking book trend may be played out. I’m not opposed to changing the name of the book to make it easier for people to buy. The F*cking Yoga Company and my goddess aren’t going anywhere because when people see me in my t-shirt or my hoodie, they laugh. They love Zen As F*ck. They love the idea of All of The Benefits, None of The Bullsh*t.

 

Because most sane people have enough bullshit going on in their lives and they don’t need more.

 

Understand, it has continued this long and morphed into my brand because it resonates with people. My people. A third of my clients are my clients because they’ve been disheartened and frustrated by other yoga classes. Once a month, someone catches me after class and says, “I’ve struggled off and on to get into yoga because I know it is good for me, but I’ve never stuck to it. You’re the first teacher that helped me, included me, and made this work FOR ME.”

 

 

 

Any other experience isn’t yoga. Period.

 

The National Health review just released a survey and found a significant problem with yoga is:

The most common reason people don’t try yoga is that people see yoga as exclusive — designed primarily for young women or for those who are already flexible, athletic, or spiritual. This finding can hopefully inspire the yoga community to work on making yoga more accessible and inclusive, regardless of a person’s gender, age, the current level of flexibility or fitness, or relationship with spirituality.

 

Have you or anyone you know experienced this kind of response to yoga? If you have, then The F*cking Yoga Company is the yoga for YOU!

 

Eighty percent of Americans believe yoga is good for you. EIGHTY FRIGGIN’ PERCENT! Within that segment of people who think yoga is good for you, but don’t practice yoga, three-quarters are going to try a yoga class within the year. Do you know how many people are going to stick with yoga? Two percent. Two fucking percent. You know why?

 

 

Because some bullshit yoga teacher is going to freak them the fuck out and turn them off of yoga.

 

Don’t get me wrong, I freak people out. I’ve said it before, and I’ll repeat it. I may not be your cup of tea. I’m not even a cup of tea. Guaranteed I’ll turn off those dyed in the wool yoga chichis. I’m a generous pour of Joven Mezcal, a little smoke, some twang, and a fair share of zing!

 

 

Of course, one of my yoga clients recently chased me down in the parking lot. “You ARE my cup of tea!” She yelled. Believe me, I would love to be your cup of tea or shot of Mezcal or whatever. Especially, if it shot this yoga book to the top of the best-seller list (or into the arms of an adventurous editor/publisher, ahem), but if I could also shift some yoga perspective along the way, well then . . . cheers with whatever you drink.

 

Tell me which title you enjoy! There is room at the end to offer any sassy suggestions you may have.