The 10 things you will do once you start writing for yoga blogs (that have nothing to do with yoga)
Published on June 5, 2012 by recoveringyogi
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By Lee Anne Finfinger
- You will post your “published” — and I use the term loosely — piece to Facebook in a casual sort of, “Hey, check this out if you get a second” kind of way, and pretend that you don’t care if anyone reads it.
- You will care IMMENSELY that people are reading it. You will be thrilled as you see that it’s updated to Popular Lately. Maybe this writing thing will work out. I mean you have written a lazy piece on a yoga blog that people can read for free and you have successfully combined it with an odd royalty-free photo of a fashion model in a provocative pose that looks like poor yoga alignment. You really seem to get this “funny” writing thing. Go you!
- Email it to your friends and family. After all, many of them aren’t on any form of social media! Send them the link. They’ll love it! I mean most of them are still waiting for you to pass through your yoga phase, but come on – this writing transcends any knowledge about what yoga is. This is funny shit!
- (45 comments.) Oh wow! Scroll down a little… scroll back up, scroll back up! God help you when you start to see the comments. Oh the comments! People hate you. It’s all about you. You have pissed them off talking about your experience in the second person. Why do you do that? You should have just kept those thoughts to yourself. You’re not being yogic, right? Right?
- Continue to notice the comment count but don’t ever dip into the self-loathing pool that would be actually reading the comments because as they say you are shallow and don’t really understand yoga at all. Shit! Do you not understand yoga? Who is the official authority on yoga? Make a mental note to check on that as soon as you see if the number of people who’ve read your piece has gone up!
- Congratulate yourself as the number grows – you’ve really touched a nerve here! Maybe you can parlay this into an entire blog? People do that! They write blogs that become book that become movies. You will write a book. A funny book – who knew! You better start clearing time in your schedule to write this book.
Hate your piece. As weeks and months pass and you have not written a funny book or even another funny sentence, your blog post will stand as a digital reminder of how much of a hack you are. A top ten list – really? That was the best you could do? Your blog writing is the equivalent of an awkward family photo that no one will take down and everyone will continue to tell you in person and in email how much they love your perm. Or worse yet, people you know have read it will say nothing and smile tight-lipped at you when it’s mentioned. Make a mental note of the people who say nothing to you about your writing. I mean, it’s not like they’re busy and didn’t see it.- Swear off blog writing — and for that matter, all writing — forever. Decide that it’s beneath you. You can throw yourself into something else. Meditation? Nope. How about baking? You can bake things that are vegan and gluten-free and sugar-free (because now sugar is also toxic), and you will surprise everyone with your sensitivity. You used to make fun of it. Now you dehydrate lumps of dried fruits and nuts into gifted “cookies.” (Continue to bake full-fat, full-sugar goods for yourself. You are gifting others these thoughtful cookies but you can’t be expected to eat them yourself.)
- Get to your fucking yoga mat. Face it. Thanks to your new hobby, you are now eating like an American with a Walmart Gold card. If you don’t get to yoga (soon! and often!), you’ll have to pretend to enjoy running again. Swear to start a less physical practice after summer is over.
- Dip a cautious toe back into writing something again that you actually let another person read. What’s the worst that can happen?
About Lee Anne Finfinger
Lee Anne (LA) Finfinger is a full-time Yoga Instructor, born and bred Pittsburgher. She and her husband live with their rescued cat, Harmony. When she’s not in a studio, LA can be found baking, traveling, hanging with family and friends, mentoring in the community (yeah that looks like B.S, but it’s not!), reading, writing and knitting. She can be found at: www.lafinfinger.com
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20 Comments !
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Erica Schmidt says:
Oh No! This is so true. The week after I publish a yoga blog is a total write-off. That would be this past week. Now I am on the said top-ten list. So humbly, I have announced this on facebook, and so humbly, I wait, watching as the thumbs ups accumulate. I hope that your post gets piles of likes, and I hope that your triumph never ever wears off. All the best, Erica.
LA Finfinger says:
Erica – I’ll check out your piece! Yeah – it’s a bizarre experience for sure. Nice to know that many of us feel vulnerable after writing and sharing it with the yoga “community”!
Brad Yantzer says:
To funny and true. Identification. Shows a hell of alot if there is actual yoga being lived or is it just an ego practice formed around asana or exercise.
Problem with all of these blogs is that anyone can write anything, most are uneducated and unexperienced. Lots of yoga stuff that doesn’t have much to do with a yoga path. But that is okay when they are more concerned about looking good than an actual path.
LA Finfinger says:
Hi Brad – thanks for reading this! I do LOVE that anyone can write anything. It’s been said by others elsewhere but I have to agree that I think the problem comes when any of us try and win the internet in comment battles… that never works.
