Saturday, January 26, 2013

An Open Letter to Sharath about Kino's Mysore video

Some of you may be aware that Kino has recently been on the receiving end of some negative reactions, both in social media and in the "real" world, over a video about practicing Ashtanga yoga in Mysore that she made about six months ago. Apparently, some Ashtangis who were in the video were offended because Kino did not ask for their permission before filming them doing their practices (for more details about the whole thing, see the January 22nd posts on Kino's Facebook page). Anyway, here is the video in question:


I cannot speak for anybody else's feelings, but as far as I am concerned, the video is very well-made. It is both aesthetically captivating and very educational. If nothing else, it gives somebody like me who has yet to make it to Mysore a close-up and intimate view of what practicing in Mysore is like, and conveys very powerfully the spirit of going to the source of this practice to deepen one's practice.

Based on what I feel, and on my desire to support Kino in her wonderful work that she is doing, I recently decided to write a letter to Sharath expressing my support for Kino's action with regard to this video. Kino has also graciously given me permission to publish this letter here, so that more people can understand what is going on, and her intentions in making this video in the first place. So here goes. 

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A Letter about Kino MacGregor's video about practicing Ashtanga Yoga in Mysore

Dear Sharath,                     
                     I practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, and I live in the United States. I have been a student of Kino MacGregor for the past two years. I live in Pocatello, Idaho, and practice mostly by myself at home, as I am not close to any Ashtanga shala. But I travel to study with Kino whenever I am able to. She is a very dedicated teacher who has given much of herself for the well-being of her students, and in order that more people can come to take benefit from this wonderful method that Guruji has given us. Personally, I also hope to go to Mysore to study with you in the near future, when I have overcome my career and immigration problems in this country.

I am writing you today to voice my support for a video about Mysore that Kino made about six months ago. I attach the video to this email.

I recently learned that some Ashtangis have been offended by this video, ostensibly because they were filmed doing their practices in the shala without their permission. I cannot speak for other people, but I really feel that this video is a wonderful production that is both aesthetically beautiful and educationally valuable. As somebody who has never been to Mysore, I cannot tell you how much I have learned about what practicing at the shala is like from watching this video, and how much this video has strengthened my desire to go there myself someday. From the many positive comments about this video that are on the Youtube page, I believe many people also feel the same way as I do. As such, I believe this video does a great service to the Ashtanga community around the world.

I hope you will take all this into consideration, and regard this project in a favorable light, even though a few people are offended by it. Personally, I also feel that if these people were offended, they could have contacted Kino and voiced their feelings to her personally, rather than publicly jeopardize a project that is offering so much to so many people who are not able to go to Mysore at this moment.

I thank you for reading this email and considering my opinion. I hope to meet you soon.

Sincerely,
Nobel Ang
Pocatello, Idaho
U.S.A.  

53 comments:

  1. This topic really has upset me this week. This discussion is so stupid. I mean, the whole video is so beautiful, why would anyone be offended. And honestly, we are not talking about a hidden camera here - there's not anyone in the shala who could have ignored the fact that there was somebody filming there.

    But I really don't think being in the video is the real issue here... Kino is very sucessful with her teachings and she may stay true to the lineage, but she has her own style of teaching and I think that upsets many people, mainly older Ashtanga teachers.
    Even I know one Ashtanga teacher in my shala who is like: "Yeah, she may be a good teacher, but she is wearing too short shorts and she usea Youtube and ..."
    For me personally, it's a typical Ashtanga community problem - old vs. new, strict vs. modern and it's sad that a beautiful video is critized just because less known, bitter teachers have an issue with a more modern approach to Ashtanga.

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    1. Yes, I hear you, Anon. It may very well be that being in the video is just a sort of catalyst/trigger point for more deep-seated issues. I don't know any of the older Ashtanga teachers in question, but I do know people (both in the blogosphere and in "real" life) who have the sorts of issues with Kino's teaching and her way of presenting herself that you mention. And these issues will likely be around for a while. I try my best to do my part to keep things a little more balanced and, well, rational in these parts.

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  2. First, nothing is done in shala without Sharat's knowledge.

    Second, Kino should ask for the permission from other practitioners.

