Ahimsa Issue: Leather Yoga Mat Bags?

[Guest guest]

>

>

> elena [elena]

> Tuesday, May 20, 2003 8:38 PM

> 'openmind'

> Cc: 'info'

> Leather Yoga Mat Bags?

>

>

>

> Namaste Yoga Journal Staff

>

> I am a yoga teacher and long time yoga practitioner,

> and I have observed

> changes in the yoga community - some changes are

> beautiful periods of

> growth, some changes take us away from the key

> principles of yoga.

> Beginning with issue #174, the June 2003 issue, full

> page advertising

> for leather yoga mat bags was published in Yoga

> Journal. This takes us

> away from the key concepts of Ahimsa (non-violence)

> and the love and

> respect for all life, which we connect with when we

> practice. Placing a

> yoga mat in a leather bag is a very direct

> confrontation between the

> life affirming practice of yoga and the death of an

> animal for material

> gain. We have many other options than they did in

> ancient times. You

> accept advertising from manufacturers creating bags

> out of recycled

> materials, organic materials and renewable

> resources, from which mat

> bags are generally made. Leather mat bags take us

> many steps away from

> a healthier and more compassionate lifestyle. I

> hope you reconsider

> accepting advertising for products which are not in

> keeping with the

> values of yoga.

>

> Respectfully submitted

>

> Elena Case

>

> Focal Point Yoga, Stow, MA

>

>

>

>

>

>

> Geb Masterson

> [Gmasterson]

> Wednesday, May 21, 2003 12:12 PM

> 'elena'; openmind

> RE: Leather Yoga Mat Bags?

> Importance: High

>

>

>

> Dear Elena -

>

> Thank you very much for your note, and let me say

> that we understand and

> appreciate your opinion and passion.

>

> We are very aware of the 'non-violence' teachings of

> Yoga. As we state

> on our site, the leather we use is strictly a

> byproduct of the food

> industry, these animals where not killed for their

> hides. The hides that

> we use would be discarded if they were not recycled

> for other uses. We

> are not talking 'exotic' animals here, such as

> crocodiles, alligators,

> mink, etc. that might be killed just for the value

> of their hide --

> these where cows that were killed for their meat by

> native people in

> countries that depend on meat for sustenance. To

> this day, meat is still

> a dietary staple in most of the world's various

> cultures. I cannot

> change that and I also do not try to judge people by

> their beliefs.

>

> I believe one could also argue that Yoga teaches one

> to be

> understanding, non-judgmental and non-political but

> today there are

> people that seem to believe that they 'own' the true

> understanding of

> Yoga and therefore they have to preach their

> beliefs. We try not to be

> political and not to preach a 'right' or 'wrong' --

> we are merely trying

> to provide Yoga accessories to a market and we have

> never claimed to be

> anything else. These are simple tools and nothing

> more, and the vast

> majority of the items we offer are not leather

> products.

>

> As much as I understand and respect your position, I

> hope that you

> understand that there are people practicing Yoga,

> possibly some of your

> students, that do not live strictly by the ahimsa.

> Should they be

> singled out and criticized? People choose what they

> want to get out of

> their practice for their own reasons, and what they

> may be seeking could

> be simple or it might be a life changing epiphany.

> We are merely

> offering that portion of the Yoga community that

> does not live strictly

> by the ahimsa a choice.

>

> This being said, do you really think that it is fair

> that you ask Yoga

> Journal to censor their ads? How does this relate to

> the concept of

> choice and the Yogic philosophy of acceptance?

>

> Elena, as I mentioned in the beginning of this note,

> I sincerely

> appreciate and respect your opinion. I hope though

> that you now

> understand our position a little better. Thank you

> for your time -

>

> Geb Masterson

>

> Crescent Moon

>

>

>

> HERE ARE SOME COMMENTS FROM OTHERS IN MY LOCAL YOGA

> COMMUNITY THAT I

> SHARED THIS MESSAGE WITH

>

>

>

>

>

> Wednesday, May 21, 2003 5:11 PM

>

> elena

>

> Re: FW: FW: Leather Yoga Mat Bags?

>

>

>

> sooo, it was okay for the oppulent and connected

>

> german citezens to have human skin lampshades, made

>

> from the victims of the gas chamber... since the

>

> skin was a simply byproduct of the geonocide ?

>

>

>

>

> Wednesday, May 21, 2003 4:10 PM

> elena

> Re: FW: Leather Yoga Mat Bags?

>

>

>

> Well so long as they aren't EXOTIC animals, I guess

> it's ok.

>

>

>

> So we're native people depending on meat for

> sustenance? I'm not a

>

> vegetarian and I even find that very funny. Tell

> that one to the

> vegetarians in class.

>

>

>

>

>

>

 

 

 

 

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