Is Tara Stiles getting spiritual? Not exactly. But she has a few things to say about the subject, and the yoga community. Perhaps in a response to her critics about dismissing spirituality and a lot of the traditional aspects of yoga in her “rebel” teaching (ie. chanting, the use of Sanskrit, sometimes anatomical names for body parts), last night yoga guru to the masses and virtual personal guru to Deepak Chopra, Tara Stiles, revealed more about her own thoughts on spirituality, and essential eschewing thereof, than she’s ever shared before.
“I am more interested in participating in a community of people rather than an insular community of yoga.” she tweeted from her tent in Ibiza along her Euro yoga tour.
During her spirited rambling she went on to slam “spiritual garb, wraps, bracelets and malas” as distractions and declared her preference for being a “conscious person who practices yoga” rather than a “yogi who wrongly believes of a spiritual existence outside of humanity.” Er…tell us how you really feel. Deepak, take us away?
While not going full Romney 47-percenter on us, the comments offer an indirect response to some of her detractors, and there are a few http://yogadork.com/news/tara-stiles-launches-slim-calm-sexy-yoga-to-acclaim-insult-revolt-see-marketing/ (marketing for the definitively titled books Slim, Calm, Sexy and Yoga Cures and new DVD This Is Yoga has raised some third eyebrows), at the same time insulting much of the yoga community, stating that the yoga bubble (note: not the one she’s profiting off of, the one some yogis live in) is not for her. Fair enough, yoga is for everyone, and samadhi knows too much guru can by way too much woo woo.
Well, however you roll your intention joint, we’re happy to see transparency from the yogapop star, who can be outspoken and approachable enough, except maybe when asked about her yoga education, which honestly at this point seems moot, anyway.
Here’s her full twitter-fed stream of consciousness for context, including retweets of her hubs Michael Taylor (remember it reads most recent tweet first):
What was in that tent anyway?
——
Earlier…
- You Can Help Tara Stiles Design Her New Reebok Yoga Clothing Line If You Love Her and Stuff
- Has Yoga Become a Talent Show? YD Rates Your Best Chances at Yoga Fame
- Abercrombie’s ‘Perfect Butt’ Yoga Pants (for Skinny Photoshopped Aliens)
- Lululemon vs. Calvin Klein Over Rip-Off Yoga Pants Could Change Fashion Forever
- Katy Perry Goes On Spiritual Quest of Meditation and Clearing Chakras
I understand where she is coming from with the non-sectarian semi-atheist/inclusivist stuff, but if someone could explain the background picture on her twitter page, which shows someone in a black room reading a book upside down while bent over backwards wearing sunglasses, a faceless watch, and a gold jumpsuit with ~9″ heels, I would appreciate it.
Photo of Stiles by Philip Toledano (why it’s so silly), styled by Mimi Fisher, part of a series featured in Nov. 2007 City Magazine (Issue 52). Google Image Search 1, YDcommentators 0.
What shrooms is that bird brewing, pass me a brew! Na seriously I get her point and far enough each to their own. Personally I never mind what others gotta do to get emselves through the spiritual night, its my personal practice that’s important to me. Love peace n happiness
You know, I get what she is saying and agree with a lot of it. I’ve never been the biggest fan of Tara (I think that Slim Calm Sexy Yoga kinda turned me off)…. but this side of her, I enjoy!
Who rolled hers?
Who is Tara Stiles again?
A profound spiritual contemplation on Twitter? Let us not judge one another!
She is more interested in participating in a community of people rather than an insular community of yoga. Meanwhile she is in a tent in Ibiza with all the rich Euro kids. Why don’t you stop tweeting Tara and go back to Yoga For Hangovers.
A highly vata deranged person will always sound like a rambling fool…
Svasti, I think you need to bring down that “vata” cuz u be da fool…
Seems like the funniest bits from yoga culture now are globe-trotting yoga princes and princesses acting like asinine flakes….Thanks for the laugh, YD!
That last tweet makes absolutely no sense.
Just as superficial adornments serve few, so do superficial teachings.
Simplicity is a beautiful thing. But a simple-minded person staying away from “profound” realization sharing… Priceless.
Guess “roughing it” really woke her up, hey?
Who cares what her motivations are? I follow her online workouts that teach me a few things and get me motivated. To tell you the truth those classes where a 20-something comes in and starts preaching about life and wanting everyone to chant in a language I don’t understand isn’t really for me anyway. Do what works best for you. Learn from others, take what you can use, apply it and move on. Life is to short to sweat the small stuff.
It’s only the preaching about life stuff from the 20 something who may or may not be an “old soul” that gets me … proof positive that the Doogie Howser, M.D. of yoga arrives about as frequently as Halley’s Comet … let’s see how far the Summer Yoga Body and the Slim Calm Sexy get them when they are over 55 years old … unless they stick with the Euro-trash …
This is just one girl comparing out with another girl – and calling it a blog posting. Where’s Carol Horton? Roseanne Harvey? Jennifer Cusano? Jeez, why are they missing out on all this fun?
“High school’s not a place – it’s a state of mind.”
Frank Zappa
Those grinds were not invited to the sleepover …