may they be busted.
Whether or not you ever set foot into a yoga class, you have probably – in today’s world – come across this intriguing practice in some form.
Maybe a friend, partner, colleague, or sibling invited you join them at their local studio. Perhaps you’ve scrolled by posts and ads featuring handstands on the beach (guilty) or virtual classes (I have some!). You may have strolled by stores and boutiques featuring actual yoga-inspired mannequins wearing stretchy yoga gear.
In whatever way you have stumbled upon yoga, chances are you have probably been or known someone who made excuses of why you / they don’t feel the need to try it.
And because of media and trends, you have probably developed opinions about yoga – regardless of if you’ve ever done it before.
It’s not wrong to have opinions, and there are certainly always valid excuses, however there are also a lot of misconceptions of A. what a yoga class is like (sprinkled with a decent amount of stereotypical scenarios, too) and B. who one has to be / what one has to be capable of in order to participate.
Whether or not we are practicing yoga has nothing to do with how flexible, strong, spiritual, or focused we already are. Similar to meditation (or anything, for that matter), we practice yoga to introduce / build / improve a skill – even if we already possess the skill (practice makes practice, not perfect…).
Although there are certain contraindications to certain postures, someone’s misconceptions of their abilities may keep them from reaping the many benefits of the pose (i.e. improved circulation, strengthening the body, building confidence and attentiveness – to name a few general ones).
There are also modifications for your unique circumstances, so if you can’t execute a pose (i.e. you have an injury, feel unwell, are on your cycle / pregnant), there are props that can help you get situated into an active or restorative posture. This can offer similar benefits of whatever full pose you are unable to practice for whatever reason.
If you don’t yet or ever intend to practice yoga (or whatever activity you are resisting, but you know it might be beneficial), I can bet that:
- it will be introduced to you at some point during this lifetime – it’s popular for a reason (i.e. it feels really good and works really well).
- you are already practicing some form of calm and steady awareness – whether via movement or breathing or mindset.
- yogic principles can absolutely be applied elsewhere in your life – one of the many perks of yoga is that it’s always applicable, supportive, and useful (for example: improved focus on the mat improves focus elsewhere in your life).
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