The Myths
There is a list of myths creeping into people’s heads as to what yoga is and how it should be practiced. I have been practicing yoga for 22 years and teaching for almost 10 years now and I hope I can clear up a few things about yoga for you.
These are the top myths I have come up with and I hope Top 5 Myths About Yoga:
1) Yoga is a Religion:
This is perhaps the most common view of yoga. Yoga is considered part of Hindu religion, but yoga is not a religion. It is a time tested spiritual science with the goal of revealing the true nature of reality. Yoga is a practice, it is a step by step process with the end goal of calming down the thought waves in our mind and thus prevent them from distorting the truth.
2. Yoga is a Form of Physical Exercise:
It is true that yoga is physical and yes you can sweat, however that yoga is a form of physical exercise is not entirely true. In order to practice yoga there are actually 8 parts to it.
The poses, (asanas) are an important part of yoga, yoga as a whole is certainly more than just a series of postures and movements. Yoga is essentially a spiritual science whose objective is to still the mind of thoughts, so that the truth of Oneness hidden behind the waves of the mind can be clearly seen and embraced.
3. You Have to be Flexible to do Yoga:
Not so. No doubt yoga will improve your flexibility, along with your strength, balance and overall health, but in order to practice yoga you do not have to be flexible. Yoga is designed to be practiced by all.
Different bodies have different degrees of flexibility and in this case one size does not fit all. There are plenty of modifications which allow you to get the same benefits for those who are less flexible. In fact, people who are not flexible see the biggest changes to their bodies.
4. To Practice Yoga You Must be Vegetarian:
There is a notion floating around that in order to practice yoga you must not eat meat and be a vegetarian. This is not true. Although there are tremendous benefits to being vegetarian and this is being more and more validated by the mainstream medical community, there is no requirement of vegetarianism in order to practice yoga. Nevertheless, you don’t have to be vegetarian in order to be a great yogi. And if you invite me over for steak dinner..... I' ll eat it!
5. You Need to be Initiated by a Guru:
I have also come across this notion that many people believe you need to be initiated and have a guru in order to learn and practice yoga. This is not true. According to yoga, the true guru is within and although it would be to your benefit to learn yoga from an accomplished teacher, this is not a requirement.
Summary:
So there you have my top 5 myths about yoga. Essentially, what these myths do is prevent people from taking up this wonderful tool that can help us on so many levels. So if you feel you will have to change faiths, find gurus, stop eating meat or are too inflexible to take up yoga practice, you might be pleasantly surprised that it is simply not true.
Don’t pass up the wonderful opportunity to learn and practice this amazing science, which can help you discover your true Divine self.
