What mythes do you know about yoga exercises?

Question 1

Welcome everybody, my name is Lorry and this is the last question for today about yoga. To be honest, while surfing in the internet, I have read really-really many statements about yoga but I guess that many of them are no more than simple mythes but what exact statements are false? I think that we should get some information in order to avoid them and to avoid mistakes while doing yoga, eating and another important functions. So, what mythes do you know about? Are they dangerous? Thank you very much and looking forward to your answers!

Question 2

Hi!

Lorry, I must admit that this is a very interesting question. All of us maybe just once heard this myth about yoga. Here I have some and would like to share them with you.

Let’s see:

1. You must be stretched to practice yoga.

Come to it differently – start practicing yoga and you will feel stretched.

2. Men do not practice yoga.

From the point of view of the history of yoga and its sources, only a few hundred years ago only men practiced yoga.

3. Yoga is too much pleasure.

If you can do regular fitness or swimming, you can also practice yoga.

4. Yoga is a religion.

Yoga is art, science, and philosophy.

5. Yoga is for young people.

Yoga is for everyone, regardless of age.

6. Yoga is not for people with chronic pain or specific illnesses.

First of all, if you do not have any such ailments, yoga can only help you maintain this state of health. However, if you come to classes with a damaged baggage, you’ve come to the right place.

Stay healthy and practice yoga 🙂

Kelly Westwood · Answer · Published: August 30, 2018 | Modified: October 15, 2019

Hi!

Lorry, I must admit that this is a very interesting question. All of us maybe just once heard this myth about yoga. Here I have some and would like to share them with you.

Let’s see:

1. You must be stretched to practice yoga.

Come to it differently – start practicing yoga and you will feel stretched.

2. Men do not practice yoga.

From the point of view of the history of yoga and its sources, only a few hundred years ago only men practiced yoga.

3. Yoga is too much pleasure.

If you can do regular fitness or swimming, you can also practice yoga.

4. Yoga is a religion.

Yoga is art, science, and philosophy.

5. Yoga is for young people.

Yoga is for everyone, regardless of age.

6. Yoga is not for people with chronic pain or specific illnesses.

First of all, if you do not have any such ailments, yoga can only help you maintain this state of health. However, if you come to classes with a damaged baggage, you’ve come to the right place.

Stay healthy and practice yoga 🙂

Question 3

Hi, Lorry, yoga does have a lot of myths. Some people believe that if you want to lose weight classical yoga is a bad choice. Nonsense. In fact, it is the only way to reach your goal without side-effects if under the right guidance and consistent training. Another weird statement is that yoga asanas cannot be personalized in any way. Not at all. Every body and its needs are different, yoga exercises certainly should be modified matching your abilities and change with your progress. That`s a real joy to improve!

Question 4

What about religion? I always laugh at those who think that yoga means Hindu. Totaly wrong. It has nothing to do with religion, it is a way of living. Should a pregnant woman practice yoga? Definitely yes! A workout under professional supervision has lots of benefits not only to a woman`s body.

Have you been told that only those with a flexible body can do yoga? No, no, no. The practice WILL make it flexible, no matter at what level you start. In fact, yoga helps a lot of people with traumas heal and transform.

Question 5

Yoga is not that easy, Lorry. Although tonnes of information about it online and in books are available today, it is very dangerous to start practicing on your own. A good guidance makes it safe.

Yoga practicing means outdoors only. Absolutely not. Nature serenity is nice but you can actually do it anywhere. Just open the windows to let more fresh air in. Breathing well is essential.

Enjoy your yoga practice and do not let you be misled.

Question 6

Hello Lorry! Myths and stereotypes about yoga are well-known, but not everybody can see them. So, here we go:

Myth 1: Yoga comes from Hinduism

Yoga is Hindu just the way gravity is Christian. Just because the law of gravity was propounded by Isaac Newton, who lived in a Christian culture, does it make gravity Christian? Yoga is a technology. Anybody who is willing to make use of it can make use of it.

Myth 2: Why be a human when you can be a pretzel? Yoga is all about impossible postures.

When we utter the word “yoga”, most people on the planet only think of asanas . Of all the different things that the science of yoga explores – just about every aspect of life – today’s world has chosen to represent yoga with only the physical aspect. In the yogic system, there is very little significance given to asanas. For a little over two hundred Yoga Sutras, only one sutra is dedicated to asanas. But somehow, in modern times, this one sutra has gained significance over everything else.

Myth 3: Want six-pack abs? Yoga is a great exercise regime.

If fitness is what you are seeking, if you want six-pack abs or whatever number, I would say go and play tennis or hike in the mountains. Yoga is not an exercise, it has other dimensions attached to it. A different dimension of fitness – yes – you get health out of it, but not six-pack abs. If you are doing yoga to burn calories or tone up your muscle, obviously you are doing improper yoga, there is no question about that. For abs, you can go to the gym. Yoga needs to be practiced in a very subtle, gentle way, not in a forceful muscle-building way, because this is not about exercise.