Yoga. You’ve probably heard about it from the badly-designed flyer pinned to the bus stop. Maybe from your neighbour who does an hour of vinyasa every morning. Apparently Ryan Giggs does it. And yoga pants are, seemingly, overpriced Netflix-wear. Right? Well, yeah (and holy shit are they overpriced).
But I’m writing this today to dispel a couple of myths about yoga. Because I’m nice like that.
5 Myths About Yoga
1. Yoga’s just stretching
I’m writing this wanting to let you know that it isn’t all organised stretching, but some classes are and they can suck. Firstly, it’s important that there’s an element of strength-building in yoga. If we’re just bendy-bendy without any support network (i.e. strength) we’d all be floating around dislocating our elbows reaching for the top-shelf liquor.
But yoga can also be seriously fun. Think handstands, Hendrix (in my classes at least) and some serious chill out time.
2. Yoga is for uber spiritual people
Some yoga classes are super spiritual, and, if that’s for you, then that’s okay. But other classes just aren’t, and the stereotype doesn’t do them justice.
Yoga classes can vary wildly from the highly spiritual to plain old movement and everything else in between. Some classes focus instead on building strength and working toward a goal pose, fostering community, or simply helping you feel better in a totally secular way. You can be as non-spiritual as you like. It’s all good.
3. Only old ladies do yoga
This one’s just plain old wrong. Ryan Giggs actually DOES do yoga, and he’s the oldest top-flight professional footballer in history (because of the yoga, duh). All different shapes and sizes of people can (and probably should) practice yoga. All different ethnicities, ages, lifestyles, and genders practice yoga. And weight lifters (it’s true. And if they’re not, they seriously should). It really is for everyone.
4. You have to be vegan to do yoga
This is one of the biggest stereotypes of yoga that frustrates me the most. Yogis literally can eat whatever the hell they like, as often as they like. Your diet doesn’t—and shouldn’t—impact your access to good yoga classes. There’s an idea that ahimsa—the yogic notion of non-harming—means you should steer clear of animal products to be a yogi, and that’s valid. But it’s also okay if you don’t, you can be a yogi, too.
Most of us here at TYR HQ make a conscious decision to eat animal products. And maybe you live off McDonald’s cheese burgers, or eat nothing but Pot Noodles? It really doesn’t matter. Vegan or not, you can be a yogi, too.
5. Yoga isn’t a workout
There’s no way this one is true. I’ve had just as much muscle soreness (if not more) from a yoga class than I have doing other movement activities, and yoga can be a wonderful complement to a movement lifestyle. Check out my library of classes and you’ll soon find sessions that’ll kick your ass (this one’s my current favourite). But we’ll mellow out at the end so you almost forget how knackered you were minutes before. That’s the trick.
The takeaway
The stereotypes of yoga are massive and all-pervading, but that doesn’t mean you have to fit into them in any way. Yoga truly is a wonderful, life changing practice and The Yoga Revolution’s mission is to remove the barriers to entry so more people feel comfortable taking up this kind of practice.
Come join my Joy Collective for free yoga, resources, and inspiration and see how we’re breaking the stereotype, one inclusive yoga class at a time.
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