    Third, She is a celebrity and she must pay attention to her ego. I think she is still young. She will be wiser with age.

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    1. Interesting points you bring up, Zee.

      "nothing is done in shala without Sharat's knowledge."

      This is true, and it also presumably includes the filming of the video.

      "Kino should ask for the permission from other practitioners."

      That probably would have been the best thing to do. Although, as Anon points out above, the camera wasn't hidden, and I would imagine that people could have spoken up, either at the time the filing was done or soon after (as opposed to six months after the video was already released).

      "I think she is still young. She will be wiser with age."

      Well, won't we all? :-) Although I sometimes get the impression that with some people, age confers not wisdom, but a certain stubborn (and, dare I say, foolish) adherence to ways that may no longer work well. But this is neither here nor there. I guess what I'm trying to say is that age is not an absolute measure of how much wisdom one has...

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    2. In that video Kino said that consciousnesses evolves. That is not correct. But I have no intention writing about it. So I said that she is young... Sorry Nobel if this pushed your button. No hard feelings. :-)

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    3. Unfortunately, my knowledge of yoga/samkhya philosophy is too shallow to be able to engage in any meaningful conversation with you about whether consciousness evolves. Maybe you can write about it on your blog at some point? ;-)

      I've always believed that a mark of a good blogger lies in being able to get one's buttons pushed without losing one's head/sense of humor. So although you may have pushed a few buttons, it is all par for the course. No hard feelings :-) Push on!

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    4. Thank you Nobel. :-)

      Re consciousnesses: What is seen may undergo many changes when the light of consciousness is focused on it, but it is the object that changes, not the light. Plants grow in sunlight, but the sun does not grow.

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    5. I like the sunlight and plants image :-) This reminds me of the purusha/prakrti distinction in the so-called Orthodox schools of Indian philosophy. Purusha (which is commonly translated as Self) is eternal and never changes, and thus has no need to evolve. It is only prakrti (I translate it as phenomena) that evolves and changes. Did you have this distinction in mind?

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    6. Yes. consciousness, awareness, purusha (many names for the same thing) ... It is fundamental mistake to assume that consciousness evolves. It starts with assumption that we have consciousness. Who has consciousness? Consciousness is all there is and it "has" us. We are consciousness but it is now under limitation of our false self.

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    7. Very intriguing, Zee. I don't quite know what to think of all this just yet. Maybe you really do need to write a post about this :-)

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  3. I think the issue at hand with Kino's video is that it was obviously shot and uses the same footage from the movie Mysore Magic. Those practitioners in the shala at the time or recording may have been aware that their images would be used in the Mysore Magic video but they may have been under that the footage would also be used as a promotional video for Kino. If that is the case I can definitely understand how those people can be upset with Kino over the production of said video.

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    1. I did not know that the exact same footage from Mysore Magic was used; I just thought that the cinematography and the narrative style was so similar to Mysore Magic because James Kambeitz did the cinematography for both productions.

      But I am not getting the sense that Kino intended this video as a promotional vehicle for herself. I mean, sure, she was in the video a lot, but I get the sense that if there is a star of the video, so to speak, it is Mysore itself. But I am getting out of my depth here, so I'll leave it at this.

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  4. I think the whole thing is a tempest in a teacup, and I'm upset that it's upset one of my teachers, whose motives are pure. Apart from that I don't have much to say, except that if you are really going to send this to Sharath, I would strongly advise you to change the very first line:

    Dear Sharath,
    I practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga, and I live in the United States.

    It has NEVER been called that here, and yes - it matters. I'm not sure I can imagine him reading past that line!!

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    1. Thanks for the advice, Susan. But your advice came too late; I've already sent it! I really don't care if he doesn't read past that first line (why wouldn't he, anyway?); my intention is really more to express support/solidarity for Kino.

      I also think you are right that it is a tempest in a teacup, except that the teacup is a pretty large one!

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  5. Oh well, maybe it will come up in the next conference that it isn't called 'Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga' ;)

    Where did this rename come from, anyway? To distinguish it from 'Ashtanga Yoga'? But he doesn't want to do that, this is the point...