Matthew says:
Yep. The volume of hate mail I got after one of my pieces led me to never, ever want to write again. Not because I took it personally, but because I didn’t like upsetting people. Now, basically, I love upsetting people. Growth.
Nice and true piece, L.A.
LA Finfinger says:
Matthew, it’s quite surprising the amount of hate mail that we can garner with our opinions… can’t imagine how much hate mail “real” opinion writers garner! Thanks for reading.
Louie says:
I will now write a piece for this blog, which will satirize those who mock those who write pieces for yoga blogs, whose purpose is to make fun of people who do yoga for all the wrong reasons. Nevertheless, the points you made have a lot of truth that stings.
LA Finfinger says:
Louie – Yep that pretty much sums it up – and thanks!
whitney says:
This is an awesome piece of writing, LA! Loved it.
LA Finfinger says:
Thank you Whitney!
Laura says:
oh yes, i have come across countless yoga blogs that don’t actually talk much about yoga. You get a couple of yoga-related posts, then it’s cats, dogs, bunnies, gardening, baking, painting, diets, relationships with partners, family members, friends, co-workers etc.
Well, just call it “my blog”, and share your scattered thoughts on everything and everyone.
Susan says:
Laura, you forgot sex!
Csroline says:
Great piece, LA! And so true about any writer … oh, the games we play with ourselves! This piece made me laugh out loud. Thanks for making me smile this morning!
Caroline says:
And I was so busy laughing that I spelled my name wrong the first time …
Roxy says:
I usually enjoy coming to this website. I don’t get a chance to visit it with any regularity, which means there is plenty to catch up on when I do get some time. Overall the experience is good one with some thoughtful essays and very funny observations about yoga, those who love/hate it, and lots of things associated with it that never occurred to me.
However, as of late it seems like the well has run dry and there is a trend away from yoga topics with a move, (perhaps intentionally), towards more general stuff. Of course things evolve but the whole reason I like coming here is for the yoga connection. At least you qualified your blog title as having nothing to do with yoga so you get props for being up front about it. But some of the other blog writers as of late – dunno what the yoga connection is supposed to be. Its like they mention the word “yoga” early on and then take a 90 degree turn into something else.
I think I’ll take a break and come back in a few months to see where it all is. After all, maybe it is because the authors here are branching out that it is getting more popular. I suppose that there is only so much mileage to be had out of talking about yoga.
But ,speaking in general, also consider this idea – if one is supposed to be writing on a topic and nothing is coming then one should not cheapen it all by making token, obligatory references to the topic when he/she really is writing about something else. And, as I said, props to you for making that apparent in your total. Now if you could just get some of your colleagues to do the same….
Joslyn Hamilton says:
Hi Roxy
Thanks for your feedback about Recovering Yogi. As one of its founders and editors, I appreciate the chance to point out that—contrary to what you might assume from our flippant name— Recovering Yogi is not and was never intended to be all about yoga. From our What We’re About page: “As the counterculture to the pop spirituality trend, our mission is to provide a forum for those who are bored with vacuous yoga culture and trite spiritual talk.” And from our submissions page: “Our favorite submissions embody the spirit of Recovering Yogi because they are neither an indictment of who you are right now, nor a false celebration. They are creative, colorful, and honest without telling people how to live. They are not always about yoga.” We’ve done a loooooot of stories about yoga since we launched a year and a half ago, and now we are openly courting stories that are specifically NOT about yoga, but about a greater scope of questioning spiritual dogma. That said, if you in particular only enjoy the yoga stories, there will always be those. Cheers.
Roxy says:
Thanks Joslyn, I didn’t expect a reply but it is much appreciated. And also thanks for the perspective presented in your “about” page that documents a more general intent. Frankly, I never read that. You know how it is – you do some googling one day on a topic and wind up at a blog, which is precisely how I got here (using “yoga instructors” as a search term).
So perhaps I brought some expectations here without taking some time to fully check out the site. Your meta tags in the HMTL header do contain a lot of references to “yoga” as well as some other things of course so it does make sense that a yoga related search might indicate your site. My point is that don’t be surprised if others come here thinking as I did, that it was primarily a yoga blog since, from a technical point of view thats what Google seems to think you are. But that’s cool. There is plenty to read here and I’ve also noticed a fair number of other blogs and sites that explore the humorous, sometimes unintentional, side of yoga. Guess people are taking a different look at things.
Roxy says:
Sorry, meant to say that it was the search term “crazy yoga instructors” that led me to your site. Obviously I was having a bad yoga day when I typed that in ! It led me to the hilarious “Yoga Teachers are Psychos” blog here on your site.
JJ says:
So sorry but this writing is just BORING
kk says:
This is just about the best article I’ve read. LOVE IT. WHat is better than starting off a monday laughing your ass off??? NOTHING! Thanks!!!