This is a great topic and I love reading all the comments. At this point in my life I believe there are a million valid ways to live a life (excluding harming self, planet or others) and there is room for all of it. I have been greatly helped and harmed by Western medicine. I have experienced a range of reactions to Woo, from a big nothing burger to soul shaking bliss. So, I try things. And I see what works for me. I share my experience with others if asked. I don’t insist it has to be the same for them. How would I know? For me, the idea that I am this or that feels like walking a tightrope when what I want instead is a big, wide sidewalk with no cracks. I once read a quote that said something like - if you were cured of cancer and later found out the treatment was a placebo would you care? I think the mystery of the mind brings an alchemy to healing (said no non-woo person ever, I know) that we have yet to fully understand. So where am I? Curious. Forever curious.
Curious. I think that is how I want to be and continue to be as I age. I want to remain open and present to whatever options may educate and serve me. Lovely insights. Thank you.
I would say I’m woo-adjacent and less than I used to be, but for maybe a different reason than many! My all-in woo was as a Pentecostal Christian and I definitely experienced some intensely amazing things as well as some weird *ss sh*t! As my faith has shifted, I’ve gotten less accepting of all kinds of unproven metaphysical teachings. And yet I still know there is something beyond the rational. I like the inquiry: does this move me closer to Love (of self, others, the planet)? If yes, YES! 🤍🙏🏼
Given that I come from a science background i guess from my previous work, I am not so woo woo but also I go more on how it makes me feel. I do enjoy oils but would never sell them myself, enjoy sound healing bc I feel so calm after, like acupuncture, some ayurveda - Andrea, have you tried the oil dropping on your forehead for an hour long? I forgot what that’s called….that was bliss for me 😃
I believe in HEY! If it makes you feel good, then do it! I’m just so against the claiming and when people say, do this and it will heal this, or do this to fix that. Germany is very very woo woo I feel, so sometimes when I watch posts on social media or have tried out a few classes, I want to burry my head under the cover. 🙈
Today I learned a new phrase: woo-adjacent. And this is a double discovery, because I also realise "this is me" 😎... I feel an updated social media bio incoming... 💥🙌🤗
I thought there might be a lot of us in this community! I always try to be nonjudgemental when folks talk to me about their latest woo adventures in healing because of my own woo-ness.
I also loved “woo-adjacent “. Many years ago... you were still at YJ... I was new to teaching yoga and not comfortable with leading “OM”... feeling like I should but just not me... an article in YJ was about that topic... about the “no OM” yoga studio somewhere in Minnesota.
I was thrilled and have not “OM’d
In my class since ...
everyone has their inner comfort to what they resonate with... I love acupuncture and it has helped me immensely... on a he other hand, my husband does not get the same buzz. I think modalities work the best when the recipient is a believer.
Ok, also shocked about Sound Healing and aromatherapy for Jason. One of the reasons I've always been drawn to his teaching is how practical and woo-less it is. Yet, I wouldn't say I have no woo bone in my body. I'm a closet woo. I guess I'm outing myself here. Actually, I sometimes think I am psychic. I rely a lot on intuition and believe I can tell things about people that my husband thinks I cannot. But I'm often right, so there is that. The times I feel most woo are when I'm by myself and accessing my deepest, contemplative self. This state often comes up after yoga or meditation or sometimes seems induced by a special brew of chemicals/neurotransmitters created by luck from all the right factors like sleep, food, exercise, and nature. I still see woo as explainable by science and I feel most woo when I am by myself. I feel like woo is private. And when I watch others woo in public sometimes it makes me cringe. I've also seen some people use woo to sell and sometimes that feels like it involves feeding into peoples' insecurities, which is gross. Very rarely can people pull off woo with authenticity, IMO. And personally, I would never woo on you.
I had to really sit with your questions because I haven’t thought about this in years and years! I was lucky to have grown up in a home that is very pro modern medicine. However it was also very anti woo-woo so anytime anything like prayer, herbs/teas, chanting, crystals etc was mentioned my family would laugh/scoff and criticize it. I was secretly fascinated by alternative medicine but had to suppress it growing up.
In my 20s though I went full woo-woo and wanted to know all about that way of life. Luckily I had enough sense to *eventually* go to the doctor if something I was trying wasn’t working.
In my 30s (I’m 40 now) I realized that the two ways of life could complement each other. That learning about chakras, herbs, teas, vibrations/energy etc could be an added step towards healing, but like you said if there’s say a cancer diagnosis you go to modern medicine to help you through it but there’s also no harm in going to a healing circle or sound/vibration bath etc.
I was always battling sore throats and getting strep throat. When I learned about the chakras and how a blocked throat chakra can lead to a lot of problems in that area I looked back on my life. As a kid I never felt safe expressing my emotions and I grew up in a very negative environment. So whenever I had a feeling, thought, interest etc I was ignored, ridiculed, judged, laughed at. Even as a young adult I had throat problems until I started giving myself permission to speak-up, cry, express myself without guilt (therapy helped). Now I can’t remember the last time I had a sore throat.