    That's my assumption, anyway. However, I am not inside Sharath's head, so I'll shut up. It's just what I think.

    Actually, perhaps someone will ask about the video in conference, it wouldn't surprise me. It won't be me, though.

    We'll have to wait till next Sunday to see, because of the moon day....

    Oh, and actually I think Kino will be here then! So maybe not. Hmmm....

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    1. Hello Susan,
      You are right about the name "Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga." At least in the U.S., we call it that in order to distinguish it from Ashtanga Yoga. I understand that from Sharath's and Guruji's points of view, trying to make this distinction is artificial and redundant. But people do that here, and not always for the best of reasons, I'm afraid. For instance, PJ Heffernan recently was involved in an incident that involves this distinction:

      http://onmilwaukee.com/myOMC/authors/lindsaygarric/yogateachertraining.html

      "However, I am not inside Sharath's head, so I'll shut up."

      Would you want to be in Sharath's head, in the first place? ;-)

      Gosh, now I can't wait for next Sunday's conference, even though I've never been to Mysore! It's things like this that make me feel that I live vicariously in Mysore through the reports of people like you who are there :-)

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    2. What is 'Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga' versus 'Ashtanga Yoga'....is it just a difference in Western naming or are there actually two different types of pracice?

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  6. Maybe I'm too cyncical, but I don't think that this issue would have come up if somebody else would have filmed there. Let's say David Garrigues. Or Tim Miller. Or David Swenson. I bet that there wouldn't be any discussion, but here we have a very young certified teacher who is quite sucessfull, attractive and, on top of that, a woman. But maybe I'm really too cynical ;-)

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    1. You aren't too cynical at all. You hit the nail squarely on the center of the head.

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    2. Yes, you hit it squarely on the center of the head. I can hear it going into the wood even as I write this...

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    3. I know this is very old now, but I couldn't help researching Kino after reading some awful comments under her youtube, the comments really shocked me- all in regards to her clothing etc. I am really appalled that people have a problem with how she dresses, I feel like if she wasn't so attractive then no one would even notice, tight yoga pants expose the figure after all and women and men all over the world wear shorts while practicing, I don't understand how anyone who has an interest in yoga and spirituality, or just plain sport, for that matter, can reject the human form. She has this magical, feminine, strong body in peak physical condition and I think it's an honour and extremely inspirational that we get to see it. Some people are so terribly bitter and jealous, I can't even imagine what sort of world their day to day life consists of. The human body should be celebrated and rejoiced not rejected and shamed! And yes, I can't help but feel it's not only the fact that she is female, but that her body shape is so quintessentially female...and that seems to really anger and intimidate some people. I am not a crazy feminist or anything, it just crossed my mind as strange because I have seen many yoga teaches dress in a similar way and no one blinks an eye. Of course her fame and success and age all contribute to that. Personally I think it would be hard for someone to criticise her without exposing something unsavoury about themselves, something that should probably be reflected upon. Anyway, controversy is a part of life and that is something we can't escape :-)

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  7. For me this 9 minute video encapsulates what it means to practice in Mysore. Having been it just makes me want to return.

    With regard to other people being in it without permission, they are the same people who are in the Mysore Magic film made by Alex Medin, have they objected to being in that as well I wonder?

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    1. Hello Kevin,
      thanks for chiming in.

      "Having been it just makes me want to return."

      Or, in my case, it makes me want to go there for the first time :-)

      "they are the same people who are in the Mysore Magic film made by Alex Medin, have they objected to being in that as well I wonder?"

      Good question. I don't have the answer to that one...

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    2. That was exactly my question too! This seems to be an uncut (and fleshed out?) version of what was in Medin's video. Which makes me think somebody's upset with Kino, more than anything - an excuse to make trouble for her. I don't get people always being so after Kino, seriously - I loved that video, made me want to go to Mysore! And David Garrigues posts a lot of videos too, which is super useful to us home practitioners. AND he wears skimpy clothes :) - but I guess being a man protects him - being a woman and prominent is always dangerous. People and their issues...

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  8. I completely missed that drama re: Kino's Mysore video, which surprises me because I am a huge fan of Kino and follow her updates closely.

