Why I am Mad at the Yoga Industry
I got a message last week from a woman on Instagram who told me she always wanted to try yoga. She thought it would help her, but she felt intimidated to try it. It really saddened me to hear this, as I know that so many people feel the same way!
So often, the people who need yoga the most are the ones who feel intimidated to try it. I want people to know that yoga is for everybody and every body.
I offer yoga classes focused on yoga for women over 40, women with joint pain and arthritis, yoga for seniors, and just gentle yoga practices in general. You don’t need any prerequisites to do yoga!
The reason I am so mad at the yoga industry is because of the way it is marketed. Many times, when we see images of people doing yoga, we see pictures of young skinny women who are doing seemingly difficult poses. We see women standing on their heads, looking like pretzels - doing poses that need an extreme amount of flexibility. These dramatic photos are eye catching, but very intimidating!
90% of the time in a yoga class, this is not what you're doing. Obviously this depends on the class and the teacher, as some people like and benefit from this kind of yoga practice. However, yoga is not about these extreme postures. The essence of yoga is not even about the physical aspects.
The essence of yoga is more about increasing awareness of your body, about mindfulness and the awareness of the mind / body connection. Yoga is about living in joy and harmony with yourself and the environment. This is often not what we see in the media, but this is what I want everybody to understand.
Generally speaking, people who would benefit from yoga the most are the ones who are not particularly fit or flexible.
Marketing yoga to make you think you have to be fit, flexible and strong is a disservice to the industry and the public. If you're not those things, you'll benefit even more from the practice!
My 80 year old parents do yoga! As a matter of fact, my mom joins my Tuesday class every week.
This is one reason why I am inviting you to join my free yoga for beginners class on October 30th at 2pm central time on Zoom. This class is for people who have never done yoga or who are just coming back to yoga.
This free class will also include yoga poses for joint pain and arthritis. It will also be for people who do yoga regularly but who want to do a gentle yoga practice with me.
In general, I don’t teach a lot of extreme forms of yoga, as I prefer a gentle, slower style that is accessible to everyone. I also teach with a lot of modifications, like chair yoga and yoga with blocks.
For my upcoming free class, you don't need anything, not even a yoga mat, but it would be good to have a soft space on the floor.
Here’s the link to join my class! If you can’t make it live you can still sign up and get the recording/replay.
Join the KARIN YOGA LIFE Wellness & Yoga private Facebook group community! Our community is all about living healthy, happy and pain free over 40.
We share about how to navigate the changes taking place in our bodies and lives. We talk a lot about yoga, but also about keeping active, eating nourishing food, managing stress, and self care in its many forms!
And we have fun!
JOIN NOW.