I really think there can be a huge link to sickness and our energy. Not always!! But it doesn’t hurt to look into it while getting the proper medical help too. If I get a cavity I’m going to the dentist, but I’ll also do oil pulling as an added step to my health.
Thank you for sharing your journey and story. I am definitely the black sheep in my family with anything alternative or Woo. I kept many things secret so I wouldn't offend them. Those days are gone. I am happy to learn and try new therapies or ideas to compliment traditional western medicine. I now share my thoughts with them, just in case they are willing to give it a try. You never know!
Love the term "woo adjacent"! That fits me to a T. Like Jason, I'm a Midwesterner by birth. Yet, I was also the "weird one" of the family from an early age who believed, or wanted to believe there might be something to "strange" things like Tarot cards, palm readings, psychic abilities, etc. (PS, I was told by a "Witch" in my late teens that I had strong powers & needed to be trained to use them! :-0 ) The skeptic Midwesterner in me doesn't take everything at face value (nor believes everything), but the "weirdo" in me is open to a lot of things "outside the (Midwesterner) norm" LOL As I was told in my 1st yoga workshop by my teacher.. "Take what you need, & leave the rest". If it doesn't or can't harm me, I'm willing to try it if it appeals to me. If I have a medical issue, I'm also using modern medical treatments.....yep, doing radiation after lumpectomies & hormone blockers. I'm also wearing a blessed bracelet given by a friend from his religious pilgrimage where he experienced a Miracle. I guess I'm a Dichotomy LOL
I remember the first time I heard that wise phrase "Take what you need, and leave the rest" at a La Leche League meeting 25 years ago. It altered my perspective and opened me up to new ideas. Thank you for the reminder.
Even though I heard the phrase in relation to teachings in a yoga workshop, it applies to sooooo many things. Glad the reminder was helpful for you. :-)
I love this conversation and new word to my vocabulary. I hadn't heard the word Woo-woo until a couple of years ago. I guess I would identify as full in, but I actually don't connect with the word. I don't like labels and I push back against trying to fit into any particular box. I am open to learn and try all kinds of different modalities. Living and eathing seasonally is the base and foundation for me. I am intrigued by different ideas and techniques from different places and cultures. I am skeptical by nature, so I prefer to try it out first. At 51, I am more open to try more alternative methods to healing than traditional, western medicine. I have to remind myself to stay open to it all, and stay judgement free with other people's choices. Thank for the post. Juicy conversation indeed.
So as I think you know, I could write a book on this subject. And I’m going to try to keep from writing an essay here. What I will say is that I do think it’s important for yoga teachers to speak from their own experiences as honestly as possible. All modalities have their dogmas and received wisdom. I followed a guru in my teens and my disillusionment was like an immunization shot. I’ve always appreciated how yoga doesn’t push beliefs on people, even though there are certain dogmas that a teacher needs to know about i.e. chakras, gunas, subtle bodies, etc. I ended up studying these dogmas in depth when I taught yoga history and philosophy in teacher trainings. But it became my intention not to present the material as true or not true, but rather as what yoga itself has presented at different times. And that’s enough. I tried to keep my strange and ornery beliefs out of it.
I would just add that I love all the topics yoga raises, and it has such a long and twisted history and thus is so very rich, varied, and full of ideas, some merely woo, some woo woo, and some woo hoo, but all of them fascinating.
Ha! I love this! Woo adjacent. Definitely and always but also skeptical... and often critical of woo.. but also woo curious. But only some of it 🧐. I've seen a lot of woo come and go. Hey! I used to take class with Jason in SF in the 90s when he was just finishing up teacher training and I was a newbie. I remember I asked him after class one day what we were supposed to be doing in savasana. He said he wasn't sure either, but he thought it was for paying attention to the body and resting. I've never forgotten. I think we've both grown a lot since then 😉. I'm new to substack and just found your posts. I like them very much. Thank you 🙏
Definitely woo-adjacent but full-woo on certain topics. I love the third book of the sutra. I think it offers really powerful wisdom when interpreted metaphorically. I wrote a commentary on the sutra that I’ve never published and the third chapter is my favorite 🙂
This is a great topic and I love reading all the comments. At this point in my life I believe there are a million valid ways to live a life (excluding harming self, planet or others) and there is room for all of it. I have been greatly helped and harmed by Western medicine. I have experienced a range of reactions to Woo, from a big nothing burger to soul shaking bliss. So, I try things. And I see what works for me. I share my experience with others if asked. I don’t insist it has to be the same for them. How would I know? For me, the idea that I am this or that feels like walking a tightrope when what I want instead is a big, wide sidewalk with no cracks. I once read a quote that said something like - if you were cured of cancer and later found out the treatment was a placebo would you care? I think the mystery of the mind brings an alchemy to healing (said no non-woo person ever, I know) that we have yet to fully understand. So where am I? Curious. Forever curious.
