Practicing Pause, Patience, and Presence with Kemetic Yoga
This African style of yoga can help us heal from hustle culture
There are many lineages of yoga and many practices that serve the same purpose: mindful movement for balancing energy centers in the physical and spiritual body. When it comes to healing from hustle culture, I believe that the lineage of Kemetic Yoga is uniquely positioned to help us do that.
What is Kemetic Yoga?
Kemetic Yoga was developed in Chicago in the 1970’s by Yirsir Ra Hotep and his teacher Dr. Asar Hapi. The practice is informed by Kemetic (ancient Egyptian) spirituality and philosophy, some aspects of Hatha Yoga, and Tai Chi.
There are sequences and postures that are unique to Kemetic Yoga and cannot be found in other lineages of the practice. Other postures are practiced slightly differently and are named according to the ancient Kemetic language.
A distinct feature of the practice is the pace. While many people think of all yoga as “gentle,” in reality that is not always the case. Most of the yoga that people practice in Western countries is quite a rigorous exercise. Full expressions of postures are emphasized. I believe that this is in part due to the outcome-focused drive that capitalism and hustle culture promote. Yes, it has infiltrated yoga as well. Of course it has!
The pace of Kemetic Yoga is very slow. I like to describe the movements like you’re “moving through honey.” This requires a focus and skill that have been eroded by hustle culture. This is why I believe this particular lineage of yoga can be especially useful to us as we resist hustle culture, heal from burnout, and build new relationships to work and with each other.
Healing from Hustle Culture with Kemetic Yoga
Pause
Taking time out for any meditative movement or meditation allows us to pause and reflect, check in with ourselves, and perceive ourselves. Hustle culture keeps our focus very external. As a result, we are often unaware of what is going on with us physiologically, spiritually, and emotionally.
On a deeper level, the breathing method of Kemetic Yoga is called “Rule of 4 Breathing.” In that method, there is a pause at the top of every inhale and at the end of every exhale. Kemetic yoga sequences deliberately incorporate these pauses into each sequence. This can be challenging, but it creates a rhythm of regular pauses in the practice that can support our habit of pausing throughout anything that we do.
Patience
Hustle culture demands results. Fast. Produce everything faster, not only in your work but also in your life. Relationships, projects, cultural change — everything needs to happen fast. Most of us, including myself, struggle with patience.
The slow movement of Kemetic Yoga can be very challenging for this very reason. Many lineages of yoga move much faster but are presented as something slow because they are slow in comparison to other forms of exercise. The slow pace was the most challenging aspect of Kemetic Yoga for me starting out, but it was also my medicine.
Presence
It may sound simple, but placing our awareness in the present moment is quite challenging in a society that wants our focus on the future. If we’re thinking about the future, about results, and about the outcome of everything, hustle culture can take advantage of that to extract our labor.
Like everything else, being present takes practice, and the slow pace of Kemetic Yoga invites us to be present in a really beautiful way. Practicing this skill during yoga sequences can help us apply it in our day-to-day lives as well. Many lineages of yoga include ways to practice this skill. However, from my experience, many move too fast, which limits our chances to practice.
Other Helpful Lineages
Kemetic Yoga is definitely not the only way to achieve these things. In the history of humanity, we have discovered an abundance of ways to cultivate pause, patience, and presence. I write about and teach Kemetic Yoga because it has been impactful to me, and it is the only lineage of yoga I am formally trained in and mentored in. From my experience as a practitioner, there are two other lineages of yoga that I think are especially helpful in preventing and recovering from burnout and resisting hustle culture.
Yin Yoga
The practice of Yin yoga includes a series of long-held (5 — 10 minutes each) passive floor poses that mainly work the lower part of the body. This practice is incredibly powerful for restoration and relaxation, which is also greatly needed during burnout recovery.
Yoga Nidra
In yoga nidra, also known as sleep yoga, the practitioner lies in a comfortable position, often supported by many props. The goal is to move into a deep state of conscious awareness and sleep. This means moving in and out of different states of consciousness, including wakeful dreaming. Kemetic Yoga actually includes a very similar practice called “RSWT QWED,” which translates to “dreaming while awake.” Moving through different states of consciousness alleviates many ailments that result from emotional and physical trauma. The chronic stress caused by participating in hustle culture can be alleviated with this practice.
Curious?
I can show you better than I can tell you. If you are curious about Kemetic Yoga and want to experience it for yourself, you can join me for a FREE virtual event on November 4th from 1pm — 2pm CST. Even if you can’t make the event, you’ll still receive access to the recording. I hope to see you there. Reserve your spot.
