The documentary Enlighten Up! takes a whimsical, skeptical, and ultimately thoughtful look at the mysteries of yoga. Taking an approach similar to Supersize Me, filmmaker (and student of yoga) Kate Churchill wants to see what happens when someone is first exposed to this physical and spiritual discipline. She chooses Nick Rosen, a former journalist with a skeptical attitude towards religion. Their investigation–which gradually turns combative, forcing Churchill to re-examine he Read more…
March 8th, 2010 on 11:54 pm
This review is from: Enlighten Up [Theatrical Release] (Theatrical Release)
“Enlighten Up” Into the World of Yoga Amos Lassen Yoga can transform anyone is what director Kate Churchill shows us in her new film, “Enlighten Up”. She, herself, is a dedicated Yoga practitioner and is out to prove to us that she is correct. Her plan is simple–find a subject, give him an immersion course in Yoga until he finds an aspect that changes him. She selects Nick Rosen as her guinea pig. Nick is a 29 year old New York journalist who is skeptical of the experiment. However, Nick is aware of the opportunity he has to take a look at the 5.7 billion dollar industry that promotes Yoga and even before he can agree to take part, he finds himself in the middle of a Yoga session and agrees to go with the experiment for six months. In his first class he meets a gentle Brazilian teacher, some true believers, some “kooks” and some celebrities. Nick finds that the more he investigates, he more he learns; he finds contradictions and he comes to the conclusion that Yoga is nothing more than a workout. He then begins to look for concrete facts as he throws off the spiritualism of the practice and he leaves what Kate had planned for him to discover. Kate manages to get him to India and he is at odds with Kate’s expectations. The two continue traveling all over the world and talking to mystics, gurus, some more “kooks” as they search of the true meaning of Yoga. They don’t really find the answers they seek but find much more. The film is really about two people looking for and finding happiness. Each had to let go of whatever expectations he had and be as truthful as possible and it turns out that Nick was the best teacher that Kate had ever had. This is an amazing and heartwarming little feeling that will keep you smiling long after you see it.
March 9th, 2010 on 7:46 am
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For some reason, I feel like I should start with the conclusions: He does not achieve enlightenment. He does not experience any great philosophical realizations. He does not become a great yogi. He does not become a lifelong yoga practitioner. I do think Yoga changed his life, but I am not sure if he would agree with me. Kate is a documentary filmmaker. She picks Nick, an out of work journalist as her subject. The purpose is to follow Nick as he explores the world of Yoga. Nick starts out visiting several yoga studios in NYC. He spends time with Gannon and Life of Jivamukti. He travels to Santa Monica, where he works out with DDP (Diamond Dallas Page), the former professional wrestler who created YRG (Yoga for Regular Guys). He goes to India where he meets BKS Iyengar and the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois. He goes on to meet several Indian Yogis & Guruswho are NOT into the physical yoga, but more into the spiritual(such as devotion – Bhakti) aspects of the practice. He asks a lot of questions and listens to the answers. I do not think he’s always satisfied with the answers he gets. He returns home. I must admit that I was prepared to like this film before I saw it. I liked the interviews with Iyengar, Jois, Page, and all of the other Yogis in the film. I would have been very happy just to have seen that. I enjoyed the film very much. One of the things that made it interesting was the interplay between Kate and Nick. There are some serious differences between them. Nick is looking for proof. Kate’s standards are different. I think she’s looking for something more ’serious,’ more overtly spiritual. At first, Nick is looking for something quantifiable, but then as his inquiry takes on deeper dimensions, it becomes somewhat ineffable. I’m not sure if he ever really knows exactly what he’s looking for, but somehow I think he’d know it when he finds it. This is not as much a ‘re-search’ film as a ‘they-search’ film. Nick and Kate are searching for something that is very difficult to define. Somewhere in the process they begin to realize that as they learn more, their definition of what they are searching for is changing, and it is going in somewhat different directions. In a more scientific paradigm, a project like this was doomed to failure – the researchers aren’t even sure of what they are looking for. In a more humanistic view, the project could not help but succeed – They wanted to record a human experiencing growth and change. They wanted to record the process honestly. They were searching for a Yoga that was a vehicle for change, and they found it. They change was not what they expected, but it was nonetheless genuine. Kate deserves a lot of credit. She shows everything. She does not hold back when this becomes frustrating, and she follows the project even when it starts to go out of control. Her honesty and courage really gave this project meaning. Nick also deserves a lot of credit. He follows his quest where it takes him, and he is willing to put up with a lot of stuff, both physically and emotionally, to find a truth he can barely define; one that he freely admits he may not understand. I love yoga. I teach yoga. I showed this to some of my friends who are also into yoga. Some liked it and some didn’t. Most liked the interviews – patricularly with Jois and Iyengar. Even if you don’t like yoga, this is a fascinating film. I gave this a four – as opposed to a five, for two reasons. One, Since Kate was a part of this film, I would liked to have seen more of the discussion between her and Nick on film. She clearly is a major part of the inquiry. I would like to have heard her voicing her opinion more, and discussing what Yoga means to her – Perhaps not with Nick – I think she did not want to influence his inquiry, but just to understand her better. The second is more material – because I would really liked to have had some more ‘extras.’ In particular, more of interviews with many of the Yogis and teachers shown. Some of the little pieces of Yee, Gannon and Life, etc., are really fascinating. I would have really loved to have seen more. Still, this is a fascinating film, and if you like yoga, travel films, or just interesting movies about real people, this is a great film.