3 Myths About Yoga
Yoga can seem intimidating if you have never practiced before. Really intimidating. One of my favorite things to say to people, kids included, is: “did you know that you can never do a pose in your entire life and still do yoga?”. I love when adults respond with “huh, tell me more” while kids look at me in amazement. It’s true though! There are a lot of myths about yoga, but I’d like to go over some of the more common ones I hear.
You have to be flexible. This is absolutely a myth! You do not have to be flexible to begin practicing. A good yoga class will offer modifications and be structured in such a way that the poses and speed are perfect for beginners to begin exploring their range of motion, their thought and movement patterns, and their preferences. You may start class with limited mobility and that is perfect! There are tons of poses and ways to do them. There is no universally right way. So, don’t worry if you can’t touch your toes.
You have to be thin. Totally untrue! As mentioned previously, yoga is about learning yourself and unlocking those truths within you through movement and meditation. It sounds really esoteric, but it can be difficult for us to discern what we think and feel, what we notice, and how we behave. Yoga, through the breath, through the stretches, and through off-the-mat practice, helps us increase this discernment. So if the point of yoga is beyond fitness, or your ability to fit into XS, or how deep your pigeon pose is, then we know that our external bodies don’t really matter. Yoga welcomes all.
Yoga is boring. Maybe not a total untruth! It can be boring, but two things are at play here! Is it boring because of its slow pace and our modern need to move, move, MOVE, therefore our own pattern of thought is prohibiting us from seeing it any other way? Or is it boring because the practice isn’t fitting our needs in our current season of life? Only you can answer that. Sometimes, we need a more vibrant practice that invites us to laugh and interact with the teacher, but this can be difficult to find. For me, it is important that most (not all) classes are light-hearted because that provides room for deeper exploration, especially for people new to yoga. Some classes still need that silence and that introspection that is often labeled as boring. A teacher is your guide and will help you delve into this so that class is fun and rewarding!
What questions do you have? We love dispelling myths ‘round these parts!