I
am writing with a passionate purpose to provide a raw, honest and insightful
critique to a movie I recently saw called, Enlighten UP! This
movie’s aim is to turn people off from exploring the journey of going within,
and refrain from using well documented and effective tools, such as yoga and
meditation.
For
those already using yoga in their daily lives, they not need to see the film.
For those even slightly interested in exploring the reasons why yoga is
effective for finding internal peace, this movie will give you such a negative
glance at “spirituality” (as they call it) that afterwards you won’t want to
step foot in a yoga studio. In order words, if you’re on the fence about
deciding whether or not to have faith in making personal transformation toward
greater overall health, this movie will convince you that there’s no such thing
as a path or way to achieve happiness. How depressing is that?!
This
movie is designed to help those who don’t dedicate their lives to seeking their
own personal truths feel more secure and OK with the lack of participation in
the human spirit liberation movement. It gives examples, case studies, and interviews to somehow make an argument that contentment is located far outside
yourself. You walk away more confused about spirituality than when
you started watching the film.
If
you haven’t noticed, I don’t have positive evidence to convince you that this
movie is helping humanity evolve in a higher direction of peace and love. The
movie’s highly superficial representation of yoga, and the way in which the
practice impacts the lives of millions, is dishonorable and (my personal
passionate feeling) intolerable.
My
anger toward the spiritless direction of this story is the emotional layer on
top of the sadness. I find the downtrodden message of “there’s no calculable
evidence that proves a self-nurturing practice, like yoga, leads to greater
levels of overall happiness” is so pathetically unrealistic, or as my friend Coco Dave would say, "We're constantly given misinformation". What’s
even more sad is this movie has emerged during a critical time on the planet
when humans are needing empowering solutions, alternative choices, comfort,
encouragement and tools to go within so they can escape the rat race of
capitalism.
It
seems like the fear vibration of the movie surfaces around the self-hate notion
of “I am going to resist slowing down, closing my eyes, tuning into how I feel-
(without my eyes), ask myself how I am doing…”—all for what? To continue to
share disempowering messages with you:
keep up with what that person is doing over there because I care more
about what that person thinks that I do about my own personal happiness. Fear,
fear, fear and blah, blah, blah!
Yoga
helps eradicate the obsessive nature to fixate on the external world as reason
to not believe in the safety and sacredness of the self. Yoga is simply feeling
the body and doing a physical moving practice using the breath and body in such
a way that feels liberating for the individual. And moving the body is one
method to express creativity, which is in all of us and needs a platform
to release.
This
movie is probably the best excuse in the world for me to dedicate my time to
sharing the “ah ha” moments of life, both through movie and music. Because YES
there are tools to help calm the mind and focus on peace. YES there are ways to
physically open the heart to feel a natural sensation of euphoria. YES there is
a way to explain the benefits of yoga by shinning the light of truth. YES the
spiritual journey is a rewarding one, and it is not too hard to explain
enlightenment.
All
of if can be taught, and thus all of it can be learned. What it boils down to
is the category of readiness of the person. I see that there are three levels:
1) You’re ready and willing to try anything to see the results and have the
experience 2) You’re interested, so you start asking questions of how to begin
the journey 3) You are a skeptical (the film maker and guinea pig) and are not interested. These types of people are the ones that do for the wrong reasons-
trying to please someone outside you, a virtue trap or doing it purely for monetary reward.
In
the case of the movie, Enlighten UP! Nick Rosen- the chosen subject to be a “guinea pig”
for the different modes to increase awareness had a negative attitude from the
start, and it was obvious he had no conscious, heart-driven desire to learn.
Motivated to make money and through the virtue trap of, “I gotta finish what
I’ve started” the movie drags on and the low moments get lower as one sinks in
a pool of hopelessness.
So,
unless you’re wanting confirmation to not have faith that life is a fulfilling
process of getting to know yourself, your connection to your body, others and
the planet, than this movie will leave you disturbed.
Nick Rosen, the
main character, is a tragic and classic example of how yoga in the mainstream
representation is poorly misunderstood, displayed as esoteric and under
represented. Now, more than ever
yoga is a practice to be regarded with great respect because it is a highly
relevant practice to further human evolution/enlightment .
I
know my purpose for watching this film was to figure out what not to do for a
documentary regarding consciousness raising. I am going to create a very easy
to understand and practical movie that explores teaching the individual to
realize it’s own glory, beauty and purpose on the planet. Because we’re all
needing that download more than anything.
Say
Good-bye to denial and hello to empowering information!
