Provocative Review of Yoga in America

I am pleased to share a new review of Yoga in America from Rosanne Harvey's it's all yoga, baby blog.

This review is not 100% glowing. Being the human that I am, my first reaction was to get a lump in my throat, then I wanted to hide under a rock and pretend I'd never published the book, next I wanted to lash out and disprove her criticism....Finally, my perspective (and brain) kicked in.

I realized that as I fixated on the critical aspects of the review, I was not only ignoring, but discounting the remainder (and majority) of what Rosanne has eloquently and thoughtfully written.

So in the spirit of the Niyama called Svadhyaya (or self-study) I noticed that my response to this review is nearly identical to how I've felt since I was a child when criticized. I don't like being criticized , I'm not inspired by it. So consequently, I've spent a lifetime avoiding situations where I might receive public criticism (for instance, avoiding getting a PhD where I'd have to publicly defend a dissertation, not running for elected positions in school or professional life).

It's only recently, since I started a business, writing, blogging that I've (reluctantly) faced my fear of public criticism. And I've had my share! Criticism from customers, business associates, and now from another author. But here's the crazy thing...I'm still ok. I haven't melted or withered away, nor have I stopped working or writing. And if I really think about it, I've learned something from each and every bit of criticism - even when I haven't agreed with it.

I think what has happened is that I've become more comfortable with the discomfort of people disagreeing with me. And I use my yoga to remind myself that the discomfort will pass. And amazingly, it passes.

So I thank Rosanne for her beautiful piece about my book. I happen to agree with her criticism and I'm grateful that I'll be able to apply what I've learned from her in my next book. Thank you, Rosanne for being part of my practice and evolution as a human.

Namaste.

Read Rosanne's Review and be sure to check out the rest of her blog!

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