Yogier than Thou

I read a quote I like the other day in the New York Times.

“The culture of judgment in the yoga community — I call it “yogier than thou” — is rampant, and nowhere more than around food,” said Sadie Nardini, a yoga teacher in New York.
Read the full article here.

As a community, I think yogis face a difficult conundrum when the are forced to reconcile their own beliefs with the actions of the rest of the world. As a yogi, I make decisions in my life because they come easily. Buy organic, recycle, talk softly and carry a big stick . . . well . . . you get the point. The difficult part is seeing my peers, my coworkers and my friends make decisions that do not mesh with my own.

But the important thing to realize is that all these decisions we make to lead the lives we lead as yogis are our own. Just as the decisions of our neighbors are their own. And preaching to the masses rarely does little but annoy those around us. The best we can do is lead our lives by example and hope the rest of the world falls in line. But if they don't - we have to be empowered by knowing that is OK too. It's takes all kinds, and our kind is special - but no special-er than the rest.