Scott Sonnon Cull: Who is therma

**therma** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 12:00pm

Seems like you're inferring more than you claim he's insinuating. You stated that he claimed he learned hatha (physical) yoga from her and you're piecing together fragments to support that claim. I see nowhere where he claimed he learned from her physical yoga. Looks like you're really reaching here.

As far as trademarking translated names into English from other languages, I'm pretty sure that's common especially in hatha yoga. Google shows that he's not even the only prasara yoga teacher.

**sambosteve** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 12:17pm

http://www.usadojo.com/articles/scot...hter-yogi.html

http://www.rmaxinternational.com/flowcoach/?p=568

In this 2009 article Sonnon claims to have trained with her for 8 years and have been made her disciple...a disciple they don't know when asked about? Also interesting is that he never mentions prasara in this old article he wrote, but only that she was his teacher for 8 years and that he studied Hatha Yoga for 8 years.

It is a long article but to me it presents a much different flavor than the more recent Prasara propoganda.

**therma** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 12:20pm

Originally Posted by sambosteve

And, if he did not study Physical yoga with her, where is Sonnon coming from with Prasara? She is the teacher he cites on his page. He claims to teach:

http://www.prasarayoga.com/rmax-info.php

First you contact her organization to find out if he's a formal student as he claims. They say that they don't know because there are millions of students. The picture on his blog clearly proves that he's a student since you can't be invited to do a puja without being a student.

Then you're claiming that he stated he learned physical yoga from her, which he doesn't actually state anywhere that you've claimed.

Now you're saying that because he doesn't list her as his physical yoga instructor that he must be implying that he learned it from her because you can't find where he did? You're reaching and are beginning to read like you have an agenda about him.

Isn't this thread about his credentials? What is he claiming in his "resume" about yoga? Where in his resume is there a disputed claim about his teaching of yoga? I can't find any of the claims you're inferring from sentence fragments.

**sambosteve** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 12:41pm

Originally Posted by therma

First you contact her organization to find out if he's a formal student as he claims. They say that they don't know because there are millions of students. The picture on his blog clearly proves that he's a student since you can't be invited to do a puja without being a student.

Then you're claiming that he stated he learned physical yoga from her, which he doesn't actually state anywhere that you've claimed.

Now you're saying that because he doesn't list her as his physical yoga instructor that he must be implying that he learned it from her because you can't find where he did? You're reaching and are beginning to read like you have an agenda about him.

Isn't this thread about his credentials? What is he claiming in his "resume" about yoga? Where in his resume is there a disputed claim about his teaching of yoga? I can't find any of the claims you're inferring from sentence fragments.

Wow, you are really good at mixing messages and twisting words. You don't think discussion about his claim of being a yoga guru belongs in a credentials thread?

1) They said they don't know him. Period. They did not say it was because of the millions of students they have (that is your addition to the narrative). They looked at his prasara website and basically said we don't know who this guy is. BTW, he claims to be more than a student. He claims to be a disciple. I will take their word over an assumption about what a picture may or may not prove.

2) Assuming the picture is legit (I have no reason to think otherwise), The picture proves that there is a picture. That's it. It does not prove anything else regarding what kind of puja, ceremony, event, etc. A photo with someone does not prove that you trained with someone. All it proves is that you were in a room together.

3) I am saying that Sonnon claims she is his yoga teacher. But, on his prasara website...the one that offers physical yoga (Prasara, derived in part from Hatha), he notes her as his yoga teacher. In an earlier article he claims he studied Hatha Yoga for 8 years and she has been his Yoga guru for 8 years.

Regarding any agendas I may have, I guess you are either playing dumb, or just not doing your homework. There is no love lost between Sonnon and me.

So, as a new poster here, how about you introduce yourself? Why the interest in this thread. Do you train with Sonnon? Amma? You work for an Indian company apparently. Have you had interaction with her?

On a lighter note, I find it ironic that you claim to work for Thermax.

Look, I think he probably has attended some retreats of hers, is exaggerating their relationship, and it milking it for what it is worth off gullible people who have no idea the difference between this or that kind of yoga.

**therma** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 12:49pm

Originally Posted by sambosteve

Wow, you are really good at mixing messages and twisting words. You don't think discussion about his claim of being a yoga guru belongs in a credentials thread?

1) They said they don't know him. Period. They did not say it was because of the millions of students they have (that is your addition to the narrative). They looked at his prasara website and basically said we don't know who this guy is. BTW, he claims to be more than a student. He claims to be a disciple. I will take their word over an assumption about what a picture may or may not prove.

2) Assuming the picture is legit (I have no reason to think otherwise), The picture proves that there is a picture. That's it. It does not prove anything else regarding what kind of puja, ceremony, event, etc. A photo with someone does not prove that you trained with someone. All it proves is that you were in a room together.

