Raw, adjective: 2. not having undergone processes of preparing, dressing, finishing, refining, or manufacture

I've fallen a little bit in love with Shambhala Sun. Infatuated, really. And have been digging through their archives eating up everything I can. They've got an excellent little section devoted to essays on yoga and Buddhism. Go there for a number of good pieces on marrying the two.

I'd especially recommend this piece by Anne Cushman: "Yoga Chic and the First Noble Truth." It's a smart reflection from a long-time practitioner on the current trendiness of yoga versus its true nature as a challenging practice and an embodied meditation. There's nothing quite so annoying as the people who splash out on overpriced yoga gear at Lululemon thinking that carrying a pretty mat and looking hot in spandex is what yoga is all about. Cushman does a nice job of illustrating the ways in which a serious yoga practice is not about being lean or lithe or cute in a sports bra, but about dirt and grit and sweat and breath and being and learning and getting on the mat when you least feel like it or when your kid is biting your ankles or your smoke alarm is going off.

Spend a few minutes browsing. The piece by Mark Epstein is good, too.

(And that's Marin-based teacher Sarah Powers in that beautiful photo of Natarajasana)

Yoga and Buddhism
Yoga Chic and the First Noble Truth