NY Times recently ran an article by William Broad called “Yoga
and Sex Scandals: No Surprise Here.” It had shocking and ground-breaking news
that yoga was derived from Tantra and that’s why yogis and their students get
aroused and have scandalous affairs.
But guess what? Yoga isn’t what gets us turned on. Our
biology gets us turned on. Naturally. For the perpetuation of the species. For
the joy of living. Humans have sexual desires. Not just humans who do yoga.
What yoga does is clear the toxins we add to our bodies that
dull our ability to feel. Yoga stimulates the glands to secrete properly. Yoga
helps release the stress and tension that shut down our sexual drive. Yoga
stimulates hormones that make us feel happy, which helps us to socialize with
others which may allow a loving connection with another sexual human.
Actually, what causes “sex scandals” is the repression of
our natural sex drive. Repression of our desires causes perversions. What you
shove down becomes overwhelming and has to find and outlet. Hence, priests and
alter boys. Hence, extra-marital affairs. It is the same with any of the human
needs. The anorexic denies herself food and then binges impulsively. The addict
has been denied love and fills the emptiness with alcohol, porn, comfort food
and/or drugs.
We have a choice of whether we are going to acknowledge our
natural desires and enjoy them or whether we are going to live lives filled
with denial and shame. Living with shame only leads to negative self-image, negative
actions and self-abusing thoughts and behavior. Enjoying the basic human
desires – eating right, sleeping properly, making love – makes us healthy,
happy, self-loving, and kind to others.
Yes, yoga makes you feel more alive. It helps you to become
present in your body. It wakes up the senses. It releases fear, stress and
toxic energy so that we can feel our natural state of being: joyful, sensitive
and perhaps aroused. That should be a good thing. Not a spurious headline.
And yes, perhaps some yogis have taken advantage of their
stature, as have senators and CEOs and even Presidents. (Could Clinton's tree pose have dropped Monica to her knees?) But yoga isn’t responsible
for people lying to their spouses. Yoga didn’t make the practitioner go to bed
with the guru. Probably poor self-esteem or an absentee father did. One doesn’t
need to do yoga to abuse sexual desire.
But repressing your own sexuality and creating distance from
your body’s needs is going to lead to more pain through depression, perversions
and toxic, numbing substitutes (alcohol, overeating, and drugs). Guaranteed.
So, do yoga. Celebrate your body. Celebrate your natural
desires. You get pleasure from them for a reason.
Yoga didn’t invent the orgasm. Your body did. Why not enjoy one today? It's cheaper than prozac.