Curious. I think that is how I want to be and continue to be as I age. I want to remain open and present to whatever options may educate and serve me. Lovely insights. Thank you.
I would say I’m woo-adjacent and less than I used to be, but for maybe a different reason than many! My all-in woo was as a Pentecostal Christian and I definitely experienced some intensely amazing things as well as some weird *ss sh*t! As my faith has shifted, I’ve gotten less accepting of all kinds of unproven metaphysical teachings. And yet I still know there is something beyond the rational. I like the inquiry: does this move me closer to Love (of self, others, the planet)? If yes, YES! 🤍🙏🏼
The paragraph needing in, ‘I would smile politely and hope to never see them again’ cracked me up & I can totally relate!
Given that I come from a science background i guess from my previous work, I am not so woo woo but also I go more on how it makes me feel. I do enjoy oils but would never sell them myself, enjoy sound healing bc I feel so calm after, like acupuncture, some ayurveda - Andrea, have you tried the oil dropping on your forehead for an hour long? I forgot what that’s called….that was bliss for me 😃
I believe in HEY! If it makes you feel good, then do it! I’m just so against the claiming and when people say, do this and it will heal this, or do this to fix that. Germany is very very woo woo I feel, so sometimes when I watch posts on social media or have tried out a few classes, I want to burry my head under the cover. 🙈
Today I learned a new phrase: woo-adjacent. And this is a double discovery, because I also realise "this is me" 😎... I feel an updated social media bio incoming... 💥🙌🤗
I thought there might be a lot of us in this community! I always try to be nonjudgemental when folks talk to me about their latest woo adventures in healing because of my own woo-ness.
Woo adjacent in da house!
🙌 🙌
I also loved “woo-adjacent “. Many years ago... you were still at YJ... I was new to teaching yoga and not comfortable with leading “OM”... feeling like I should but just not me... an article in YJ was about that topic... about the “no OM” yoga studio somewhere in Minnesota.
I was thrilled and have not “OM’d
In my class since ...
everyone has their inner comfort to what they resonate with... I love acupuncture and it has helped me immensely... on a he other hand, my husband does not get the same buzz. I think modalities work the best when the recipient is a believer.
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts 🙏
So true! The placebo effect and the "nocebo" effect...hadn't thought about that!
I recently put copper tape around my bed and altar to help energy move soooooooooo I’d say I’m fully in ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨😵💫🤩🪄🔮
Yes! A vote for full kook! I want to know how that goes, btw
YES! I will keep you posted in my adventures 🙃🤭
Curious about the copper tape. Tell me more.
Ok, also shocked about Sound Healing and aromatherapy for Jason. One of the reasons I've always been drawn to his teaching is how practical and woo-less it is. Yet, I wouldn't say I have no woo bone in my body. I'm a closet woo. I guess I'm outing myself here. Actually, I sometimes think I am psychic. I rely a lot on intuition and believe I can tell things about people that my husband thinks I cannot. But I'm often right, so there is that. The times I feel most woo are when I'm by myself and accessing my deepest, contemplative self. This state often comes up after yoga or meditation or sometimes seems induced by a special brew of chemicals/neurotransmitters created by luck from all the right factors like sleep, food, exercise, and nature. I still see woo as explainable by science and I feel most woo when I am by myself. I feel like woo is private. And when I watch others woo in public sometimes it makes me cringe. I've also seen some people use woo to sell and sometimes that feels like it involves feeding into peoples' insecurities, which is gross. Very rarely can people pull off woo with authenticity, IMO. And personally, I would never woo on you.
I feel like woo is private 😂 There is definitely something to that!!
I'm woo-from-time-to-time! pulling oracle cards in the morning feels good and it sets up the mood for the day!
I used to be full on woo-woo. Now I’m woo-adjacent.
ohhh would love to know more. What changed for you? And what would you have considered in the past that you can't seem to buy into now?
This is long winded; sorry!
I had to really sit with your questions because I haven’t thought about this in years and years! I was lucky to have grown up in a home that is very pro modern medicine. However it was also very anti woo-woo so anytime anything like prayer, herbs/teas, chanting, crystals etc was mentioned my family would laugh/scoff and criticize it. I was secretly fascinated by alternative medicine but had to suppress it growing up.
In my 20s though I went full woo-woo and wanted to know all about that way of life. Luckily I had enough sense to *eventually* go to the doctor if something I was trying wasn’t working.
In my 30s (I’m 40 now) I realized that the two ways of life could complement each other. That learning about chakras, herbs, teas, vibrations/energy etc could be an added step towards healing, but like you said if there’s say a cancer diagnosis you go to modern medicine to help you through it but there’s also no harm in going to a healing circle or sound/vibration bath etc.
