Yoga Students
YogaDawg will now introduce you to
your fellow students and help you identify them. It will be difficult
at times to meet your fellow Yoga student due to "Yogatude" (see
section Yogatude), but it is
none
the less important to know who they are. YogaDawg
will also provide you with the inner dialogue of these students to help
you understand them more fully.
First off, be aware that like the Yin and the Yang, the Alpha and the Omega, you will be confronted with the polar opposites of students in the Yoga Scene. These are affectionately known as the Yip and the Yog. Simply put, the Yip is the Yogically hip; the purveyor of the cool, tight and trendy pimp chic look of contemporary Yoga. Fed by the Yoga Industrial Marketing and Merchandising Complex (YIMMCo), these Yogis have evolved the simple needs of Yoga into an alt Yogic lifestyle. Too hip to read Yoga magazines (though they tend to sneak peeks from time to time to verify how ahead of the Yoga curve they are) they seek out their too cool and post-mod ideas on Buddhist web sites.
The Yog on the other hand is “not”. They, most likely, are beginner Yogis that have not been tainted by the YIMMCo as of yet. In certain urban Yoga studios, the Yog will be made to feel unwelcome and may even be discouraged from pursuing Yoga. They may, however, be given the advice to check out the Yoga Fashion page of the YogaDawg website before coming back to a Yoga class.
The Poser, $1,000 Classer, Spoiler and Rat Pack tend to fall in the Yip type while the Freeloader, Old Fart, Matriarch and Stinky will mostly be of the Yog type.
To help guide you on your path to Yoga Yipness,
the following is a handy guide to refer to when confronted with choices
in the Yoga world.
Yoga Music:
YIP - Dave Stinger
David Newman
Deva Premal
YOG - Krishna Das
Jai Uttal
Anything with
singing bowls, temple bells or gongs
Style of Yoga:
YIP Male – Ashtanga
YIP Female – Jivamukti
YOG – Iyengar, Anusara or Generic Vinyassa
Yoga Clothing:
YIP – YogaDawg Gear or anything designed by independent, gay Yoga clothes designers living in the East Village of NYC.
YOG - Lululemon, Gaiam or any other Yoga clothing line that is advertised in Yoga Journal.
Yoga Mat:
YIP Male – The Black Manduka
or the YogaDawg 'It Ain't Lavender' Men's Yoga Mat
Yip Female – The Purple Manduka or the YogaDawg
Natural HempYoga SuperMat
Note: The YogaDawg MyPodSouthParkTripleLatte Super Mat is also acceptable to Yips of a certain age (see Yoga Mats chapter).
Yog – Gaiam, any other mat advertised in Yoga Journal (excluding the black or purple Manduka) or a Pilate mat.
Tattoos:
YIP - Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu symbols or any symbols from an obscure Eastern based religion.
YOG – Om symbol and anything other then the above.
Religious Affiliation:
YIP – Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu or any obscure Eastern religion.
YOG – Wicca, any Judeo-Christian religion or New Age belief.
Reading Material:
YIP – The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and EternallyBlissfulYoga Super Magazine.
YOG – Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar and Yoga Journal.
Age Limit:
YIP– 21 through 32
YOG– Other then above
Special Note: Yips can morph into YogaDawgs after the age of thirty-two. Though not considered as hip as a Yip, YogaDawgs are still quite respected in the Yip community.
Special Note 2: YogaDawgs will continue to maintain this designation and respect from the Yip community as long as they refrain from any of the following:
1. Moves to the suburbs
2. Works in an office
3. Works as an accountant, engineer, programmer or salesperson
4. Lives with a partner that does one of the above
Now that you know how to spot and become a YIP versus a YOG, let’s explore the types of Yoga students that you will no doubt meet in your Yoga journey.
Now that you are familiar with the YIP and the YOG, let's explore other student types.
The Spoiler
The Poser
The $1,000 Classer
The Eye
The Old Fart
The Matriarch
The Really, Really Old Fart
The Shirtless One
Stinky
The Rat Pack
Read more about Yoga students in the eBook
Yoga Students
You Got the Laughs
Now
Get the eBook 
Available Here
What would Buddha wear?
Check out the YogaDawg website...it's hilarious! - Linda's Yoga Journey
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OMG that is the funniest thing I have read for EVER! I might need to do some yogic breathing just to get over the hysterical laughter! - Just Breathe
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