In the latest yoga news, yoga something-or-the-other (celeb?
model? Or as she calls herself, “rebel”?) Tara Stiles is promoting her new
program for W hotels by cruising around NYC in a glass box on wheels, all the
better for people to gawk at her doing yoga.
Geez. I could say something a lot stronger, but this was the
first thing that came out. As a former member of the beauty and fashion
brigade, I must say that I am glad I got out of NYC. When things like this
happen, I often recall hours on end in L’Oreal meeting rooms taking makeup very
seriously. I can just imagine the marketing hipsters clustered around the W
Hotels conference room table, coming up with this edgy new idea – “Hey! Let’s
put Tara Stiles in a glass box and drive her around while she does yoga for all
to see!” Geez, geez, geez.
This begs the question: what exactly is this promoting? ”Nontraditional”,
“Glamorous” yoga…? (Cue my visual of W Marketing group brainstorming new yoga
frontiers, where no yogi has gone before.) It’s their new “FIT
with Tara Stiles” program, defined as: In
partnership with the industry’s yoga rebel, FIT with Tara Stiles flips the
traditional idea of fitness on its head with a non-traditional approach to
working out while on the road. Comprised of a curated in-room workout video
designed for the needs of the W traveler, in-room tip cards with quick fixes to
get camera-ready in a flash, and an exclusive series of intimate FIT with Tara
Stiles packages available at some of the most glamorous W Retreats around the
world, the program allows guests to polish their body and mindset in a uniquely
W way.
“Camera-ready in a flash”? You mean, for said W guest’s next
yoga selfie? Says W Global Brand Leader: The
W guest has a true ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality and wants to look fabulous
yet have fun while getting fit. Barf. That sentence brings to mind 80’s
aerobics, not yoga.
I may be accused (been there, done that) of yoga
sensationalism – I mean, yoga + horses?? “Cowgirl Yoga”? Geez/WTF! There have
been and will continue to be many purists who scoff at what I do. And no, I
don’t do yoga in cowgirl boots, but it sure made for a fun picture.
Innovation and creativity are part of the process of keeping a business
alive and well. And fun, I might add. And of course yoga itself should be
fun. In a certain sense of the word. But not sure it’s the kind of fun pictured
in the W Hotel’s recent Instagram post, accompanied by the
caption: “Morning yoga with @TaraStiles at @whotelsnyc.” Morning yoga with high heels
and Veuve Clicquot?? I guess you could call that non-traditional, fer sure. Does
a “yoga rebel” drink champagne while doing bridge pose in high heels on a hotel
couch…?
Let’s be honest: this is a fairly
lame attempt to glamorize an in-room yoga offering at a hotel. Which, even at
the W, isn’t very glamorous, IMHO.
Thoughts…? Do tell.
Labels: Yoga
