On the face of it, these two may not have that much in common. Look closer.
In Hip Hop, authenticity trumps all. If somebody or something is not “keepin’ it real,” then it will be called out and exposed. In Bikram yoga the practitioner has no choice but to look in the mirror and see the truth as it is on any given day. If a student is not being real about where he or she is at, that student is in for a rude awakening.
Both Yoga and Hip Hop consist of multiple elements; however both are commonly (and mistakenly) associated with just one. For Hip Hop (consisting of 9 elements), it’s rapping. For yoga (consisting of 8 limbs), it’s asana.
The 9 Elements of Hip Hop
Break dancing
Rapping
Graffiti art
DJing
Beatboxing
Street fashion
Street Language
Street Knowledge
Street Entrepreneurialism
The 8 Limbs of Yoga
Yamas
Niyama
Asana
Pranayama
Pratyahara
Dharana
Dhyana
Samadhi
The yoga and Hip Hop cultures are both pervasive, heavily misunderstood and often mischaracterized. (Yes, and misappropriated;)
For me, Yoga and Hip Hop are intricately intertwined in who I am. I know I’m a white kid from the Philly area. But why should that exclude me from one or the other (or both) being important to my identity?
It’s frustrating how generic American culture can be — how everyone must fit in a box. Even those who do not fit, fit into the “misfits” or those “outside the box.”
People are complex.
What seemingly contradictory cultures make you who you are?
“If you don’t know, now you know.”