Resilient Reflections:“De-Mythifying” - What You Should Really Know About Yoga
“De-Mythifying” - What You Should Really Know About Yoga.
I’ve spent the last 4 weeks blogging about “de-mythifying” yoga and that’s my made up word for well, basically myth busting. There are a lot of preconceptions and misconceptions that are out there about yoga. Often, these notions are framed by what we have seen in our world in social media, around beautiful, young, often white women, that can do poses that I couldn’t even dream about when I was practising at my best.
The purpose of my blogs was to do a reality check for all of us on what yoga is and isn’t. And by no means do they even remotely cover what yoga is about, it was my attempt to open up a bigger picture of what yoga can offer all of us.
I’ve been doing a lot of studying and training of yoga over the last several years and only recently did I come upon a fact that blew my mind. There are 36 million yoga practioners (as in clients/students) and there is almost the exact same number who have tried yoga, and not returned. And there are 80 million people who want to try yoga but are afraid, intimidated, or uncertain that they don’t have what it takes and aren’t in good enough shape to do it!
That is what my blogs were about. Reaching all of you out there who should come back to yoga for a 2nd chance and to all of you that really need to know what yoga is about so you can have the opportunity to try a practice that can support you well into old age.
Yoga is truly, for everyone. “With an experienced teacher, yoga is incredibly functional and therapeutic because it can be very corrective when it comes to muscle dysfunction. It doesn't replace medical care, but it's highly effective for addressing imbalances. You'll gain strength, decrease tension and increase range of motion, so not only can it help restore optimal alignment, but it can also prevent injury down the road.”
And by everyone and everyBODY we need to be clear that there are different styles of yoga that can meet you where you are at. You may be a beginner, you may have had injuries, you may have a challenging physical or mental condition, you may be a runner or a dancer or hit the gym everyday! With the right guidance and teacher, whether online or in studio, there will be a class that suits your needs. You need to do your research, ask questions, and try more than one class or teacher because every class or teacher is different.
So, a quick recap of the myths I’ve busted to date:
You have to be young to do yoga.
All yoga is the same.
You’re too old to do or start yoga.
Yoga is only about your physical ability.
Yoga is nothing more than stretching.
All yoga teachers are the same.
Yoga is just another type of exercise.
It’s too slow to help me change my shape or lose weight.
Yoga Isn't real exercise
Yoga Is a bunch of people sitting in a room meditating.
Yoga can’t be customized to meet your needs.
Yoga is only for those that are healthy, strong and can do the poses.
Doing more advanced poses means you’re better at yoga.
Yoga is expensive and requires expensive tools, props, and apparel to do it.
You have to be flexible to do yoga.
Yoga is not for everyONE or everyBODY.
Huh! Nope. Not the case. Busted!
Not one of these statements is true. If you’d like to read more about each one of these myths please check out my blogs, there are 4 parts to the series and can be found HERE.
And, if you want to see how to set up a home yoga practice go HERE to get a copy of our Home Practice Guide!
References
YogaYOnline, Webinar, Eva Norlyk Smith & Lynn Crimando *Please note no location(s) were identified with these numbers. Note, this is a US based company.