Yoga: Myths 5 & 6

Myth 5: If it’s not just Asanas, it’s boring Philosophy.


Na-ah. You’re way off track. True it can be called the philosophy of life, it is related to many scriptures and… philosophies, but this ‘philosophy’ is actually practical. Like I said before, you can compare it with marketing and management philosophies but the difference here is that it is not just limited to making money or corporations. It’s about your life and getting to know yourself.

In fact, everything Yoga talks about is supposed to be ‘practiced’. There are no clever one-liners that you would store away in your head. It is to be experienced. When you experience, you see the results yourself.


Myth 6: If you know how to do it, you’re an expert.

Only bookish knowledge of Yoga does not help. There are many dos and don’ts that have to be considered, with regards to your physical and mental limitations. I know of many people who have harmed their body through practicing things they know about only partially.

Guidance from an experienced teacher or guru is very important as they know your capacity and make you practice accordingly.

There are many teachers who have a schedule packed with private classes. They do very well, are in demand and earn a lot, but they do not have time to practice Yoga themselves. I believe that those who do not practice do not know the subject. So do your research well before joining any class. Do not join just because the class is fun and popular.

Also note: Yoga, as I said earlier, is about lifestyle. Only practicing one part of Yoga such as asanas is not that effective. For example, acidity is generally caused by diet, wrong lifestyle and stress. If you just change your diet, it will not be effective unless you try to calm the mind and change some lifestyle habits.

So if you’re thinking of joining classes just for asanas, pranayamas or meditation, think again.