365 ~ 10 Lies You Hear About Yoga

It is about time I debunk some of these Yoga 'myths' & 'false beliefs'.

Do you practice Yoga? I would love to know in the comments 🪬🙏🏼

Love, Madison Mindset x

Transcript

Welcome And Free Coaching Offer

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello Magical Human, and welcome back to Madison Mindset the podcast. My name is Madison. I'm a yoga teacher, a mindset and spirituality coach, an absolute lover of all things, nature, being outside, being with the people that you love, and living as naturally as possible, going back to the basics, because that is the most beautiful thing in the whole world. It's so interesting to me that the basics of life, it's just the most beautiful parts of life, and yet we've somehow managed to create a life that's so different from the basics of life. So I'm all about teaching that and all about getting back to that as much as possible. So thank you for being here with me. I appreciate it. Before we get into this episode today, I want to remind you that right now I'm offering 30-minute free coaching calls. Those coaching calls are going to end, as if I'm not taking any more bookings for those by the end of February. So if you were thinking about coming and coaching with me, if you're thinking about getting that free 30 minutes with me to talk, to let me know what's going on, to see if I can offer some advice or guidance in some way. Now is the time to book because the sessions will be stopping at the end of February. So bookings close at the end of February. You can book into March and April if you need to, but I'm gonna close those bookings at the end of February. So now is the time. Go below, go and find that link and go and book yourself a spot. Because they're not gonna be coming back. Alright? They are beautiful energy for me to be able to meet you and I've met some incredible people that have been listening to the podcast for years what it gives. But it is important to you. So these sessions are not gonna be here forever. So it is your time right now to go down and book a session if you want to be up. For four weeks, go and book your session. I can't wait to see you there. In today's episode, I'm gonna be going through 10 whys that people tell you about yoga, about the yoga industry. I've been teaching yoga for six years, been a teacher for seven, been studying yoga as a student for ten. Amazing, it's not ten years now, crazy. And I've been an apprentice for three years, four years. So I have been learning yoga for a long time and I've been teaching full-time for three and a half years, consistent, full-time. That's what I do for my main job. Teaching. That's where I am right now, and in my yoga studio. It's beautiful. Obviously, I have this here because it's a massive room and it's not that great for the camera, but this is where I am right now. Okay, and this is what I love to do, what I love to share. Introducing people to yoga and seeing them go through the journey of learning what yoga is. Particularly in the West, we have some pretty weird ideas about what yoga is, and that confuses people. And it stirs people up, it makes people walk away from yoga, it makes people go towards yoga for the wrong reasons. So we're just gonna clear these up today. So I might stir some of you up if you know about yoga or if you teach yoga, because when I was first taught yoga, I was taught some of these things to be true. So it is important that you research, that you really look at things, that you really look at what yoga is so you understand what's going on. The first lie that people will tell you about yoga is it's about aesthetics. All right. This is a big thing. This is a new thing, all right? Fancy yoga mats, fancy yoga clothes, you know, fancy yoga setups, you know, it's got to look a certain way, it's got to feel a certain way, you know, all of that is not what yoga is about. Back in the day when people were practicing yoga, they're practicing in pajamas. Yoga was not, it was not a cool thing. It wasn't an aesthetic. They weren't yoga tattoos, yoga jewelry, yoga brands. You know, there wasn't all of these things. And while I appreciate some of these brands, for example, I always talk about Yogi Peace Club. They're my favorite. They're Australian, they're sustainable, they're they've got beautiful options. And if you like them, you can use my link, the code's below, right? I love them, love connecting with them. But what I'm talking about here is not, oh, I can't buy yoga clothes. It's the fact that we feel like our practice has to look a certain way before we can practice. You don't need a fancy mat before you can practice yoga. You don't need a yoga tattoo or yoga jewelry or any of those things. You don't need to be in front of the beach in the perfect lighting. You don't need to be in any of these places. When I was first starting when I was younger, you know, 18, 19, I was always like dragging myself to the beach or trying to find a cool spot right in nature to practice and trying to find flat ground and just being frustrated because it's not easy to practice on the beach. It's not easy to practice outside and it's very distracting. You know, my teachers always told me you practice yoga