There’s so much jibber jabber out there about yoga and half of it isn’t even true. So I’ve made it my mission today to clarify what is and isn’t true about yoga!
- “It’s a woman thing” - NO it isn’t!! In fact, yoga was started by men over 5,000 years ago. Yoga is for anyone wanting to live a healthier life! Men cook too don’t they? Anyone can do yoga, and at least 1/3 of my yoga class is filled with men – strong, burly, rugged men. I don’t even want to get into the sexual orientation discussion… let’s just say, yes straight men do it too!
- “I’m not flexible enough” - the point of yoga is not to do it because you’re already good at it. How boring would the world be if we all just did what we’re already good at? The whole point of the practice is to engage your body and mind, and to continually improve. You do not need to bend like a pretzel in order to yoga. A good yoga instructor will gently guide you and not push you beyond your limits. Do what you’re capable of, and you’ll soon find your flexibility increasing over time.
- “Yoga is too religious for me – I’m not into all that OM stuff” - Hey, welcome to the club!!
I’m Christian and believe it or not, when I first started I was even uncomfortable saying “Namaste” so I’d just quickly whisper in my head “Amen”. Sure, yoga originated in India and has its roots in Hinduism and Buddhism, but the yoga practiced today (especially in the states) does not have to be religious at all. Yoga is calming and serves to bring a holistic mind-body connection to those who practice it, but yoga has no deity of worship, no required rituals to perform, no system or temple of any sort, and I can go on and on. If anything, come to yoga to find peace and rejuvenation for your busy busy life. - “Yoga isn’t rigorous enough for me… I am looking for a real workout” - Usually this kind of statement is made by those who have never even tried yoga. Those who have experienced yoga know that this is indeed a “real workout” as any, perhaps even more. All the holding poses require an incredible amount of muscle energy. There are a whole spectrum of yoga classes out there – yes, some are more meditative than others, but most are rigorous and intense – providing as much of a cardiovascular workout as any treadmill.
Some more yoga myths debunked by the Huffington Post.
