What Yoga is – and Isn’t

Many people who could benefit from yoga shy away due to misconceptions, who can do it and who shouldn’t. You could search google and read for days about what yoga is, its roots and origins, and the philosophical system. Here I keep things simple, explaining what yoga is, what it isn’t, and why anyone can benefit from the practice.
What Yoga is:
A holistic system for mind-body unity: Connecting with your true self through your body, asanas, breathwork, meditation, self-awareness – understanding your true nature. “Yoga is the perfect opportunity to be curious about who you are” Jason Crandell. Yoga means union – a path to unite mind, body and spirit. A regular yoga practice strengthens and calms the nervous system.

Inclusive – For everyone: “If you can breathe, you can practice yoga” There is no such thing as not being strong, fit or flexible enough for yoga – this just means you need yoga even more! People can be terrified to take a yoga class because we’ve been brainwashed by society’s standards of beauty. If you have a body, you have a ‘yoga body’! Yoga is not performance or ego based. It is about internal feeling and awareness, not outward appearance or showing off. Yoga meets you where you are.

Rooted in ancient Indian philosophy: Yoga is an ancient practice with deep roots, thousands of years old; it isn’t just a trend. It is not about modern fads or influencers doing handstands or the splits! Yoga originated in India over 5000 years ago and has evolved over time, into what we know as modern yoga today, with yoga being introduced to the West around 1900CE.

Yoga is an Eight-Limbed Path: Asana, the exercises (the poses) most of us think of when we hear the term ‘yoga’ is just one part of this path. The Sutras of Patanjali, written over 2000 years ago, contain the eight limbs of yoga and outline the path to Samadhi, or enlightenment. Patanjali was an ancient sage in India and the founder of Ashtanga yoga.

In Patanjali’s Sutras, the goal of yoga is the quietening or stilling of the mind, leading to self-realisation where consciousness becomes aware of itself. By quietening the mind and detaching from fleeting thoughts and emotions, yoga provides clarity to understand your true nature, rather than identifying with external achievements or temporary feelings.

Ethical living and mental focus: Yogis practice non-violence, non-attachment. Yoga is also about how you carry yourself, how you treat others, how you show up in life, being present and being fully you. Yoga helps clear the mental clutter, allowing you to see things more clearly. You are cultivating the spiritual muscles in a way that can make you happier, less anxious and more at peace.

What Yoga Isn’t:
A Religion: Yoga is a spiritual path, not a religion. Open to people of all faiths or none. While the roots of yoga are formed in India, a place where Hinduism is the primary religion, yoga itself is not a religion; it is a practice. Anyone can practice or not practice any religion and practice yoga. Yoga does not subscribe to any specific deity or worship.

Just for Women: In the West there is a misconception that yoga is for women. Yoga was actually a male dominated practice in its early beginnings, and still is in some parts of the world. Some of the most world-renowned yoga instructors are men.
All love & light: Yoga is also speaking your truth, messy action over perfect inaction, integrity and authenticity, facing yourself – the masks, the fears, the fragile identities you hide behind. Yoga is not about doing, but about being. Most of yoga is about life off the mat. Yoga is not about escapism, or disconnecting from the world, it is about facing life more clearly.
Always calm & zen: Nope. Life is messy, spiritual does not mean perfect. Yoga can bring up buried emotions and inner resistance as part of the process. We get on the mat through the good and bad.

For people with expensive clothes & a fancy mat: Absolutely not. We do not need matching leggings sets and the latest equipment. Wear anything that makes you feel comfortable and you can move your body in. We have mats and supply any equipment you need. People who attend yoga come in all shapes, sizes, ages, backgrounds. No judgement here – all are welcome. If someone is only there to show off the hottest yoga gear, they are probably not getting the point of what yoga is about.
Just like anything else out there, many misconceptions surround yoga and what it actually is. Most people who give it a shot end up falling completely in love with the practice. Why not give it a try? Your nervous system—and your hamstrings—will thank you for it.

“Your mat holds space for every version of you. Strong, tired, joyful and broken”

Sophie Sykes