Yoga has become an integral part of the modern fitness and wellness industry. There are many myths about yoga – and the people who practice it. We clear up the most common ones.
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear yoga? Whatever association you have, there’s a good chance it’s a myth. Because much of what people associate with yoga is actually based on prejudice. For example, that only hyper-flexible and slim women can practice yoga. Or that yoga is a super-esoteric practice, requiring nourishment on sprouts and renunciation of all worldly pleasures. We took a closer look at the most persistent myths about yoga.
The 5 biggest misconceptions about yoga – and why they are not true
1. Yoga requires great flexibility
Many people think they are not flexible enough to practice yoga. That’s kind of like saying you’re too dirty to take a shower. Because regular yoga practice changes the body and becomes more flexible over time. That’s one of the great joys of yoga – to feel movements that you thought you could never do just a few months ago suddenly become possible.
And the second important point about mobility: Every body is different. Yoga isn’t about forcing each person into a certain posture – it’s about adjusting the asana (physical yoga practice) to be just right for your body. There are also yogi:nis who still can’t master certain postures after years (me for example). And that’s totally fine, because the goal of yoga is not athletic performance, but the connection of body and mind.
2. Yoga is only for slim, young women
This myth is also about the subject of “physical requirements”. Without wanting to go too far: Yoga originated in India around 2500 years ago – as a spiritual practice for men. Even if it looks different in today’s yoga studios in the West: Yoga was not originally intended for women. And how fat or thin you were was not the main focus, because yoga was (and is) primarily a spiritual practice.
But that probably doesn’t change the fact that many overweight people don’t necessarily feel comfortable in the yoga class between the super-slim, young women. A good yoga teacher, however, manages to make the practice accessible to everyone. He or she will show variations of the exercises so anyone can do them. Or directly offers its own classes that are tailored to the needs of people with bodies beyond the norm.
3. For yoga you have to be totally calm and relaxed
It’s a bit like being dirty and taking a shower, because yoga is a technique that is (also) about bringing the mind to rest. Stopping the constantly rattling carousel of thoughts, at least for a moment, is the goal of the whole thing – not the prerequisite.
However, many people quickly become discouraged if, even after a few weeks or months of regular practice, they don’t really come to rest during the final relaxation and their thoughts continue to happily ride on a roller coaster. There is a big misunderstanding here. Because it’s less about not having thoughts coming up than about learning to simply observe the thoughts and let them be.
4. Yoga only do esoteric fun brakes
Many people believe that all yogi:nis fill their homes with incense sticks and crystals, eat exclusively vegan and never touch a sip of alcohol. As with many myths, there is probably some truth here. Because of course there are people who energetically clean their homes with the help of incense and healing stones – but nobody has to do it. For many yogi:nis, a vegetarian or vegan diet and the conscious consumption of alcohol are also part of it, because they live according to the concept of non-violence, i.e. “Ahimsa”, and/or can feel their spiritual practice more intensively. But no one is judged or “worse” at yoga because they like or dislike certain things.
Yoga is primarily a spiritual practice to harmonize body, mind and soul. There is also a large potpourri of different styles, techniques and teachings. For one or the other, a more ascetic way of life may work better. Someone who has absolutely nothing to do with incense sticks and chanting mantras can just as easily choose the components of the yoga practice that are good for him/her.
5. Yoga is a sport
And here we have the other end of the spectrum. As yoga is taught in many studios in the western world, many people see it simply as a workout. But yoga is definitely more than a sport. In fact, the physical yoga exercises were originally only intended to prepare the body for sitting for long periods of time during meditation. So the real practice is mental, and the physical part is just another tool to train the mind.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that it’s wrong if someone “only” practices the asanas, i.e. the body exercises. After all, yoga is very good for your back and can have a preventive effect on many diseases. But one should not forget where the roots of yoga lie and approach the practice with mindfulness – both for the spiritual and philosophical foundation as well as for one’s own body and its limits.
Source used: yogaeasy.de