inside, practice yoga in a protected area so that the ground is flat and so that you don't have many distractions. But I thought that that's what it was. I saw magazines with girls doing handstands on the beach, and you know, it just you just assume that it's about that. That's not what it's about. It's not about waiting till everything's perfect. Yoga is about realizing that nothing's ever going to be perfect and we're gonna be content with that. But showing up for your practice is the number one most important thing. So do not worry if you don't have a yoga mat. I've used a towel before, I've used the ground, okay? Nothing wrong with the ground. You don't need these fancy things. All right. It's nice to have them, but even if you do have them, I went through a period of time where I owned like eight yoga mats at once. What am I gonna do with eight yoga mats? But I kept buying them because to me it felt like it made me look like I'm into yoga a little bit more. But it didn't serve me. It just cost my bank account and space. You don't need eight yoga mats. One yoga mat is fine. Use it until it wears out, then get another one. It's that simple. Do not allow your practice to become about aesthetics. I was wearing all the kind of yoga jewelry and rings and everything, and it's one of the first things my teacher told me is take it all off. How are you supposed to do these postures? How are you supposed to assist people if you've got rings and bracelets and all things getting caught in people's hair, getting caught in your own hair, you know, just that's not what this is about. We're not about that organic yoga, which is just the human in front of you, just yourself. That is all. So don't allow yourself to fall into the trap that yoga is an aesthetic to be made into some kind of pretty perfect thing. It is not that. And you will miss out on what yoga has for you if that's what you think it's about. Number two, the second lie that we are told is about flexibility. That's one of the most common things people say to me when they walk in for the first time. I ask them why they're here. They say I'm not flexible at all. I need to work on my flexibility. Flexibility is not what yoga is about. It is a side benefit for sure. You definitely work on your flexibility and your mobility in a yoga practice, but that's not the goal of yoga. Okay? The goal of yoga is stated in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras 1.2, Yoga Shitta Vritinaradaha. That means yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind. That is our goal, that is our purpose, even the us and other postures are meant to lead you towards that goal. Okay, so it's not about being flexible, it's about learning to keep the mind still, to keep yourself peaceful, whether you can touch your toes and fold in half or not, and anywhere in between. That's what it's about. So that's not the priority. Do you receive more flexibility from yoga? Yes. But what I find is you receive more flexibility when you no longer care about flexibility. I was a dancer for 17 years. I stretched all the time. I never got any more flexible. When I started yoga, it wasn't until I let go of the need to be flexible that I started to fold in half. I put that pressure off my shoulders, off my body, and suddenly I could relax into a fold. Ugh. So it's not about flexibility. Don't make it about flexibility. That's not what it's for. Okay, it's not the overarching goal. Will you receive some benefit? Of course. But often people walk in with the idea that they want to be flexible and they walk out with way more than what they thought they were going to. So keep your mind open. It's not about that. If you're not going to yoga because you're worried about your flexibility, it's not about that. Leave it at the door and walk in with the intention to still the mind. Number three, that yoga involves goats, puppies, or beer. Now, this is a crazy new thing that has been brought in where people are doing goat yoga, puppy yoga, beer yoga. Now, considering I just said that the goal of yoga is to still your mind, as in keep the mind still, keep focused. How is that gonna go with puppies all over you? How is that gonna go with goats? How is that gonna go when you're drinking alcohol? Alcohol is a yoga is not into stimulants, okay? We're not supposed to be taking any stimulants. So the fact that we're doing something called beer yoga is right against the original teachings. No stimulants. We're looking to get there by ourselves, we're looking to relax by ourselves, not by using something. So those practices, you know, even the goats and the puppies, like, well, I'm sure there's no harm happening to the puppies and the goats. Do they really want to be there? Because yoga is also about non-harming, ahimsa, not exploiting animals. Right? So do they really want to be there? Is that really what's good for the animal? Does the goat want to be there? And most of them are babies, right? We can't have full dogs, full puppies, like full, sorry, full goats climbing all over people. So there must be babies. So where's the mother? And is that stressful for the animals? All right. So these things go right against yoga. They're not yoga. They you might be doing postures