Wearing a turban comes along with a lot of connotations. Regarding to place, culture and tradition one was born into, these connotations may completely vary. Specially in the context of the post-pandemic, media driven discussion about cultural appropriation, it takes less than wearing a turban to be framed or cancelled for. All of that is not relevant, the only one truth that matters is the one within.
SCARED OFF BY THE TURBAN AT FIRST
I want to be honest: One of the things that first scared me off about Kundalini Yoga was wearing a turban. One thousand preconceptions squatted my mind, when I ran into a Western person wearing a turban. It felt foreign and strange to me in the past, I would not feel authentic to myself if I was wearing one.
When I first got in touch with Kundalini Yoga in 2011, I just had finished my Teacher Training as a Hatha Yogini in India. But after temperatures in Rishikesh reached over 35 degrees I fled to Dharamsala, where I fell in love with the classes of turban wearing Viriam Kaur, an English Kundalini Yoga Teacher, so I decided to practice with her on a daily basis. Although I really enjoyed her classes, I still remember how I secretly swore to myself, that I would never wear a turban as a yoga teacher. Well, I guess: never say never. :0
Back than I hadn't realised that I felt triggered by people wearing a turban because I secretly envied them. They “dared” to express their truth with a devotion to an extent that I was not able to at that time of my life. But even more striking: They already had reached the point of not identifying with what others would say about them.
THE TURBAN BRINGS PROTECTION AND STABILITY
During my first Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training I learned more about head coverings and how a turban in particular can contain the energy created during practice. The several layers of cloths around the head bring support and stability to the constant cranial movement of the skull and therefore affect the neurological system and the magnetic field.
So during one of the module of my Teacher Training I asked my Guru to tie me a turban. To my surprise I felt quite a difference while wearing it during practice. There was a sensation of protection and increased concentration. Since then I started to wear a turban once in a while, but I would lie to claim I was rushing to wear one on a regular base.
What is quite striking to me though, is the sensation of feeling naked around the head when I choose not to cover my head during practice - specially in summer when it is really hot. I still don't wear a turban every day, but I do like to cover my head or to tie my hair together when I practice and teach. And whenever I feel like I need “to keep my head together” I shield myself with a turban. :)
If you need some extra support around your head as well, I can warmly recommend to play with head coverings and to observe what it does to you. Do you feel natural with it? What is your experience?
REMARK ABOUT CULTURAL APPROPRIATION AS SUCH
As a former student of media science and as someone who has worked in TV and film productions for more than 20 years, I've always been very sceptical about any content that is made by the mass media. Too many times during my work in the media business I have experienced how the so called "truth" has been bended in order to meet someone's interest. With the rise of censorship in recent years, the worrying tendencies have become rather kafkaesque.
But this topic is a story for itself. One I am thinking of writing about in a more comprehensive way.
So for now, I am just gonna quote one of my favourite writers:
"Truth is indivisible, hence it cannot recognize itself; anyone who wants to recognize it has to be a lie."
Franz Kafka
Do you wear a head covering while practicing or would you want to try? If you don't, have you figured out why? I would love to read your thoughts about this topic in a personal message or in a comment. I'll send one back. This is the truth. :-) Sat Nam.
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