    Only a few minutes has passed since I've read your post, and backtracked onto Kino's FB wall to find her updates regarding this, my thoughts therefore, are only a knee jerk reaction and not well-processed just yet.

    Personally, I loved the video, and recognized almost immediately that the footage was produced from Angie/James/Alex's Mysore Magic production. I assumed that perhaps Kino had contracted them for her short piece.

    Are her shorts too short? Is her ego too large? Am I to judge?

    Why do we seek to judge those whom we don't know? Do those that bash Kino do so over ego? Is this practice not to assist us in quashing the ego, to quiet our minds, to keep us centered? Indra Devi used to walk out on conversations when they veered towards gossip. I feel that sense of energy now out there...

    I'd like to believe that Kino is approachable, and only wish those that had issue being featured in the video w/out consent had contacted her directly.

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    1. I'm with you on all this, Lu. I know Kino to be a very approachable person who is very receptive to contrary opinions about her teaching, her presentation style, etc., etc. And I also don't see why people need to make snap judgments about somebody based on the way they present themselves and their teachings. I mean, just because you don't want to (or... cannot?) wear short shorts to teach doesn't mean that a universal ban should be imposed on teaching with short shorts. Hardly seems fair to impose your views on what is presentable on others, does it?

      Moreover, some wise person somewhere once said that Kino did not get certified because she wore short shorts or because she is bendy and makes Youtube videos. Something to think about, no?

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  9. So glad you featured the video. I was worried that it had been taken down for good without me being able to check it out. I can only imagine how exciting/enjoyable this must be for the complainers. Nice practices everyone! Apparently no one was really listening to what she was saying while the images were passing through the screen? Or else they worked pretty hard at blocking THAT out so they wold feel justified in their complaint.

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    1. I'm with you on this, sf. I can't see how this video could plausibly be seen as a self-promotional vehicle if people actually listened to what she was saying.

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  10. Thanks for sharing this video, Nobel. I have to be honest - I found it to be a better "advertisement" for going to Mysore than the longer, somewhat affected "Mysore Magic" film by the same filmmakers. What Kino says in it resonates with me very much. (It almost makes me want to go there!)

    It's too bad for everyone involved that some were bothered by her "use" of their images in this video. I think all you could fault Kino for would be that she was a bit naive and unconscious of the fact that it would have been better - more polite, more conscious - to ask permission. Regardless of the fact that these students knew they were being filmed for "Mysore Magic"....they also had a right to know they were also going to be in a "Kino" production, too, perhaps.

    Still, the feeling I get from this video was really not to self-aggrandize, but to simply present her views and thoughts on practicing in Mysore - in a way that very much honors the lineage, showing how much she respects and loves Mysore and what is possible if you practice there.

    Certainly, I wish I could rock third series in a pair of short shorts like Kino! Lovely to behold, and props to her for her hard work and dedication - and generosity in sharing it with us!

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    1. Thanks for chiming in, Michelle. I'm happy that you like the video as much as I do.

      '...they also had a right to know they were also going to be in a "Kino" production, too, perhaps.'

      This brings to mind a memorable line from one of my professors in grad school: "It is completely possible to insist on one's rights and be a complete A-hole while doing so."

      Like you, I also don't get the sense that the video's aim was to self-aggrandize. And I can't see myself rocking third series in a pair of short shorts either :-)

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  11. A fan of Kino here too although I have reservations about the Movie. I remember this coming out, thought it was better than the Mysore Magic movie itself actually. I assumed, rightly I think, it was filmed at the same time and by the same people, Sharath of course having given permission to film ( I assume he gave people the option not to turn up that day if they didn't want to be in it. That said..... permission to film to promote the Mysore Shala and Ashtanga (promote?...celebrate(?) Mysore) is one thing but this is also promotional for Kino as well as Mysore and that's an important difference. Was there a need for Kino to do a Mysore promotional video so soon after Mysore Magic? Probably not. I can understand some people not being happy about that and fair enough, I just hope they expressed their concern and complaint politely, respectfully. Kino should probably have put something up saying that anyone who wasn't comfortable being shown in the movie should contact her and she'd edit that scene out or something ( that's what I did with a slideshow of the LMU course). Easy to say this in retrospect though.

