A Veteran Teacher answers your Assumptions about "Yoga People"

I recently did a Social Media survey where my followers could make assumptions about "Yoga People". Needles to say, they were ALL fun. It is pretty wild to me how many think that we are these calm, peaceful beings. I assure you, most of us are not. Especially Western practitioners. I took the results and chose my favorites to answer for a Youtube video. But, I felt this was a good "bloggable" moment, as well. As a practitioner, and teacher, of Yoga since 2004 I did my best to react to these in a fun and thoughtful way. So, here is the long form version of "Answering your Assumptions - The "Yoga People" Edition.

We only eat Salads.

This was definitely a favorite. While veganism is common amongst Western practitioners, we are not ALL vegan. We also do not ALL eat a preset diet. Don't let the opportunity to try Yoga be overshadowed by a fear of massive lifestyle changes. Start with the practice, see where it takes you. And, if you never put down the red meat. Then you don't. Last I checked, there are no literal Karma Police who show up and stop you from your Surya Namaskar.

We all smoke pot.

I would be a liar if I said I did not formerly partake in the Devil's Lettuce. However, I do not smoke. While I prefer to completely embrace sobriety, many world wide partake in this harmless medicine. And, guess what? If it makes your quality of life better then I am all for it! As long as you are not hurting anyone, or yourself, toke away!

We are always happy.

If there was anything inaccurate, this would be it. Even if we manufacture Positivity and Happiness, it still isn't genuine and constant euphoria. We are all human. We all have, and are allowed to have, varying emotions. Yoga certainly helps with our mood, but it doesn't create a barrier between us and real life. I've written on the topic of "False Positivity" before. It happens to be my opinion that expressed anger is less dangerous than a veil of forced happiness. Think about that for a moment.

We are naturally flexible.

Nope. This is definitely not true. While some of us are blessed with the natural grace of a ballerina. I happen to be blessed with the grace of a bull in a china shop. All of the postures and inversions my followers see on Social Media took me years to accomplish. And it is a daily effort to maintain the strength and flexibility, especially as I get older. You will find that you're really good at one thing, and never quite get the hang of another. That is completely normal.

We can all meditate.

Of course we can! If by meditate you mean to sit very still while I worry incessantly. Yes! I meditate and I am very good at it. It is the best time for my to worry about worlds end, groceries and future doctors appointments. Meditation is work. End of story. But, in the effort comes the result. Super fidgety? I wrote an article on moving meditation you can find here. Many beginners assume that you can just simply sit and meditate in a quiet space. For most of us, the silence brings the most noise. Keep that in mind if you begin a meditation practice. No pun intended.

We are all very patient.

No baby. No. No. No. While I can honestly say that my "Yoga stoned" mindset does carry me through my day, I am not immune to losing my shit. Honestly, most of my Yoga counterparts also will attest to this very human reality. Learning breathing techniques definitely helps to get us through some tough times. Don't be afraid to be human.

Well, there you have it. My favorite of the submitted assumptions about "Yoga People". If you are curious about Yoga, I hope this helped a little. If you practice Yoga often, you'll likely get a good chuckle out of it. Either way, I hope you enjoyed this and be sure to watch the video above.

Namaste

Dena Danzig (nom de plume) is a CYT who has been practicing and teaching Yoga since 2004.

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