I received a call today from a client and they said that they had rejoined their gym and didn’t need a yoga membership anymore. My knee-jerk response to this is, “Whoa, we need to have a conversation about what yoga is and what it isn’t.”
Before I go there, let me back up a few steps. I get so frustrated by the West’s perception of yoga and what it does for you. When people meet me and find out that I own a yoga studio/wellness center, I get a few different responses:
Wow, that’s so cool! I’m not flexible enough for yoga.
Wow, that’s so cool! I do hot yoga.
Wow, that’s so cool! But, I don’t do it because it’s too slow.
Wow, that’s so cool! But, I need weight bearing exercise.
Wow, that’s so cool! I do ________ (insert exercise form here), so I don’t need yoga.
Wow, that’s so cool! But I like to sweat and get a workout.
My response to all of the above is: Yoga is NOT a movement practice. I know that’s confusing since we are moving the body, but the movement is not the star. The star of the practice is where the movement takes you and what it unlocks.
I address this in blue door’s Fundamentals of Yoga Series. In the first class, we talk about what yoga does for you—it gets you connected, it teaches you how to breathe, it gives you tools to quiet your mind and move into meditation.
If you practice yoga, does that mean you don’t have to move your body in any other way? No! Please continue to walk, run, swim, lift weights, dance, run marathons, etc. Yoga is a meditation practice, it is NOT a movement practice.
Watch the following video and learn about what yoga is and isn’t (this video is the first class in our current Fundamentals of Yoga Series). You will also get a quick introduction to Ayurveda because you can't talk yoga without talking Ayurveda.
If you have questions about yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, let's have a cup of chai and chat!
Xx Jesi
5/10/2022
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