Watching this yoga documentary mirrored how I feel about taking weekly classes: The ancient Eastern tradition is demonstrably beneficial for both mind and body, but its execution can be so boring and its teachers so painfully earnest.
No adage about personal discovery is left unuttered as Annette Bening narrates a feel-good tour through the history and current state of yoga, which for many years was men’s-only until a few pioneering ladies dared to insist they be included.
Today, the vast majority of US practitioners are women, and their reasons widely varied: “Yogawoman” directors Saraswati Clere and Kate Clere McIntyre examine its effect on disease, obesity, depression and sexual and reproductive health, as well as its more well-known reputation for helping adherents find a little peace of mind in today’s increasingly frenetic world.
They also examine yoga’s reach across the globe, following one group of California teachers working with HIV-positive women in Uganda and a Kenyan teacher helping poor children learn to downward-dog. For an activity largely associated with the already healthy and wealthy, this is a welcome change of perspective.