and breathe….
The other day, I was out with some friends and since I can’t help talking about yoga, I started talking about….wait for it…wait for it…yoga. I have no self-control. At any rate, one of the girls had just started practicing with some friends who are also in yoga teacher training (not at my studio…) Turns out, she likes it! I’d been trying for a few years to get her to go. Although I wasn’t the one to finally get her there, I’m glad she has. Just trying to spread the yoga love. Now that she’s enjoying it, we then started strong-arming our other friend to give it a whirl. She’s got injuries that will need to be modified, but seems slightly game.
Then, we started talking about why people are so reluctant to take that first class? What’s holding them back? This is a topic that came up during our first teacher training session. The consensus was that a lot of people mistakenly believe that yoga is some weird religion, one that doesn’t jive with their own belief system. This is an argument I will save for another day. For the record, I adhere to no religion, a personal choice I made decades ago.
While we were discussing whether or not yoga was religious and the many ways it isn’t and the hows and the whys, I started thinking about the reasons that inhibited me from trying even though I’d been fascinated for years. Religion was not a factor in my decision. However, one of the items at the top of the list was that I just didn’t look like a Yoga Journal cover model, which is the most outward facing picture of yoga that many people have. For one, I physically did not resemble these women and two, I didn’t know what the hell I would wear. I didn’t own any cute yoga clothes. And, once I got past the shallow appearance-based part of my fear, I couldn’t even fathom how my body could contort itself. There’s no way I could put my leg behind my head. Or balance on my arms. And surely, I would be horribly out-of-place in classes if I couldn’t do these things, right?
The secret that nobody told me is that these yogis, these perfect-bodied, flawlessly posed yogis aren’t really the norm. After I started taking classes, there was usually only one, maybe two who came close to this stereotypical ideal. Instead, I was surrounded by people of all levels of ability. Some who were skinnier than me, some heavier, older, younger, more flexible, less flexible, stronger…What was I worried about? I fit in just fine.
And then the second secret (which really isn’t so much a secret, but what I didn’t take time to consider) was, most of these yogis started out exactly where I did and only through due diligence of hard work and practice, practice, practice were they able to conquer some pretty impressive asana (which isn’t even the most important part of yoga.) Granted, you’ve got your former dancers who come to yoga post-injury or to de-stress and they come armed with impressive flexibility, but I believe the majority of people start out as terrifically average human beings who just want to learn.
To come full circle with my now seemingly endless endorsement of yoga, I’m still continually met with people who share those same fears that I had…that yoga is something they just can’t do. And that’s just not true.
As a yoga teacher (in training), I just wish I could shout it from the rooftops that you don’t have to be perfect. You’re not expected or required to perform fancy postures. It’s all just this deeply personal, marvelous, unfolding process. The gains you get from moving with intention and mastering the breath through pranayama are worth more than any no-hands, headstand.
I started yoga young, so I never questioned it. However, now that I am in YTT I can see where people would get confused with the religion thing. I am also not religious and while I don’t mind the philosophy, some of the way they try to bring Christianity into it is annoying. I guess they are just trying to appease the masses.
I’m glad I haven’t had any classes/teachers that have tried to incorporate Christianity. Don’t get me wrong, if the class is specifically targeted to a Christian audience and advertised as such, fine…But, I think classes should be ambiguous enough that each person can apply whatever personal spiritual element resonates best with them.
I am only going on our assigned reading so far. I hope the whole class isn’t religious. I’ll find out soon enough (it certainly isn’t advertised as such).
I’m willing to bet it isn’t. If it’s an accredited school, it’s probably gone through the Yoga Alliance, and while I can’t claim to know everything about their criteria for accreditation, I do know from what our program director/teacher has told us that they’re required to submit their syllabus. I imagine if something stood out as overtly religious, they’d probably advise against. I also can’t imagine that if they’re adhering to pure yoga history/philosophy how they’d throw any religion in there.
I am reading Autobiography of a Yogi and The Yamas and Niyamas. They both reference Christianity more then I would like, but maybe that is just me in my agnostic way. I was surprised by the amount though. It is an accredited school and those seem like fairly standard books, so I am sure it will be fine.
Hmmm….how do they reference it? I can see a historical overview, or maybe comparing the yamas and niyamas to the 10 commandments (which people are probably more familiar with.)
In The Yamas and NIyamas she talks about the gospel: “The Gospel writers understood compassion to be more than a sorrowful feeling….” It wasn’t until page 36 and hasn’t be so prevalent now, so I guess I was projecting it there myself. I’m glad you asked me and I reflected back on it. I will try to be less narrow minded.
Whoa, where do the Gospel writers fit into the yamas and niyamas? Weird stuff. I guess just let it sail past you. In the Kundalini book I’m reading there are quite a few mentions of God, but I’m interpreting it as a non-denominational, personal choice of higher being.
Yeah, I would be fine with a general God mentioning.
Right? The author’s husband is a preacher. I guess that is telling. Yeah, I would be fine with a general God reference.
Yikes! Well, I guess the whole religion thing would be a worthwhile topic to bring up in class.