3) I am saying that Sonnon claims she is his yoga teacher. But, on his prasara website...the one that offers physical yoga (Prasara, derived in part from Hatha), he notes her as his yoga teacher. In an earlier article he claims he studied Hatha Yoga for 8 years and she has been his Yoga guru for 8 years.

Regarding any agendas I may have, I guess you are either playing dumb, or just not doing your homework. There is no love lost between Sonnon and me.

So, as a new poster here, how about you introduce yourself? Why the interest in this thread. Do you train with Sonnon? Amma? You work for an Indian company apparently. Have you had interaction with her?

On a lighter note, I find it ironic that you work for Thermax.

Look, I think he probably has attended some retreats of hers, is exaggerating their relationship, and it milking it for what it is worth off gullible people who have no idea the difference between this or that kind of yoga.

The letter didn't say he wasn't a student. And you have shared no evidence showing that he is not.

Because you found that he started studying with her at the same time that he started studying physical yoga, then you're implying that he must be claiming that he learned physical yoga from her? That's a logical fallacy. Reaching, but at least it's understandable now, because:

You explain that you have a personal agenda and haven't been able to state any claim about prasara that he's made that is untrue. Fair enough.

**sambosteve** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 12:55pm

Originally Posted by therma

The letter didn't say he wasn't a student. And you have shared no evidence showing that he is not.

Because you found that he started studying with her at the same time that he started studying physical yoga, then you're implying that he must be claiming that he learned physical yoga from her? That's a logical fallacy. Reaching, but at least it's understandable now, because:

You explain that you have a personal agenda and haven't been able to state any claim about prasara that he's made that is untrue. Fair enough.

Correct, the e-mail did not say he was not a student. They said they had no idea who he was. And there is no evidence that he IS her student. So, since he claims to be her student, there should be some evidence. And if he is her disciple as he claims, I would think they know who their disciples are.

I am not saying that he is claiming to have learned hatha from her. I am claiming he is presenting his relationship with her in a way that encourages people to make that assuption.

I never said he lied.

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 1:00pm

Originally Posted by therma

The letter didn't say he wasn't a student. And you have shared no evidence showing that he is not.

This isn't what steve said. This is the strawman you are trying to build.

Because you found that he started studying with her at the same time that he started studying physical yoga, then you're implying that he must be claiming that he learned physical yoga from her? That's a logical fallacy. Reaching, but at least it's understandable now, because:

Here is your strawman again. Show me again where anybody but you started pushing this point.

You explain that you have a personal agenda and haven't been able to state any claim about prasara that he's made that is untrue. Fair enough.

He said questionable where did he say untrue?

Oh that's right you keep building strawman arguments. You know what that is right? A logical fallacy.

**therma** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 1:05pm

Originally Posted by sambosteve

Correct, the e-mail did not say he was not a student. They said they had no idea who he was. And there is no evidence that he IS her student. So, since he claims to be her student, there should be some evidence. And if he is her disciple as he claims, I would think they know who their disciples are.

I am not saying that he is claiming to have learned hatha from her. I am claiming he is presenting his relationship with her in a way that encourages people to make that assuption.

I never said he lied.

And the letter said that he "may well be a devotee of Amma and may wish to publicly recognize the influence she has had in his life on his personal website."

It seems like you're the one promoting the assumption that you've inferred, since other than here, there are no websites and nothing on his blog or forum which discusses any relationship between his physical yoga and her.

If this is about his resume, he has claimed nothing which you have stated is untrue.

**therma** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 1:06pm

Originally Posted by It is Fake

This isn't what steve said. This is the strawman you are trying to build.

Here is your strawman again. Show me again where anybody but you started pushing this point.

He said questionable where did he say untrue?

Oh that's right you keep building strawman arguments. You know what that is right? A logical fallacy.

I said it sounded like he had agenda. He said he did have personal issues with him. That's not a strawman. That's a correlation.

**sambosteve** · Posted On: 10/17/2010 1:10pm

Originally Posted by therma

And the letter said that he "may well be a devotee of Amma and may wish to publicly recognize the influence she has had in his life on his personal website."

It seems like you're the one promoting the assumption that you've inferred, since other than here, there are no websites and nothing on his blog or forum which discusses any relationship between his physical yoga and her.

If this is about his resume, he has claimed nothing which you have stated is untrue.

Again, you keep bringing up the topic of Lying. Discussing a resume does not equal trying to prove him a liar. It means exactly what it says...discussing his credentials. If we find he is truthful, all the better.

"may well be a devotee of Amma and may wish to publicly recognize the influence she has had in his life on his personal website."

corrected version:

"may well not be a devotee of Amma and may wish to publicly recognize the influence she has had in his life on his personal website."

They were very polite in the way they said they did not know him...the disciple.