Acknowledging the Rockstar Yogi Within.
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I remember the first time I heard the term Rockstar Yogi, and I wondered, What is this? Who is this?
The handstands, the festivals, the money, the fame — my ego awoke, and thought, I want this. I did everything in my power to be seen, to stand out from the crowd, to try and make famous friends; I was doing it all, and was pretty good at it.
I soon started to question myself and my motives. Why am I doing this? How is this fulfilling me? This is my practice and my connection to the Divine within, why do I need to be praised for it? Why do I need to be famous for it?
Sitting quietly at a Yoga class before it started, observing this teacher showing off her handstands and abilities, something didn’t feel right to me. Her practice seemed to center around ego. I later learned that this teacher considers herself and calls herself a Rockstar Yogi.
It saddens me seeing Yoga right now — the perception, the hierarchy, where only the ones with money can access it. Yoga is for all of us, for all our bodies, we shouldn’t be shamed or put down because we are beginners or have a different body type or can’t afford it. We need to come back to this union of body, mind, and spirit.
We need to let go of this ego-controlled practice. So we can come back to our inner self, to realize your true self, and your authentic self, breathing from this space, allowing it to be a moving meditation, a connection to the Sacred within.
By doing this, I started to trust myself, to believe in myself, and to stand in my power and truth. Simply by being the inner observer. I struggled most of my life with self-worth and the lack of confidence within me to carve out my own path.
This practice saved my life by teaching me to see myself and to really love myself for all of me, learning not to second-guess myself but instead teach myself to trust my intuition. For this, I am beyond grateful, and indebted to Yoga as it helped me find Me.
It continues to teach me to be the inner observer. Last year, I was suddenly diagnosed with glaucoma. All of a sudden, I lost one eye and half of the other. When I first became aware of this, all I wanted to do is react, but I remembered my practice, which had me observing and trusting so I would not give up.
As a stem cell treatment became available in Thailand, I remembered my Yoga and trusted it. Even when having spinal taps, and being bandaged off for days, I still tapped into my practice and chanted, to take me through this and to continue to be the inner observer.
The deeper I dive into my Yoga and my truth, the clearer Yoga becomes.
Yoga is a deep spiritual practice, connecting to the authentic self within. It is observing, listening, feeling, and allowing a moving meditation of pure devotion (bhakti). For me, this practice permits me to go inside and see what serves me and what no longer does. With each breath it gives me the power to clear anything no longer serving me well, and creates space to manifest what’s important and what I aspire for.
I am really starting to see Me, be comfortable with Me, and realizing that it is all within Me. I love myself from the inside, and don’t need to look for fame or acceptance from others.
Because within me, I am a Rockstar Yogi, and now I can see.
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Born in South Africa and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Kevin Naidoo has completed over 1000 hours of formal training in Hatha, Vinyasa, Vinyasa Krama, Yoga Nidra and Ashtanga. His job as a traveling Yoga teacher nourishes his spirit while supporting his endeavor to spread a message of oneness. Kevin firmly believes this practice of discipline and grace is for everyone in our modern world, and his adventures have taken him trekking across Africa, bathing in the Ganges, living on remote islands, and hitchhiking his way through more than 50 countries.
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