    'Vinyasa' probably characterises the style of Pattabhi Jois' ashtanga and the approach to asana in the Krishnamacharya more than anything else I can think of. What else are we counting but the vinyasa.

    "Similarly in yogasana, pranayama and the mudras, the vinyasas handed down from ancient times should be followed.
    But nowadays, in many places, these great practitioners of yogabhyasa ignore vinyasa krama and just move and bend and shake their arms and legs and claim that they are practising asana abhyasa. " Yoga Makaranda p34

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    1. I really like the Yoga Makaranda quote, Grimmly, especially the part about shaking arms and legs. Can't help smiling and wondering if that's what I do everyday on the mat :-)

      "Was there a need for Kino to do a Mysore promotional video so soon after Mysore Magic? Probably not."

      I get the sense that Kino's video is targeted to a slightly different audience than the audience that Mysore Magic (MM) was meant to target. The overall tone of MM suggests to me that the video was made to speak to people who don't practice Ashtanga, and who are curious about what the big deal is about going to Mysore among Ashtangis. Kino's video, on the other hand, seems to be targeted towards people who have already been practicing Ashtanga for at least a little while, and are curious about what going to Mysore would do for their practice. So the audience is different, and therefore, IMHO, there was a need (or at least a good reason) for making such a video.

      Having said this, however, I also agree that, with the benefit of hindsight (which is always 20/20, of course), perhaps Kino could have avoided this incident if she had sought permission from the people who were going to be in the video.

      I will, of course, keep this lesson in mind, in the very likely event that I decide to make my own Mysore video (sans short shorts, of course) when I finally make it to Mysore.

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  12. I totally understand that people are upset that I did not ask their permission prior to using the extra footage from the Mysore Magic film shoot. I should have and I am sorry that I didn't! It honestly did not cross my mind and I can see that it is my own naivete to think that people would not mind. I wish that people would have contacted me directly with their concerns, but I understand it's hard to confront someone with negative feedback. I am definitely learning from this experience on many levels. I had no idea that the people that I practice with in Mysore who are friendly with me post-practice hold such strong negative views of my teaching and presence in the world. I have read the negative blogs complaining about my shorts, my youtube videos, and generally me but I just didn't think that it was from people I shared practice space with in Mysore. That limited view is just another reflection of my own naivete, or as Zee says above, my youth. I am currently considering what action to take, e.g., contacting each individual person in the video directly and apologizing/asking permission, whether to take the video down or leave it up and of course speaking with Sharath next week when I am in Mysore. Meanwhile thanks for your honesty and openness about this. I honestly love the video as a link and inspiration for people who may be inspired by my teaching and presence to find their way to the power and magic of Mysore. My hope is that we can reach a peaceful resolution where the video is ok'ed to stay available on YouTube. I hope that I'm not being naive about that too!

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    1. Thank you so much for speaking up on this blog, Kino. It is my selfish (and perhaps naive) wish that the video will be ok'ed to stay available on Youtube. As I've mentioned before, I cannot speak for anybody else (least of all those aggrieved parties who were in the video), but the video has provided a valuable connection to Mysore for me, and I believe it does the same thing for many other people too, based on the feedback I have received in the comments here and on your Youtube channel.

      But we still need to hear what Sharath has to say about this. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and offering my prayers in this area :-)

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    2. Many of my thoughts have already been voiced by others, particularly Nobel and Michelle. But I have this to offer.

      Kino has already publicly apologized. It is clear that her video is a beautiful gift to the Ashtanga community. People should have brought their complaints to her first, and given her a chance to resolve them. The only motivation that I can see for making them public is to embarass a very successful teacher, and take her down a notch or two.

      That's jealousy, however it may be justified. I've felt it myself, not with Kino but with another teacher who has gone further in less time than me and become rather publicly successful. It's a hot burning feeling that sticks in your throat. It has taken time and meditation for me to see that my envy of someone else's success is just that, even though I can find good reasons to say and feel snarky things if I want to. Things as petty as the length of the shorts. But really, who cares. Someone else's success does not limit my own. There's not a success jar out there being emptied by those who got there before me. What I've learned is that my envy shows me something that I want for myself, something in myself that I have not resolved. It shows me the path forward. Over and over I have had to come back to this.

