How the Media is Hurting Yoga

If you look at the cover of any Yoga magazine or see images of Yoga on TV or online, you’ll most likely see young, thin, fit women in graceful, gravity-defying Yoga poses. This might be great for them, but it’s very bad for Yoga as a whole. The more experience I gain teaching gentle, accessible Yoga for all kinds of people including many who are inflexible, overweight, disabled, stressed, anxious, injured, and/or recovering from surgery, the more I realize what a disservice the media is doing to Yoga.

How many times have I met a new acquaintance and introduced myself as a yoga teacher, only to hear, “Oh, I could never do Yoga. I’m too _________.”?

Where did they get they idea that they’re too __________?! Nine times out of 10, it’s from the images they see in the media.

I really hate that Yoga gets such a bad first impression and that so many people who could *really* benefit from a gentle, accessible, therapeutic Yoga practice are reluctant to give it a try, because they don’t even realize that this type of Yoga exists.

I want people to know that Every Body can practice and benefit from Yoga. It’s just a matter of finding the right practice, the right studio, and/or the right teacher.

This month Emily (our director of Hatha Yoga Teacher Training), Stacy (our director of Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training), and I are running a Yoga “Challenge” on Instagram. (I put “Challenge” in quotes because it’s not really a “Challenge”, it’s more of an “Ease”, but “Challenge” is the term that’s commonly used on IG.)

Ours is a Yoga for EveryBody challenge, where we demonstrate Yoga poses and discuss how to make them accessible and beneficial for different types of bodies.

The information we’re sharing is valuable for regular people who have aches, pains, may be overweight, may have injuries or issues in their bodies, may be inflexible, disabled, or maybe just have not done any kind of physical activity in a long time.

We don't do fancy, contortionist-type Yoga poses. We teach deceptively simple poses that provide real benefit to regular people. Since our poses appear simple, and maybe even boring, they don’t draw a whole lot of attention on social media. And we think is a real shame, given the vast benefit they can provide.

So we’ll keep doing our part to get the word out. We'll keep evangelizing gentle, accessible Yoga so that the people who need this kind of practice will find it.

We’ll keep posting Yoga pictures of people with regular bodies and offering instruction (online and in the studio!) on simple Yoga poses that help your body feel healthier, happier, and more easeful.

Do you want to help? Please help us spread the word that Yoga isn’t just about graceful, gravity-defying postures. Let your friends know how beneficial Yoga can be for regular people by sharing this newsletter and our Facebook and Instagram posts, especially those that really resonate with you.

XO, Zelinda

P.S. We'd love to hear from you on this! Did Yoga in the media have an effect on your decision to start or not start a Yoga practice? Leave a comment either on our Facebook post or on our blog, whichever is easier for you.

Does Yoga Makes You Feel Guilty and Naughty?

I had a private lesson yesterday with two lovely women, friends who have had the good fortune of being workout buddies for a long time. They have a fun sense of humor and they’re used to working out hard with their trainer, which of course is awesome and so great for their health. They came to us for a private lesson with a couple of goals in mind: 1. To find out if they like yoga, and 2. To learn enough that they could transition into regular yoga classes.

These two ladies breezed through the first 45 minutes of the practice. We worked on chest openers, hip openers, strengthening, and balance. The physical part of the practice was a piece of cake for them, since they are so adept at using their bodies.

But when we transitioned to the relaxation part of the practice, something changed. Relaxation is something these two great ladies don’t typically practice, and it took a conscious shift in their mindsets to help them get comfortable with the idea of doing nothing.

One woman joked that she felt “guilty and naughty, like [she] should be doing chores at home.” And they laughed about not telling their trainer about this relaxation experience, because she might make them work harder in their next workout. It was all in fun, of course, but it spoke to a deeper truth in our society: Learning to relax is hard work.

This theme has come up consistently with the students in my lessons and classes lately. As a society, we are skilled at working hard, but we’ve never learned to relax. We perceive value in hard work and we equate relaxation with laziness. But the fact of the matter is that we need balance. Just like how in our asana practice we strive to balance effort and ease, so must we do in our lives.

If we spend our lives in a cycle of hard work and stress, we run the risk of poor health, a short life, or sadly, both.

But the good news is that relaxation practices can help undo some of the harmful effects of stress. Some of our regular, long-term students have managed their stress and improved their health so much that their doctors have reduced or even eliminated their blood pressure or diabetes medication. There are real benefits to learning how to relax.

And please know that knowing how to relax is not inherent to us as humans. It needs to be practiced and learned. I teach yoga for a living, and even I struggle with relaxation sometimes.

Just this morning, I had a very stressful time getting out the door with my kids. I dropped them off at their summer camp and as I was driving back home I was thinking about the long list of things I need to do today. It was a real challenge for me decide to pull into the studio so I could have a few minutes to move, breathe, relax, and reset, before beginning my work today.

But here’s the thing. We must take care of ourselves first, or we eventually wear ourselves out and can’t do a great job at anything.

For example, when I’m too tired and stressed, I’m a distracted and short tempered mom, a less present and less beneficial Yoga teacher, and an unfocused and inefficient business person.

From a productivity perspective, it’s so worthwhile to consistently practice relaxation and create an element of ease in your life, especially for busy people. Because when your mind is at ease you are more focused, more creative, and your mind is sharp. You can get more done. And ultimately, who doesn’t want that?

So even if it seems next to impossible, please try to build some relaxation into your life. Make time for a hot bath in the tub (Epsom salt rocks!), or go to bed early, or wake up early so you have a few minutes to practice breathing before you start your day.

Or come in and see us. We have all sorts of ways to teach relaxation. You can choose from private lessons or yoga classes, or we have a meditation workshop coming up on Saturday, or if you’re brand new you might want to try a Beginners Series.

Browse around our website to find something that feels like the right fit for you right now. And if you’re not sure where to start, or if the idea of relaxing sounds intimidating, just send me a note. I’ll be honored to help.

XO, Zelinda