that come from yoga, but it is certainly not yoga. So it is important to keep that in mind when we're looking at choosing a yoga class or a place to practice yoga. Number four, yoga is a trend. It is not a trend. I used to want to be a part of trends when I was younger. I used to, you know, try and be on trend, wear the right thing, say the right thing. I don't want yoga to be a trend. And you don't want yoga to be a trend. Yoga is over 2,000 years old. What happens when things are trends? Look at aerobics, right? Aerobics, that was popular when? Was it 70s, 80s? That was really popular then. Where is it now? It's gone. It was trendy, it's gone now. Look at high-waisted jeans. Okay, they were really lame. You know, they were a big deal when dirty dancing was a thing, when we were doing, you know, again, I don't know about the decades, I'm gonna guess 70s, 80s. I don't know. I don't know. They were a big thing, and then they were really lame. And then low-waisted jeans were the thing in early 2000s, 90s, and then it was back up to high-waisted. That's what happens with trends. It's not about the pants themselves, it's whether we like them as a group at the moment or we don't. It comes and goes, and we let those trends go. So things like goat yoga and puppy yoga are trends, they are not gonna be around in another 2,000 years' time. Why would we preserve those? Things that are trendy change. Look at scrunchies in the hair, right? They used to be a big thing, then they were lame. They're back now, people are wearing scrunchies again. So we don't want yoga to be a trend. Yoga has so much depth to it. It's about stilling the mind. This is why it's been carried through for so many years. That's why we're still talking about it more than 2,000 years after yoga's birth. We're still talking about it, we're still practicing it, we're still teaching the same things, chanting the same mantras, you know, we're still doing it because yoga will always be relevant, because it is always needed. It's needed now more than ever in a world where no one can keep their minds still, thanks to our phones and technology, making our attention span just go further and further down, it's plummeting, right? We need yoga now. So no yoga is not a trend. Don't do it because it's trendy. Don't stop doing it because it's not trendy anymore, because that day will come. But do it because it's here to teach you how to be peaceful. Do it because it's here to help your children be peaceful, to help the people be peaceful in 200 years from now, another 2,000 years from now. It is here to teach love, peace, and compassion. Do not let something that beautiful be a trend. Number five, yoga is for a certain age group, a certain group of people. Okay, yoga, the word yoga means union or to yoke in some translations. I like union as a translation because that implies everybody. Yoga is for everybody. It doesn't matter if you're in a wheelchair, if you're 80, if you're five. It doesn't matter. The moment someone cannot come to yoga, it can't possibly be yoga. Because yoga is for everyone. And I always try and keep that very clear when I'm talking to people about what classes do I want to try. You know, there's some beginners' classes and some intermediate classes, you know, are they too hard for me? I always say, just come. Okay? There will be things that you can do. There are always options. You can go at your own pace, but you are always welcome. There is never a situation where you're not welcome. You're always welcome. We have little kids in here, right? We bring people in. If they want to come, they're welcome. That's it. Yoga is for everyone, so don't let it make don't let anyone make you feel like it's not for you for whatever reason. I've got a lot of people, just people, humans, that need to practice relaxing, meditation, love and kindness. So why not give it a go? No, it's for everyone. Everyone is welcome. Number six that you're told about yoga, it has to be a certain style. Of course not. There are many different styles of yoga. All of the common yoga styles, you know, vinyasa, ashtanga, yenga, yin, all of these styles were derived from Hata Yoga, right? They all come from the same thing. It's like a family tree of styles. As I mentioned, goat yoga, beer yoga, they're over there. They're not part of this family tree. No, they're not part of it. All of those styles, they're all beautiful, they all have something for you. They all come from the original teachings. Even restorative yoga, I teach restorative yoga, and I love that for people. Chair yoga, I believe that those have real merit because they're still based in tradition. They're just making things more accessible and going about things in a different way. So, no, it doesn't have to be a particular style. It depends on your goals, what you enjoy. I love all the styles, I think they're all wonderful. My favourites are definitely a Shtanga, vinyasa, right? But everyone has their own feel. And I really feel like it depends on the day. If you're super stressed and super all over the place, then you probably need yin or restorative. But if you're feeling a bit lazy, can't be bothered to move, have an exercise today, go to Shhtanga. Go to vinyasa, go move.