      So perhaps if we all, collectively, have a little compassion for those whose envy has gotten out of hand, for those who can't yet see how their jealous response hurts themselves far more than it will ever hurt Kino, perhaps some fresh air can be brought to bear on this tempest in a teacup.

      In the long run, the publicity helps her far more than it hurts. No doubt the youtube numbers have skyrocketed and her workshops will sell out even faster. If I were one of the participants whose permission was not asked, perhaps I would simply ask for a discount in the next workshop.

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    3. I hear you, Deborah. There's definitely not a succee cookie jar out there that is being emptied by those who got there first, even if our capitalist society would like us to believe otherwise. I wonder if capitalistic indoctrination may be why it is so difficult for us to get over such feelings of envy, however unwarranted they may be. But this can't be right, because jealousy and envy have been around far longer than capitalism...

      Anyway, all this is neither here nor there. But one way or the other, this reminds us again of the importance of Yoga Sutra 1.33...

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    4. Oh, I meant to say "success cookie jar." Mistyped :-)

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  13. As someone who makes videos professionally (among other things) for non-profits, the general guidelines I use for asking permission are that if people are in a public space at a public event, you don't need to ask their permission to be filmed or shown participating in that event. If people are in a private space or at a private event, you must ask their permission and get written consent to use their image, even for non-profit and education purposes. I suspect that the Mysore yoga shala falls in that mysterious place in between the two, although if it were me, I would tend to view it as the latter - a private (intimate) space, at least during the practice itself.

    YouTube brings out the best and the worst in people it seems, as does (at times) a yoga practice. I dearly hope that this will all be peacefully resolved and that everyone will keep breathing and find the good in it! In any case Nobel, thanks for opening the discussion. In the end I'm sure good will come of it. :)

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    1. Interesting. I did not know about these guidelines about filming in a public vs. private space. And you're right that the Mysore shala may fall into a grey area here.

      But I wonder if it might be useful here to use what I would call a "captive audience rule" to decide the matter. The idea is this: If you are a member of a captive audience in a particular space (for instance, if you are in a classroom, where you are not free to leave the place when the filming is being done), then then the person doing the filming would need to ask permission from the people being filmed. If, on the other hand, the people being filmed are not members of a captive audience and are free to leave the place, then the person doing the filming does not need to ask permission. What do you think of this?

      But if we use this rule, then the people in the Mysore shala would be part of a captive audience, since the shala is a classroom of sorts...

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    2. Interesting suggestion - I would think that it definitely puts the Mysore shala in the "captive audience" category, because it's an awfully big ask to ask people to leave when they have travelled halfway around the world just to be there! There are more guidelines on filming and consent than you can count, but very few laws that govern it - so it's always a tricky business. When I'm producing something I always try to follow the ethical high road, just to be safe... and I always think to myself: what if it were me?

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  14. Can't speak regarding the others, but the question of whether anyone would protest a Tim Miller video is purely academic. Ask him whether he would ever do such a thing and the answer you will get is that such stuff is basically Kali Yuga bullshit.

    Yoga is transmitted face to face, ideally one guru/one shishya. Know about the koshas? The way we privilege technology today has created in affect another one, the technomaya kosha. Yet another layer to obscure purusha. Those who would protest ("I figured out X from such and such video") would do well to establish an actual relationship with an actual teacher who actually shows up at their shala, day in day out, for actual teaching.

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    1. Wow. Don't know where to start responding to you here...

      "Ask him whether he would ever do such a thing and the answer you will get is that such stuff is basically Kali Yuga bullshit."

      I'd love to hear this from the man himself at some point.... (maybe the next "Tuesdays with Timji"? :-))

      "Those who would protest... would do well to establish an actual relationship with an actual teacher who actually shows up at their shala..."

