Often, I am asked the question, “what is yoga?”
As a certified yoga teacher and exercise physiologist I love answering this question, because yoga is so much more than a form of exercise. Yoga is one little word with so many approaches and interpretations.
The word yoga means “to unite”, to bring together all the parts of you – thoughts, emotions, body and heart to the present moment. The purpose of the movements in yoga are to prepare your body for meditation, so your thoughts are less likely to be distracted in the past or future when meditating. Five thousand years ago, it was understood that for our thoughts to calm we need to move first.
Therefore, the movements in yoga are not about making your body look a certain way. The power of the poses are in the mindset with which you do them. Forcing your body into a position it is not ready to do and toughing it out, or criticizing yourself if you cannot do it well, is not yoga. Moving your body into a position with the intention of listening to it, being kind to it, by finding the level that is just challenging enough to hold your attention in the present moment is yoga.
Depending on how you do those movements, yoga can improve stamina, strength, balance, mobility – we can’t really put it in one category of fitness because it depends on how the movements are used.
But it is all yoga as long as you are moving in the present moment as an act of kindness to yourself. It does not matter if this is done in a chair or on a yoga mat . It does not matter if you sweat. It does not matter if you are very flexible.
“You can’t fail at yoga” is what I tell all my classes. I find we need the reminder often because we tend to assess our ability to do an exercise based on our “performance”. Because yoga is based on your mindset as you move, you cannot fail. Yoga reminds us to shift our attention to how it feels on the inside, not how it looks on the outside. Sometimes that shift happens easily, sometimes it takes a constant reminder to come back to the present moment and practice listening to your body. This is why yoga is called a “practice”, not a “perfect”.
If you have ever felt like you “failed” at yoga, it was not yoga. There are many yoga videos and classes that are designed to work with your body by using a chair or modifying poses to find what works best for your body right now. Seek an instructor that teaches yoga by the true definition of the word.
Next blog we will answer “is yoga good for weight loss”?
Keep Moving, Be Well
Janet
These weekly blogs are general guidelines. These guidelines apply to patients who are cleared by a physician for the type of exercise described. Please contact your physician with any concerns or questions. Always report any symptoms associated with exercise, such as pain, irregular heartbeats, and dizziness or fainting, to your physician.
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