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Ritual, Yoga, and Fandom

August 1, 2018 by Fandom Yoga Leave a Comment

by Derek Wilson, Guest Blogger

When last asked whether or not I liked Star Trek or Star Wars better, I was left dumbfounded. Questions arose like weeds in a particularly stoney garden.  Do television-based series allow for better characterization and world building?  Do movie-based series allow for better pageantry with more focused, concise story arcs?  Are iconic, powerful, potentially reality-breaking, characters better than engaging in time honored philosophical questions?  Does any of this really matter when you like something?

After giving it some thought; thinking about the multiple television shows that are part of Star Trek canon; thinking about the resurgence of the Star Wars as a Disney property; taking into account the action figures; the fondness I had with each series; the many delicious debates I’ve had with my friends about details of substance, and points of pure minutiae, I came to the anti-climatic conclusion of: “I don’t know”.

“I don’t know”.

Hmm….That phrase is usually very unsatisfying.

What I thought it meant, in this case, was that given two different world views I couldn’t see which was “better” and which was “worse”.  Either I had no sound methodology to value the worth of one over the other, or I (personally) was not up tot the task of being a proper judge.

But later on I recognized that something amazing actually happened when I admitted that I didn’t know. I allowed my humility to not denigrate either viewpoint.  Effectively, I clumsily stumbled my way into rejecting that either needed to be better.

How poignant then is it that yoga is a ritual used in both Hinduism and Buddhism to evoke the divine and sacred. A system of practices, in both religions, that connect the inner self with outer truth–encapsulated in that one word is a bridge of two ways of thinking, believing and feeling. With neither origin being better or worse than the other.

While there are some similarities, Hindu yoga is characterized as a way to bind a “soul” to the reality of Braham, or the highest universal principle (think of it as a supernatural, eternal and perfect form of Maslow’s self-actualization).

In Vajrayana Buddhism, yoga basically refers to any spiritual practice which leads to a deeper understanding of reality.

But, like with Star Wars and Star Trek there’s room enough for both in our mindscape.  I would argue that sci-fi, like yoga—in whatever form it presents itself—has the ability to build community and be a force to bring order (whether personal or external) to whatever chaos prevents you from peace. To find satisfyingly helpful connections and meaning when, at times, life can seem like a conglomeration of disparate and distinct events with no overall purpose.

The bottom-line is that you should continue to trek to new frontiers and channel your inner Jedi while contorting your Asana into a crane, firefly or side plank pose.

And, most importantly, may whatever force you believe in be with us all.

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Where to start?

Wondering what this has to do with yoga? Yoga means “to join” – and here I join together ideas from different fandoms of many kinds, including, of course, yoga!

Check out where yoga can take you. Or how you could start yoga with a body that might betray your love of sitting, reading, and watching? Try why yoga is great for geeks or the best benefits of yoga that aren’t exercise. How about where to start? Read this guide to the basic yoga poses for beginners.

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