      Nobody here (especially not Kino) is denying the importance of an actual relationship. Kino's intention in making her videos is to enable people who would otherwise not have encountered Ashtanga to establish a connection with the practice, and then hopefully move on to have an actual relationship with an actual teacher. Actually, Susan (a.k.a. Susananda) tells this story in her recent post:

      "...a couple of days ago on the UO rooftop I met a woman who has no teacher where she lives. The reason she has a practice at all, and has made it to Mysore for the first time, is largely due to Kino's videos."

      you can read the full post here:

      http://susananda.blogspot.com/2013/01/internet-three-sisters-long.html

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    2. Don't hold your breath for that blog post. Here's an alternative - go to Encinitas. Maybe you can also see Sharath if you time it right.

      If you go to the Jois place though, get there a few minutes early. You can get lost in that retail space, trying to find the yoga room... which sums the place up handily.

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  15. let me see if i'm understanding this correctly ...

    kino puts out an educational video with additional clips from a movie that has already been released to the public - filmed in a public place with the blessing of the shala - and is getting criticized?

    if you didn't want to be filmed, i'm assuming students could've left. there was a movie being filmed and so as i am reading this, they (whoever "they" are) were ok for the movie but not ok for kino? dude - they don't get to make that choice. they were in a public (however sacred) place.

    oh but wait - i simply adore how, for the most part, negativity is spewed via an anonymous bully pulpit called the internet? for crying out loud.

    i reviewed mysore magic and just watched kino's "controversial" video. well done. thanks for giving this mom-of-two who may never visit the living source of her practice but is super grateful for those like kino who share her own experience for the likes of me.

    and not anonymously - but as herself. in all her humanness. she makes this practice approachable, accessible, and enjoyable.

    yoga - to bring together. perhaps we should try it sometime.

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    1. I hear you, Peg. If you would like my humble opinion, I think you are understanding everything correctly, except maybe for the part about the shala being a public place (see my discussion with La Gitane above). But that is probably an, uh, academic distinction :-)

      "yoga - to bring together. perhaps we should try it sometime."

      I like that :-)

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  16. Just coming to the conversation and am a supporter of Mysore, Ashtanga, and have seen some Kino videos and I'm sure she is lovely. All other issues aside you HAVE to get image release forms for these things. It is a very big deal to use a photo or film that includes someone without their permission and there are legal (if not social and cultural) repercussions for not doing so. Often in conversations like this, where the topic and subjects are so close to people's passions and lives, the technicalities of things simply being legal vs. illegal get left out.

    I work in film production and have been tracking down signatures for image releases for years. It can be a pain but it is necessary. If I am on a shoot that already has release forms from participants but am working autonomously for my own project then I have to get release forms for myself. People have a right to know what they are participating in and where their image will be used. It's a matter of respect and also of legality. It also avoids these types of misunderstandings- if one person doesn't want to be included in my project I am able to edit them out and avoid future complications. People opt out for a lot of reasons and while they are often due to personal preference there are of

    So, everything else aside, if she didn't have permission in signed release forms this is a problem. You never know why someone won't want their image used on the world wide web and that should be respected.

    This was just a quick google find but there is some good information, basically if it was shot in a place of business (the shala is a beautiful place to be respected as a source for an amazing spiritual practice that I honor and cherish but I do believe it would fit in the area of a 'private' vs 'public' setting) and if you have any intention of even possibly using it commercially OR non-commercially you need an image release form.

    http://www.webvideozone.com/public/88.cfm

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    1. Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us at length about these details concerning image release forms. I was not aware of all this. It is definitely a learning experience for everybody here.

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  17. Kino is the most annoying person on the face of the planet. I really wish she would go away. She is self obsessed, reminiscent of a valley girl, wanna be yogi. I hate her stupid smile. She is obsessed with trying to be famous. She may as well release a sex tape. Then she will be famous and she can obsess over herself even more until she implodes into a giant, kino obsessed puddle.

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  18. If I pay to attend a yoga workshop wherever it may be, I would hope anyone intending to film or take photos would obtain my explicit permission before doing so. And if if I do give consent to partake in a film, I hope I would be offered an actor's fee or royalties. Just because it involves yoga does not mean it's all free.

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  20. Please moderate comments. Extremely disturbing comments left above regarding non consensual sex with minors. Should not be on your page. Please delete & delete this comment, too, as it doesn’t serve the remaining conversation.

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