COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS OF YOGA by Vytas BaskauskasĀ
I love yoga. It has changed my life. I also love to learn. Ever since my practice began almost 20 years ago, Iāve been striving to understand how to best use it to optimize my health and well being. As someone who shares this art with others, I am also constantly researching and refining my methods. I strongly believe that everyone can benefit from yoga, in one of its many forms. Yoga is extremely broad and can be many different things, so letās make sure we donāt get too skewed in our perceptions. Here are some points that might help us evolve our understanding...
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS OF YOGA
1. The poses are ancient traditions that have been handed down over centuries of lineage.
False. Most ātraditionalā yoga postures were adopted from European gymnastics in the mid-1900ās. This is a hard truth for many people to accept, yet it is the reality. The only ancient poses were for sitting in meditation. There is no hidden wisdom in most of what we practice on the mat. For the vast portion of its history, yoga was not a physical practice but instead more focused on philosophy, breathing and meditation. This is why, if we want our practice to provide the optimal physical benefits, it is important for us to use modern kinesiology and exercise science to inform our evolution.
2. Flexible people get the most out of the practice.
False. It is the stiffer and tighter bodies that benefit the most from yoga. We need more of them! Bendy bodies move with ease through yoga poses because their muscles offer little resistance. Many of these bendy bodies are what we consider āhypermobileā, and in yoga this is even more common than in the general population. Unfortunately, for many of the hypermobile crowd, the lack of muscle tone can be very harmful in the long run. They will benefit most by focusing on poses that create stability and control. In fact, most should be lifting weights, not doing extreme stretching.
3. The more you sweat, the more calories youāve burned.
False. Your body sweats when it is trying to cool off. You can sit in a sauna and burn very few calories but drop buckets of water weight. Heated studios can be nice because the body moves with ease when itās warm, but be careful, sometimes that warmth can lead to over stretching and injury. A calorie is a unit of energy that creates heat. So, if you really want to burn calories, donāt use too much artificial heat!
4. There is one proper way to precisely align each pose.
False. There are many great ways to align a body in a yoga posture. There are also many awful ways. Certain principles can be followed but donāt let anyone ever tell you that there is ONE way. The first classical alignment guru, BKS Iyengar, knew very little about the human body. He wrote a book with completely fabricated medical treatments using yoga poses. Today we know that yoga isnāt a magical cure-all, but can absolutely be therapeutic, especially when acknowledging that different bodies need their own modifications and variations.
5. Doing what āfeels goodā is the best way to practice.
Sometimes false. When people get onto their mats and just do what feels good, they are most likely to fall into habitual movement patterns. These well-worn paths only serve to strengthen what is already strong and bend what is already mobile. Embracing a certain amount of discomfort can be extremely beneficial when it comes to breaking bad habits and finding balance. Of course this should be done with mindfulness and under the tutelage of an experienced instructor.
6. People who practice regularly are sane and well-adjusted.
Not necessarily true. Having been around the yoga world for a few decades now, I can honestly tell you that there is just as much negativity in our community as anywhere else. Just because we can do amazing things with our bodies doesnāt mean enlightenment is any closer. Cultivating mindfulness, awareness, and patience through yoga takes work. They are also completely optional. Many people want to practice yoga solely for the physical benefits. Wonderful. Better to be healthy than not!
Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments and discussion below. If you love yoga and want to help educate, feel free to share!
