Yoga Thoughts

As a Yoga teacher and a regular practitioner, I get to hear lots of things about what people think about this ancient practice. There are so many misconceptions about Yoga that if I start listing them all, this post wouldn’t ever end. But I’d like to mention 5 of the most common misconceptions about Yoga that I hear on a regular basis. It’s time to break them and clarify. 1) Yoga is only for Women Living in Germany since 2017, this is one of the things I hear the most about Yoga. If you have ever attended a Yoga class in India (the birthplace of Yoga), you would notice that the gender ratio is pretty balanced. However, teaching Yoga in Germany I have seldom seen men attending a Yoga class because they say it is just for women. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika lists thirty-five earlier Haṭha Yoga masters – all men. Some of the most famous Yoga teachers in India – Swami Vivekananda, Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, K. Pattabhi Jois, B. K. S. Iyengar were men. 2) Yoga is only for Flexible People If I received a cent for every single time I heard this statement, I would be rich. It is so very often that people come to me before my Yoga class to mention that they would like to practice Yoga but they aren’t so flexible. Here’s the thing – you aren’t expected to be flexible before starting Yoga. Yes, daily Yoga practice will most likely make you flexible but that’s not the point. (and shouldn’t the the focus) In fact, while practicing Yoga, you should not think about flexibility as much as proper body awareness and engaging the right muscles. 3) Yoga is Just a Workout Yes, asana practice feels like a workout but Yoga is more than that. Yoga’s effect on the body will be like a workout but the magic is with the breath and mind. Yoga is meditative. People tend to zone out in a typical workout. They distract themselves with music and clench their jaws through discomfort, but yoga encourages one to be fully aware of the physical sensations of the body. This is how Yoga balances the mind, body, and spirit. 4) Yoga is Always Relaxing Yoga will relax you but it isn’t always relaxing while you are doing it. I see many students who join my yoga classes thinking it would just be easy breezy and just lying down in simple stretchy poses but that’s not how it works. How do you expect your body to relax if you don’t work hard before? Yoga is about striking a balance between many aspects – strength and softness, work and relaxation, engaging and letting go. 5) Yoga Props are Just for Beginners No, they aren’t. Yes, Yoga props do make certain asanas more accessible but they are for beginners, intermediate, and advanced practitioners too. They can make a relatively easier asana more challenging. For example, if you try chaturangana dandasana with blocks under your hand, your biceps and shoulders work harder. Yoga props can also add a new awareness for muscle activation if used intentionally. Hold a Yoga block between your thighs while holding bridge or wheel poses, and you will suddenly build awareness for engaging your legs while performing a backbend. Are you going to help me break these misconceptions about Yoga?