I was always battling sore throats and getting strep throat. When I learned about the chakras and how a blocked throat chakra can lead to a lot of problems in that area I looked back on my life. As a kid I never felt safe expressing my emotions and I grew up in a very negative environment. So whenever I had a feeling, thought, interest etc I was ignored, ridiculed, judged, laughed at. Even as a young adult I had throat problems until I started giving myself permission to speak-up, cry, express myself without guilt (therapy helped). Now I can’t remember the last time I had a sore throat.
I really think there can be a huge link to sickness and our energy. Not always!! But it doesn’t hurt to look into it while getting the proper medical help too. If I get a cavity I’m going to the dentist, but I’ll also do oil pulling as an added step to my health.
Thank you for sharing your journey and story. I am definitely the black sheep in my family with anything alternative or Woo. I kept many things secret so I wouldn't offend them. Those days are gone. I am happy to learn and try new therapies or ideas to compliment traditional western medicine. I now share my thoughts with them, just in case they are willing to give it a try. You never know!
Love the term "woo adjacent"! That fits me to a T. Like Jason, I'm a Midwesterner by birth. Yet, I was also the "weird one" of the family from an early age who believed, or wanted to believe there might be something to "strange" things like Tarot cards, palm readings, psychic abilities, etc. (PS, I was told by a "Witch" in my late teens that I had strong powers & needed to be trained to use them! :-0 ) The skeptic Midwesterner in me doesn't take everything at face value (nor believes everything), but the "weirdo" in me is open to a lot of things "outside the (Midwesterner) norm" LOL As I was told in my 1st yoga workshop by my teacher.. "Take what you need, & leave the rest". If it doesn't or can't harm me, I'm willing to try it if it appeals to me. If I have a medical issue, I'm also using modern medical treatments.....yep, doing radiation after lumpectomies & hormone blockers. I'm also wearing a blessed bracelet given by a friend from his religious pilgrimage where he experienced a Miracle. I guess I'm a Dichotomy LOL
I remember the first time I heard that wise phrase "Take what you need, and leave the rest" at a La Leche League meeting 25 years ago. It altered my perspective and opened me up to new ideas. Thank you for the reminder.
Even though I heard the phrase in relation to teachings in a yoga workshop, it applies to sooooo many things. Glad the reminder was helpful for you. :-)
I love this conversation and new word to my vocabulary. I hadn't heard the word Woo-woo until a couple of years ago. I guess I would identify as full in, but I actually don't connect with the word. I don't like labels and I push back against trying to fit into any particular box. I am open to learn and try all kinds of different modalities. Living and eathing seasonally is the base and foundation for me. I am intrigued by different ideas and techniques from different places and cultures. I am skeptical by nature, so I prefer to try it out first. At 51, I am more open to try more alternative methods to healing than traditional, western medicine. I have to remind myself to stay open to it all, and stay judgement free with other people's choices. Thank for the post. Juicy conversation indeed.
So as I think you know, I could write a book on this subject. And I’m going to try to keep from writing an essay here. What I will say is that I do think it’s important for yoga teachers to speak from their own experiences as honestly as possible. All modalities have their dogmas and received wisdom. I followed a guru in my teens and my disillusionment was like an immunization shot. I’ve always appreciated how yoga doesn’t push beliefs on people, even though there are certain dogmas that a teacher needs to know about i.e. chakras, gunas, subtle bodies, etc. I ended up studying these dogmas in depth when I taught yoga history and philosophy in teacher trainings. But it became my intention not to present the material as true or not true, but rather as what yoga itself has presented at different times. And that’s enough. I tried to keep my strange and ornery beliefs out of it.
I would just add that I love all the topics yoga raises, and it has such a long and twisted history and thus is so very rich, varied, and full of ideas, some merely woo, some woo woo, and some woo hoo, but all of them fascinating.
Ha! I love this! Woo adjacent. Definitely and always but also skeptical... and often critical of woo.. but also woo curious. But only some of it 🧐. I've seen a lot of woo come and go. Hey! I used to take class with Jason in SF in the 90s when he was just finishing up teacher training and I was a newbie. I remember I asked him after class one day what we were supposed to be doing in savasana. He said he wasn't sure either, but he thought it was for paying attention to the body and resting. I've never forgotten. I think we've both grown a lot since then 😉. I'm new to substack and just found your posts. I like them very much. Thank you 🙏
Yes!!! The copper keeps the energy moving and flowing freely. I put it around my desk altars and bed!!!!!
Definitely woo-adjacent but full-woo on certain topics. I love the third book of the sutra. I think it offers really powerful wisdom when interpreted metaphorically. I wrote a commentary on the sutra that I’ve never published and the third chapter is my favorite 🙂