Misconceptions of Yoga

In our club yoga is not as popular as core strengthening or kickboxing. Those classes are really packed, music is loud and instructor’s voice is even louder. When the doors open people come out panting and dripping with sweat. 

Then the yoga class quietly begins with visibly lesser attendance and  with prevalence of women over men.

I think many people still avoid yoga due to various misconceptions.

The deepest is the one I had myself – you have to be flexible to do it. I can only repeat: initial level of flexibility does not matter. A stiff person probably gains more by finally “lubricating” long time neglected body parts. 

Some men are convinced that yoga is for women. This perception is probably rooted in magazine images of young ladies in tight clothes.

In fact, yoga was created by men and primarily for men. Women joined it quite recently and there are positions not exactly recommended for us as well as moon cycle related restrictions.

Some people aim to overexert themselves in each and every position; otherwise, they think, one cannot have a good workout. This is hardly recommendable in yoga, where health benefits are gained only when your body cooperates; and the major indicator of this is absence of pain or exhaustion.

Same is true for excessive fidgeting and trying to move fast. I noticed that with too much commotion my muscles became tired before they warmed up. It feels like the blood vessels do not get a chance to dilate, and when the muscles are not properly warm they are prone to injuries.

Now, this you really do not want. A minor overstretching of a shoulder obstructed once my practice for weeks. Trying to protect it I was amazed, how many movements and positions that looked totally unrelated, in fact engaged my hurt arm.    

Although one can always do yoga on his/her own, a good instructor gives you the  advantage of meditative following. You do not need to think what is next and count your breaths but can be totally focused on you current sensations.

A knowledgeable yoga instructor will always invite you to modify a position according to your  ability and to take a relaxation pose when necessary. But to go with a flow you really need to trust the guidance.

Over the years of practice we have met many wonderful instructors with their  interesting approaches.

But some instruction styles must we warned against. Beware of a coach who tries to lead yoga class as a military drill. Jumping around to loud music accompanied by screaming encouragements like “3 crunches more!!… 8 more!!… You can do it!!” may work well in cardio but totally wrong for yoga.

If you came to yoga class not just for a flat stomach, but in pursuit of health improvement - change the instructor.  

Also be mindful about popular concoction classes like “fitness yoga” or “yoga-pilates fusion”. Sometimes we get lucky when instructor actually offers a version of real yoga, though somewhat simplified.

I imagine this woman coming home and telling her boyfriend (or husband) about an opening for such a class which she would not dare to apply for because the word “fusion” puzzles her.

- I am a trained yogi, and have no idea what this “fusion” is about! 

And he says,

- Hey, don’t be shy - just agree to whatever they want and then do what you do best! 

But when the instructor comes from a different background, trying to add “some yoga” into the routine it can be really bad. Though many physical activities utilize yoga-like positions, yoga hardly blends with them due to a very specific breathing and transition techniques.  My suggestion is – separate: do a core class on one day and yoga – on the next, or take consecutive classes.

For us the most important benefit of yoga was in a better control of our well-being. Good fitness came along naturally, though I doubt that doing yoga while eating and drinking poorly would make you fit. Yoga just provides good assistance to any other healthy approach in life.

By the way, doing yoga also improved my dancing skills. I started feeling more energetic and could use my body better.

And remember the mantra "We prepare ourselves..."? 

Walking once down a steep hill on vocation at Lake Huron in Canada I slipped on a wet rock and fell. I saw in disbelief my left shoulder protruding unusually far and then I hit the ground flat.

Well, it was not pleasant for a moment, but as a result I just got a minor bruise.

This is how I want to be in my 80s!