Whatever happened to centrism? In recent decades the Western world’s most powerful nations seemed to have gently swung between centre left and centre right. Changes of government occurred peacefully, without fanfare, lulling us all into a deep sense of relative security that, whatever happened at the ballot box, life in the first world would continue largely uninterrupted and unruffled by the winds of change.
But the past few years have taught us differently. Extremism has always swirled on the fringes of politics and Western society but, along with the existential threat of climate change, it now howls at the door like extreme weather events threatening to destroy communities and tear families apart.
Even while a global pandemic was still forming over the South China Sea, the flames of political discontent and social divide were already being fanned by social media around the world, and within months the two fronts collided to form a Superstorm unparalleled and unprecedented in recent history.
How and why is this relevant to a yoga blog you may ask? Because I am devastated that a community of humans historically united by a common philosophical belief system based literally on the word ‘union’ (from the Sanskrit to yoke) has also become divided.
Yoga evolved from the Indian sub-continent over thousands of years and is a system and a lifestyle founded on practices to promote inner and outer harmony – physically, mentally, and spiritually. Not surprisingly, yogis feel a strong sense of connection to nature and the environment. And we are traditionally powerful advocates for natural healing and what most people would term ‘alternative’ remedies (albeit thousands of years old).
This throws into question the role of modern medicine in the yogic tradition. Most yoga practitioners acknowledge that modern science and medicine have made immeasurable contributions to humanity by improving our quality of life. “However,” to quote the Dalai Lama, “like any instrument, science can be put to good use or bad. It is the motivation of the person wielding the instrument that determines whether it is put to constructive use, or whether the result will be damaging.”
And therein lies the great divide. To clarify my position, I am pro-vaccination. I have a healthy distrust of big pharma and politicians (and there are undoubtedly individuals and corporations who have profiteered from this pandemic), but I believe that the overwhelming majority of scientists, doctors, health organisations and democratically elected moderate politicians around the world are good humans with good intentions, and who are motivated to save lives and livelihoods.
Sadly, a minority of my friends and peers in the yoga community don’t seem to share my confidence in humanity. For their own reasons they have chosen not to get vaccinated, and now anger is growing at the possibility of a health directive precluding them from working and excluding them from non-essential services. In normal circumstances I would totally understand. I am fundamentally pro-choice. But these are not normal circumstances.
Under normal circumstances, this small cohort of traditional ‘anti-vaxxers’ would simply fly under the radar, moving around and circulating within the community, unannounced and unassuming, like those eddies gently swirling on the fringes of society. They may have very strong opinions on vaccination, but they would not need to wear their views on their sleeve and rarely if ever would the subject come up in conversation with friends or colleagues.
Enter QAnon and the rise of conspiracy theorists. Arguably from the opposite end of the political spectrum to most yogis I know, and yet suddenly finding common ground with this traditionally far-left leaning group. From my left-of-centre position it seems blatantly obvious that extreme right-wing organisations have seized an opportunity to further their agenda by infiltrating, manipulating, and enraging this cohort of peaceful, inclusive, community-minded individuals, and now they find themselves literally marching in solidarity with fascists for their ‘human right’ to remain unvaccinated without repercussion. And I fear it is not helping their cause.
When yogis begin sharing content from Pauline Hanson, Clive Palmer and Peta Credlin the natural order of things is seriously out of whack. And when I am called a Nazi sympathiser by a student for voicing my moderate position, for trusting the ABC, the BBC, the Guardian and SBS for my news, and for complying with COVID restrictions imposed on me as a small business owner, it not only offends me, it alarms me. The destabilising rhetoric of unknown extremists is gaining dangerous traction in my own beloved community.
Don’t get me wrong. I sympathise with the pro-choice movement in principle. I don’t believe anyone should be forced to get vaccinated if they strongly oppose it. But at this stage nobody is proposing a vaccine mandate. I question whether a health directive excluding the unvaccinated population from participating in non-essential services is either practical or enforceable, although I disagree that it is discriminatory. According to Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finley, “vaccine mandates do engage human rights issues” but Australians must also think about their “responsibilities and the way your choices affect the rights and choices of others”, including public health.
Quite frankly, at this stage in a global pandemic – and with the Omicron strain now on the march, I cannot comprehend why anyone would choose NOT to get vaccinated. Yoga teaches us that we are all intimately and innately connected, that we are all an integral part of the natural world and that the law of karma means that our choices and actions resonate out into the world around us. The speed with which the virus spread to every corner of the globe has taught us nothing less.
I chose to get vaccinated out of love for my fellow humans, to protect my community and to protect vulnerable communities such as indigenous populations around the world. I acknowledge that the vaccines are imperfect, that vaccine hesitancy is natural, and that research is still advancing. But I respect the noble and dedicated scientists and doctors who have moved mountains to save lives, trust that they have taken every possible precaution to mitigate risks, and accept the commonly held view of epidemiologists around the world that vaccines are the best solution available to protect ourselves and others.
Sadly fear-mongering propaganda from extremist groups, swallowed in good faith and widely shared on social media by some of my peers in the wellbeing community, has sown the seeds of distrust not only in big pharma but also most renowned scientists and doctors and even the World Health Organisation, as well as moderates from all sides of politics. And I’m left astounded and dismayed that some in the yoga community are now prioritising ‘personal freedom’ and ‘body sovereignty’ over a sense of collective responsibility and cooperation.
To me it’s just not yoga.
In the words of the Dalai Lama, “We are social animals, and cooperation is necessary for our survival, but cooperation is entirely based on trust. When there is trust, people are brought together - whole nations are brought together. When you have a more compassionate mind and cultivate warmheartedness, the whole atmosphere around you becomes more positive and friendlier. You see friends everywhere.”
I implore my fellow yogis to lean into trust. Let’s diffuse the rhetoric and temper idealism with reality. Vaccination may not be your first choice, but you can choose compassion and cooperation as your second preference. In life as in politics we may not always get the outcome we desire, but you can make your preference vote count. The more of us that get behind the vaccination program the sooner we will return to a position of relative stability and security from which we can unite once more to overcome the greater existential threat of climate change and the corrosive influence of far-right extremism.
Amanda Zdanowicz, owner & director, SoHo Yoga
Note: As an aside I am happy to confirm that the core SoHo Yoga teaching team are all willingly fully vaccinated.