This is the third week of our experimental open forum for bloggers everywhere. The first week we took on the topic of fear, and the second week we tackled duality (or non-duality as some bloggers pointed out). Fear and duality. Pretty heavy topics. We’re not talking “which yoga mat keeps you from slipping” or “what to do if you have gas in class.” Fear and duality. Why so serious?

I have a tendency to be one of those “serious” yogis. I study a lot, spend days in silence, and genuinely believe yoga can cure the world’s ailments. I’m always perplexed when I come across people who say, “Hey, it’s just yoga!”

Just yoga? How can it be just an ancient practice that has survived thousands of years and brought countless people to happiness? How can it be just the spiritual and physical path of some of the world’s greatest thinkers, from Swamis to Gandhi to – according to some – Jesus himself? Just yoga?

But then, I look at these posts, or gaze across a yoga studio and see the intense faces I’m getting from people holding Warrior 2, and I think, “Lighten up! We’re just standing in a room sweating and breathing here, people.”

So which is it? “Just yoga”or “Yoga?” Are we too serious, or do we fail to take it seriously enough?

Write your own blog in response as a comment below. If you already have a blog, you are welcome to cut and paste here with a link to your blog. You are invited to take on the topic of “Why So Serious,” but this is a completely open community, so have at it!