Misconceptions and high prices slow down pace of yoga s popularity CAIRO: In many Western countries, where nutrition stores and organic supermarkets are as ubiquitous as restaurant chains, yoga seems like the obvious counterpart to a subculture that has become unhealthily obsessed with health - or at least the idea of it. Here in Egypt, you probably won't hear people asking for health boosters in their smoothies at juice stands, and unless it's labeled with neon letters, it's unlikely that residents or shop owners could direct you to the yoga studio in the building right next door to them. Yoga may not have inundated the market, but the sport is slowly growing, with most gyms offering yoga lessons as alternatives to the usual mix of aerobic classes, private studios cropping up in various neighborhoods, and the more curious option of "yoga tourism offered at some of the nation's ancient and natural treasures. But yoga has had a hard time catching on here. One issue is the relatively steep price that makes it an impractical luxury for many Egyptians. There are also lingering religious anxieties ever since a 2004 fatwa by the grand mufti of Egypt proclaimed that yoga was forbidden to Muslims as sacrilegious. But the biggest problem is the same as everywhere else: yoga here is either shirked for its meditative reputation or embraced in the hopes that the appealingly gentle activity will be a quick fix for widening hips. That's becoming a sore spot for many instructors here. "It's a gym culture, says Mira Shihadeh, who teaches Ashtanga yoga, also known as power yoga. It's more rigorous and fast paced than other styles and Shihadeh thinks this may be why she attracts so many people who are more interested in losing weight than in any other benefits. "You do see remarkable results, she sighed, "but they want to know, 'will it make my tummy flatter?' Not, will it help with healing an injury, spiritual or physical? Or quitting smoking? The concern over the motives of students has become problematic enough that some teachers have taken to screening clients. Wafaa H.A., a popular yoga instructor in Egypt, says she interviews all newcomers. And both H.A. and Shihadeh admit to removing or covering any mirrors in their studios to prevent wandering eyes. They find that most students can't resist the temptation to compare if they can watch themselves and others. Comparing and observing one's appearance is counter-productive in yoga. "People are supposed to be looking inwards, H.A. explains. Shihadeh thinks this obsession with looking and comparing is a manifestation of society's frenzied lifestyle. "People are used to a competitive state of mind. Dalia Saber used to take yoga lessons regularly in Cairo. She felt the same pressures when she first started. "It's true that you do have to get over [the competitiveness]. We're trained to be competitive in society. You have to rewire yourself. Saber says it took a few classes to change her mindset. "You have to get over that in your own psyche to 'get' yoga. It is because of this dilemma that Shihadeh requires new students to commit to multiple lessons. Often, students don't like the way they feel after first doing yoga and she says it takes time to absorb and appreciate its unique mental and physical demands. Beyond screening students, Wafaa H.A. also develops methods to try and turn her students' focus to aspects other than weight loss or comparisons with classmates. "In my class we talk about life, and how to use yoga in life - in work, in dealing with people, in whatever life gives you. Each class, she tries to find new ways to "celebrate life, usually targeting the most simple pleasures. One week she had her students celebrate the color red and recollect things they enjoyed or related to the color. But the most important aspect of yoga that is consistently cited is its power to "center oneself. Attempting to explain this concept, Saber giggles, realizing she sounds silly to 'disbelievers,' but continues confidently, "You feel centered when your breath is deepened, and you're more able to focus on things and what people are saying. It's more of an internal feeling of calm. And it is true that yoga can help tone and trim - if you approach it the right way. Tania El-Kashef has also been a long time yoga student. She says she needed a low impact sport, so when she discovered yoga and its relaxing methods, she was hooked. She started feeling both relaxed and toned after her first few lessons. The trick to successful trimming with yoga, say instructors, is the mind frame. "Yoga works if you come for yoga, says H.A. She finds that the balancing of mood and body gives confidence that enables weight loss. Shihadeh, whose Ashtanga yoga is seen as offering the most weight loss potential, notes that people who come solely for this get frustrated and impatient. "If you're pushing your way through it, you're not going to get the essence of the practice. You might as well go to the gym. While yoga advocates worldwide have been trying to promote the activity as a soothing and healing sport, Egyptian yoga-goers have been dealt an extra setback by some religious insecurity. H.A. senses it the moment a client walks in. "The religious question is something in people's mind, but they're afraid to ask. She often gently assures people in their first sessions that yoga is not a religion, and it does not actually draw on Hindu or Buddhist religious practices, as accusations have claimed in the past. "I tell my clients it is just art and science. El-Kashef says the spirituality doesn't threaten her religious beliefs at all. "I think it complements Islam. Shihadeh agrees. "It should enhance whatever religion or faith you believe in. You should be more open to whatever is out there, preparing you on the physical level. It is a lifetime companion. But she prefers to avoid in-depth discussions about the spiritual aspects of yoga as it is a personal matter, she explains, and not always comfortable for anyone to talk about, unless they have been practicing for long enough. However, she continues, the physical benefits are immensely rewarding and easier to discuss and comprehend for most people. She described some classes she had seen in the United States that ended with Buddhist inspired chants, and says she wouldn't do that here. "We just breathe beautifully and get on with it. We can say our own prayers, and say what's meaningful to us. Beyond this, she's not too worried, Those that come know why they re coming and what they hope to achieve from practicing yoga, even if initially one wants narrower hips, with diligent practice, one s priorities start changing. But for whatever reasons, people haven't started coming like they do in Europe and the United States, where the trend has hit like wildfire. And one unavoidable issue is the fact that economic conditions for a majority of Egyptians make it impossible to grow on the same scale. Wafaa H.A. bristles at the thought that her LE 50 classes could be inaccessible, and seems ready to work out any plan. "You don't have to keep coming here - just come once to take the basics. She also notes that she has a free yahoo group, through which she e-mails ideas and suggestions. She also takes questions by phone for no charge. H.A. is all determination on this point - it almost seems personal. Between her offers to train teachers, her involvement in the International Yoga Federation, and her organization of conferences and tours, she has become the vanguard for yoga on a still doubtful front. For her, it's not a matter of conversion, but of reawakening: "Yoga is as old as human beings. They just didn't know they were doing yoga.