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Right?

Styles Differ, Goal Stays The Same

Beyond Class: Yoga As A Life

Why Hot Yoga Can Harm

SPEAKER_00 15:44

But it doesn't have to be any particular style. Yoga is still the yoga sutras are still the yoga sutras. The goal of yoga is still the goal of yoga, no matter the style. So you know you're practicing yoga if the goal is clear. Still mind. Whatever method we choose, whatever style we choose to get there, fine. But the priority is the still mind. Number seven, yoga is a class. Yoga is not a class, yoga is a way of living. There are yoga classes that you can go to where a teacher will tell you about some of the teachings, where you'll get to practice together with a group of people and you get to learn. But ultimately, we're learning how to live our lives well, how to show up with love, how to show up with peace, how to stay calm and peaceful, and how to keep the mind still, even in difficult situations. We're learning how to be present, how to be mindful. All of those are life teachings. So you go into a yoga class, you go to a yoga retreat. It's easy to be peaceful at a yoga retreat. It's easy to, you know, show up in a yoga class. What's not easy is to bring that same yoga philosophy and adopt it in your life, in your relationships. And that's where the true magic happens. My life hasn't changed because of a yoga class. My life has changed because I have learned so many beautiful teachings that I have then applied to my life. And that has changed my life. Number eight, this is gonna stir some people up. Hot yoga is healthy. Hot yoga is not healthy. Okay, I've done a few hot yoga classes in my time, and my experience as someone who has low blood pressure, very anxious, you know, typically hot headed at the best of times. I got heart palpitations, I felt physically sick, I felt like I was gonna vomit, I felt like I was gonna pass out, I didn't do many classes, right? Later on, I learned that what hot yogurt is doing, you know, and they advertise it as being really good for flexibility. True, it is good for flexibility. However, the reason it's good for flexibility is because you're heating up tendons and ligaments, not muscle. Muscle doesn't work that way, okay? You're heating up tendons and ligaments. Your ligaments attach one bone to another bone. Your tendons attach muscle to bone. Now, one of the things they say about hot yoga is that it helps you with flexibility. How does it do that? It heats the muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Now, if anyone knows anything about the body, right? Your tendons and ligaments are not like muscles. Your muscles can expand and contract. Tendons and ligaments are kind of like a rubber band. The more you pull them, the looser and more slack they become. And then suddenly they don't work so well or they just snap. It is really dangerous to take advantage of your tendons and ligaments in the name of flexibility. That is going to lead to all kinds of injuries, reconstructions, all kinds of physical pain. You cannot get a tendon and ligament to bounce back. All right. So that is actually incredibly dangerous. Unbelievably dangerous. I the most flexible I've ever been in my life was in a hot yoga class. Why? Because I was heating up tendons and ligaments, which do not bounce back. Your body is trying to protect you. Do not find shortcuts or loopholes. There aren't any. You will pay the price later. Lie number nine. Yoga props are for the weak. You're an advanced yoga student if you don't need and to use any props. Wrong. Your props are there to support you, to help you, to make poses more accessible for your body, to teach you how to be in the right position and to relax properly. People think they're great if they don't have to pick up blocks, if they don't need a blanket, they think they're awesome. And every time I say you grab all things. Even if you don't touch the blocks, even if you don't think you're gonna need the blocks. First of all, I might teach a pose today that you will need your blocks for. You don't know what I'm gonna teach. Secondly, when you show up and you offer your body blocks, that's an act of self-care, it's an act of self-love. By grabbing those blocks, even though you think you don't need them, you're telling your body if you need these today, that's fine. You have the option. It's beautiful. It's support. And the amount of times that I bring props to people and put the blocks under their hands, or do whatever I need to do with the blocks to make them sit in the right position, the strap, you are much better off using a prop to get in a really beautiful, clean position than forcing it and you end up injuring yourself. What's the point of that? So your props are there to support you at all stages of life. Whether you're injured, sick, getting older, whatever's going on, they're there to support you and they should be there all the time. Your bolster and your blanket, they have value throughout the whole yoga class, but when you get to shivasana, there's no reward for not using your bolster or your blanket. Your bolster, when you put it under your knees, takes the weight off your lower back and hips and lets you relax more deeply. And what's the whole point of shivasana? To surrender the body weight. Pretty hard to do that if you're not comfortable. So there are no stickers, there are no prizes for not using your props. In fact, those are the people I'm often saying grab your blocks. They're often the most self-critical people, they're often the people who have no patience and just want to be in certain postures. They're people who have the wrong interpretation about yoga props. Use your props. There is no shame in asking for help from a human or from a prop. And finally, line number 10 yoga needs to feel a certain way. It has to look or feel a certain way. When I practice yoga every day, it is not the same every day. Some days I feel like I'm having a great practice. There's no pain in my body. My mind's super focused. Then the next day, my mind's all over the place. My body's sore. Today I've got a bit of lower back pain. I did something to my body yesterday. It certainly doesn't feel the same way as it did a couple days ago. It's just life. It's just part of life. Sometimes the mind's hyper focused. Sometimes you're all over the place. It doesn't have to look or feel a certain way in order for it to be successful. You are successful if you show up. That's enough. As soon as I sit down on my mat, I'm like, self five. I did it. I showed up. Now let's just see what happens. And allow it. Be content with the fact that practices go up and down, just like life going up and down all the time. There you go. That is 10 lies that people will tell you about yoga. If you have any questions about them, if you disagree with any of them, all ears, feel free to write a comment, send me an email, DM me. If this took some pressure off your shoulders, I hope that it did. Let me know. I appreciate you. Thank you so much for being here. Keep showing up for your meditation. Show up for your body. Show up for yourself. You are worth it. I'll see you in the next episode. Love.