I hope not. I have met many yogis and yoginis and I have to say I haven't encountered many yoga fundamentalists.
A fundamentalist according to the dictionary is someone that "has rigid adherence to principles or points of view, and often by intolerance of others views." Like many things in Yoga, it is all about the balance and usually it seems like walking the razor's edge.
There is a difference when you are passionate about the style you practice and have the desire to share those wonderful benefits with others and pushing people to do what you do or criticize what they do or believe.
Yoga Sanga has given me the opportunity to meet fascinating yogis and yoginis and ask them questions to portrait who they are and their yoga experience. The maturity of the yoga community is amazing especially in those who have been practicing in and out the mat for a while.
Nevertheless, I once met a yogi that told me " It is so sad what is happening in the US related to Yoga... no one teaches the spiritual path any more and that is why our school is the best of all..." I respectfully disagree and told him that though not everyone is looking for the spiritual part that yoga offers, I have found many schools of yoga that train teachers and guide students to look beyond the asanas in order to have a better understanding of what yoga is about.
With all that, the question remains, what is the balance between your passion and disregarding other styles just because they are not for you?
Here are some points that I have been pondering on to answer that question:
a) It is OK to introduce yourself to a new group or in a job interview and explain what style of yoga do you practice and what is it that you find valuable in that style.
b) Your students and people around you don't need a label to sense if you live what you practice, your interaction with them will motivate them to go deeper into their practice or find another teacher that will offer a better understanding of yoga.
c)Usually the practice changes and evolves depending on the age, the life challenges that people face, etc. At some point students will find peace chasing those arm balances that might not become a reality into their bodies and decide to look deeper into meditation, pranayama and the others limbs of yoga.
At the end, what is really importance is to understand that the practice of yoga or any other spiritual path, should open our hearts to compassion, and to perceive the interconnectedness of life.
Unless you have really immerse yourself in a style of yoga, you shouldn't judge it.
Live your own style and understand that there might be something for everyone in those other different styles.
Tell us how have you handled a situation involving a fundamentalist.
