If yoga is for everyone, then why are so many people arguing about the what the “right” yoga is?
Do you like to get really sweaty? Do you normally wake up at 4am? Do you prefer keeping your clothes on?
No, these aren’t questions from a Scientology intake exam. These are taken from a pretty cool infographic created by yogatrail.com that illustrates 20 different styles of yoga. Acro Yoga. Power Yoga. Nude Yoga. Yep – there’s something for everyone. Chair yoga & paddle board yoga are two that didn’t make the list, and I’m sure there’s more.
So why the survey on different types of yoga?
Because recently, a friend of mine ran into some sharp criticism for a blog post he wrote about how he teaches yoga to men. His style bypasses the spiritual messaging altogether in favor of a no-frills physical approach and in doing so, he is helping hundreds of men experience yoga (through poses like warrior and crow and even headstand) who otherwise would probably be sticking to solo workouts at the local gym. That’s a good thing, right?
Well, for some yoga purists that’s not quite good enough.
One indignant yoga teacher wrote: “Yoga is NOT just a physical workout and if guys or gals want to think of it that way then join a gym…The reason why yoga is so beneficial is the inclusion of mental attributes and cueing.”
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about this yoga teacher’s statement is that she takes it upon herself to define why yoga is “so beneficial” as if everyone experiences benefits in the exact same way. I’m no guru, but something tells me that harsh judgments and inflexibility aren’t quite in alignment with the spirit of yoga.
Several months ago, I started a business that delivers a new, athletic form of yoga designed to train student athletes on sports teams. We teach our style of yoga in a way that leans more on science than Sanskrit and favors kinesiology over Kumbayah. And while it doesn’t bypass the esoteric elements of yoga entirely (we place a heavy emphasis on breath control and lead eyes closed guided visualizations at the end of class) we cue the poses in a simple way that emphasizes the physical instead of the spiritual. Why? Because this is the best way to communicate with the teens and pre-teens that we are training.
For example, here’s a sentence from our teacher training manual for the chapter written by my friend, the yoga for men expert.
“Do not refer to the ‘heart’ unless you are specifically talking about the physical organ. Opening ‘your heart’ should never be said. Instead, say ‘open up your chest or stretch your chest muscles.'”
Perhaps those who rush to criticize an alternative form of yoga because it doesn’t fit with their yoga-view could use a gentle reminder that the word yoga itself means union. And if you’ve ever had to get down low in a chair pose, and hold it until your thighs feel like jelly, you know that it’s your mind, your determination, your breath, that can keep you holding that chair pose long after your body is saying “Hey, pal – it’s quitting time. What are you still doing here?”
In other words, if you are consistently challenging yourself by holding yoga poses and focusing on your breath, your body, and learning to quiet the “quitting time” voice of your mind – then more likely than not, you are cultivating strength and grace and unity. Do that long enough and you’ll start feeling really good about yourself. And from there, it’s no leap at all to become a better person to others.
Bryan Kest, a pioneering titan in the yoga industry who founded Power Yoga, wrote a popular blog post titled “What We Are Doing Is Not Yoga!” In it he writes “Actually, what we are doing is not yoga. Because of the nature of yoga, it cannot be anything one does – not asanas (poses), meditation, not anything. Yoga is the state of mind or state of being while performing the asana, pratayama, meditation, or any other endeavor…Any practice that cultivates self love and unity is a yoga practice, whether it’s a religion, an art, an experience, or some practice channeled through one’s self or another.”
So whether hot, acro, naked or floating in water, I think there’s one thing we can all agree on: the more yoga in the world, the better.
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Nathan Friedkin is a proud father of two sons, a yogi, and the founder of Maximum Performance Yoga® — complete mind/body workouts that crush convention, smash stigma and bring the badass benefits of power yoga to student athletes. Support the MPY Kickstarter campaign at www.500shirts.com Facebook: facebook.com/maxperformanceyoga Twitter: @maxperformyoga
Your “yoga for men expert friend” sounds suspiciously like a former professional wrestler turned yogi. 😉 You’re 100% right on this. As one of a relative minority of men who regularly partake in yoga (hot flow yoga once a week, plus another class that combines yoga/tai chi/pilates), the benefits I look for aren’t the ones most do. The more esoteric and out there the instructor is, the more likely I am to be completely put off by the class. Just tell me what pose you want me to be in, give me the options in case I forget them, and… Read more »
Well said, Outlaw. And no, this a DDP free story, but he’s got a good thing going and is doing awesome things. Like our page on Facebook so we can keep in touch. FB.com/MaxPerformanceYoga