I have some good news and I have some bad news. I'll focus on the bad news. There's been an effort to hijack and kidnap yoga from us. And now the good news, you are able to take it back. Many practitioners call themselves yogis or yoginis but they have taken the sacred practice of yoga and changed it to an inaccessible and inauthentic practice. They're who I call Shmogis(ginis), or phony yogis! A number of these Shmogis have tried to take yoga from the masses by spreading myths about the practice and I need us to take yoga back.
Yoga has ended 4,000 years old and practiced by men, women and children all over the world. Yoga is the yoking or weaving together of mind, body and spirit. Why would it not suddenly be subject to rigid formulations, mysterious rituals or incredible physical feats?
Yoga encompasses many aspects including physical postures, study of sacred philosophies, mindfulness, discipline, and meditation, acknowledging wholeness, to mention a few.I personally believe that there are benefits to the suggested general guidelines and paths to yoga. But as you will see below, some of those have morphed into myths that appear to help keep yoga exclusive and then those that follow very specific paths and keep all other seekers away. We must ask, why do some insist on portraying yoga as something to be done by the young, physically beautiful, fit and acrobatic?
How I ran across Yoga and You Can Too
In 2000, I was grieving the sudden death of my mother from a rare cancer, adjusting to moving in the united states from New York to San Francisco. During that time, I'd no permanent job or resources, and was working with other crises that result in my physical, emotional and spiritual breakdown. Acroyoga International I decided to test yoga as a stress management strategy. I practiced alone in my own apartment because I didn't have the money to go to a studio and didn't desire to expose my broken self to others.Slowly I realized and learned that yoga was far more than physical poses.
Myths That Discourage the General Population From Practicing Yoga
Spending money on Yoga--I believe in energy exchange and compensation for any goods and services. But you should be able to apply yoga even if you can't afford it. There are several studios that permit you to pay that which you can. Provided that you are able to give something with honor and within your means you can have access to their yoga studio. This arrangement obviously increases results than paying sky high prices. It can be possible to be always a solitary practitioner. You are able to practice all on your own using various resources which are available and some are listed below. When your circumstances change then you're able to choose to here is another studio that charges
Gender-izing yoga-An illusion has been created that yoga practice is certainly caused by for women. By featuring mostly woman in the media, magazines, and advertising, this myth is perpetuated. Yoga has been practiced for a large number of years by men, women and children of ages. Sadly many men shy from yoga feeling silly for only contemplating practicing it. Also men may fear feeling out of place going to classes which are female dominated. But that is not fair to anyone. Yoga is for all and all can benefit from it
Over-commercializing-Just one look at any yoga related material will quickly take the searcher to a global where s/he is drowned in specialty advertisement of yoga-specific clothing, jewelry, fancy props, philosophies, clubs, travel spots, retreats and events. But this unnecessarily monetizes a sacred practice. A number of these "things", devices and such do have their benefits and place but the cost and placement is indeed suspect.
Insisting yoga be done with a guru-A guru is someone that's undergone the right of passage, as they say, in a particular path in life. Somebody who has ascended to a host to wisdom and hence the capability to lead others that are inexperienced and students into the exact same passage of growth and learning. But can it be a complete necessity? Likely not. Having a guru is extremely personal and only you will know if and when you wish one.
Exotic retreats which are treated as requirements-Retreats are lovely and a wonderful way to have centered, relaxed, and rejuvenated. It is not really a requirement for finding spiritual enlightenment. Hence it's not really a fair or honest way to offer a very good priced luxury travel plan,
Featuring advanced poses as the best to attain to be always a true practitioner-The the fact is this 1 has to maneuver within the limits of ones own body. Some believe, and I agree, in the idea that it's healthy to push ones self beyond what we believe to be our imitations. Provided that we are careful and listen to what our body wants and needs, you will undoubtedly be living yoga.
Over-Sexualizing Yoga-One of the most interesting things that has happened to yoga is the over sexual-ization of it. Tantric yoga is extremely ancient and revered branch of yoga. It can be complex and interesting. But when you ask the average indivdual or execute a simple search on the web, it is considered and treated such as a sexual practice comparable to the Kama Sutra. Sexuality is an integrated part of Tantric yoga, as is breathing, meditation, right action, and so on. Sexuality is part of our humanity but doesn't need certainly to dominate it, otherwise we become unbalanced and belong to the myth trap.
Making it into competitive events-There is just one more movement to create yoga competitive events. These events would have persons competing for form, complexity, flexibility and a variety of learn acrobatic yoga. Perhaps it will be interesting and entertaining but I'm not sure it will be in the spirit of yoga's intention, which is whole and abundant living,
Certification in Yoga- To certainly be a yoga teacher, there's a certification process. That is quite different from being adept at yoga. Again, the ancients we learn about today who brought us yoga didn't feel the official certification for yoga procedure that exists today. But the method does exist and again has its benefits like ensuring postures are done properly, knowing a number of the philosophy, encouragement and guidance on certain issues. But ultimately when you see just how much it costs to have certified, it's clear the real reason this certification process exists. I respect the full time, money and energy certified practitioners have placed into getting to being yoga teacher certified. But are they "the" method to yoga salvation? No YOU are. You select that you want to find a way of living your daily life in a holistic, compassionate, balanced way and you are yogic. Only you possibly can make yourself a yogi or yogini not an item of paper of approval from an organization that is profiting from your own money.
Taking Yoga Back
Now that you've read of a number of the myths you are able to take control back and explore yoga to the extent that you wish. There's so much information available but weeding through the fluff will make the method easier. When you purchase a magazine and proceed through several pages of ads on yoga wear, studios, retreats etc., you are able to still enjoy the essence of what yoga is meant to be in a number of the articles contained in the periodical. Sure you may find a myriad of writers subscribing to the myths, but you will know better. At the very least we've the freedom to go through the material and choose what works for all of us and what does not.
I find exploring yoga can be so enjoyable and there so many resources to learn. Sourced elements of information on yoga include online streaming videos, books, yoga classes (there are free introductory or donation-based classes), Magazines, and Websites/blogs/newsletters.
I don't claim to be always a yoga master by far. However, I actually do know what I have discovered throughout these years and that yoga is available to everyone and anyone who chooses to explore it with an open heart and open mind.
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