1. Myth: You have to be flexible or strong to do yoga (Or your body has to be a certain size or shape or gender to do yoga)

If you keep practicing yoga poses and stretching and moving your body, you might end up being more flexible or stronger as a side benefit. But your body doesn’t need to be any different than it is right now for you to do yoga. Literally EVERY body can do yoga. Anyone who can breathe can do yoga! Even if you can’t get up and down from the floor, we have a yoga or meditation class that you can do this week. Try it out today!

2. Myth: Yoga means putting your body in pretzel shapes - or standing on your head!

a) Pretzel shapes:
The ancient yogis spent time observing their own bodies. And after they had done a lot of basic stretches for a while, they didn’t feel any tight spots in those areas. As they kept exploring, the shapes got more complicated and “pretzel-like” to help them feel a stretch or get the energy moving in a “dusty corner” of the body. For most of us these days, we might sit at a desk a lot or drive a lot or stand in one position a lot, so we can get a huge benefit from just getting the main channels of our body moving – aka the simple poses. Some twisty shapes might be offered in some of Santosha Yoga’s classes – but there’s no need to bend like a pretzel to do yoga. We want to encourage you to bend in a way that feels good to your body right now.

b) Headstands:

While standing on your head can have benefits, it also has a lot of risks, so it’s not really something that we practice or teach at Santosha Yoga’s group classes. No pose is the “best” or “most advanced” or “most impressive” anyway. It’s way more important to FEEL what’s happening in your body when you practice yoga versus doing something that looks cool. That said – shapes that feel a little more challenging (like balancing on one foot or stretching your hips in a new way) can sometimes help your mind to pay attention better. You know when you walk down a hallway that you’ve been down a thousand times, how your mind spaces out? But when you go to a new place - you’re looking around, paying attention to RIGHT NOW. More challenging shapes can sometimes help you feel like it’s NEW and NOW. Staying present with your mind and body can be challenging, too – that’s why we call yoga a practice!

3. Myth: Yoga is just another kind of exercise.

What makes yoga unique is the intention to be more present, more mindful, more aware. We almost always use the breath for that. To notice - inhale move this way, exhale move that way. To observe how the body feels when it’s working a bit harder (like holding your arms up) and how it feels afterward (maybe some tingling in your hands or a change in temperature). We use the practice of yoga to help us slow down and notice what’s happening inside of us - in our body especially, and also in our mind.

4. Myth: You get the most out of a pose if you stretch to your maximum range.

I will always recommend tiny little bits of movement over & over again, versus one big stretch. Stretching to your maximum range can put wear and tear on your connective tissue, which is designed to hold your body together. We want your joints and ligaments to be healthy for your whole lifetime if possible! And while some of our muscles like to stretch, they also respond better to mild or moderate stretching over a longer period of time - again, this is why we call yoga a practice! Your muscles, bones, and connective tissues may respond and change over the course of weeks, months, or years. This is why our top recommendation is to find a few classes per week that work for your schedule and do your best to attend at least one every week - so you can get the long-term benefits.

5. Myth: OM is just something that yogis chant to sound spiritual.

In India, where Yoga was invented thousands of years ago, chanting is something that people do regularly - at home, at gatherings, events. Chanting can be a spiritual practice for some people. But EVERYONE can feel what happens in your own body when you chant. The Ancient Yogic writings do tell us that OM is the first sound that ever existed. If that makes you want to check it out for yourself, great. If not, no problem. I invite you to chant OM on your own or at a Santosha class – so you can see what the sound feels like in your body. Your instructor might offer chanting Om as a part of a Yoga Nidra, at the beginning of class, or the end – but whether you want to chant or not is always up to you (and you’ll generally be muted so no one will hear if you chant or not anyway). We honor and respect all paths, so there’s no need to “sound spiritual” at Santosha Yoga. We welcome you to join us just as you are!