Do Good, Be Poor

Why is it that if you are doing good work that helps other people, you aren't supposed to be paid well, if at all?

In a society that equates earning power with prestige, where money is regarded not only as the goal but the grail, it seems ironic--as well as unfair--that men and women who are engaged in work that nurtures the body, mind, and spirit are often looked upon with disdain if they profit from their efforts.

An ironic instance of this puzzling paradox came up recently as part of the internecine conflicts within the yoga community, a fascinating world with its own intrigues, divisions, power struggles, guru rivalries, and gossip--all of which flourish in a spiritual context as abundantly as in any corporate, academic, or political scene. The yoga practiced in this country is primarily hatha yoga, the yoga of the body, yet by its very nature, it is a form of moving meditation. Some teachers, however, give it a more overtly spiritual context, by chanting Om's before and after class, using incense and candles, and concluding with folded hands, a bow of respect between teacher and students, and the Sanskrit word namaste, meaning "I honor the light within you."

Upsetting the balance and serenity that yoga strives to create, one yoga teacher recently charged that another, who teaches the form the first pioneered, is "only money making." Eighty-five-year-old Pattabhi Jois, a star of the current yoga firmament, expressed his displeasure in a recent New Yorker article ("The Yoga Bums," by Rebecca Mead, 8/14/00). Mead reports that Jois dislikes "other people making money from his system," and has a "particular animus" against Beryl Bender Burch.

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