If you’ve been keeping up with our blogs at Re:Gen, you’ll know that we love talking about Pilates. But sometimes we like to remind everyone that Pilates isn’t the only thing we do at our fitness studio! Re:Vive Yoga is one of the most popular classes we offer, and for good reason! There is a multitude of benefits that come from regular yoga practice.
Unfortunately, as big as yoga has gotten, many myths, falsehoods, and misconceptions have arisen among the general public. Depending on who you ask, you might get totally inaccurate information about yoga! Sometimes this is harmless, but sometimes this misinformation prevents people from even pursuing the practice. We think everyone should try yoga at least once, and that’s why we’re here to clear up some of the more common myths and misconceptions we see about the subject.
Myth: Yoga Is Just For Women
In the average yoga class, are most of the students women? Generally, yes. But does that mean men can’t, won’t, or don’t partake? Absolutely not! Yoga is an activity for everyone, and we’ve had countless men come into our studio and come out happier, healthier, and much more flexible.
Yoga, in general, tends to have a similar ratio of men to women that other fitness gym classes do. This is a common trend in the fitness industry — women tend to enjoy workouts that emphasize cardio, flexibility, and body control. Men, on the other hand, typically go for strength-conditioning workouts. Keep in mind this is a very vague estimation — many men love yoga, just as many women love hitting the weights.
There are plenty of notable athletes who have taken to yoga. Take Tony Horton for example, the creator of the popular P90X program — P90X has an entire workout dedicated to yoga! There are many more examples of prolific men in the fitness world who have embraced this type of exercise, so even if you’re the only man in a yoga studio, there’s nothing to be ashamed of!+
Myth: You Can’t Do Yoga If You’re Not Flexible
If you’ve ever refrained from yoga because you feel like you’re not flexible enough, ask yourself some of these questions.
- Does one need to be good at drawing to start doodling on a piece of paper?
- Does one need to be a musical prodigy to sit down and play piano?
- Does one need to have a six pack to do sit-ups?
We could go on and on, but the point is probably already clear — it’s crazy to believe that you can’t partake in yoga because of poor flexibility.
Yoga is a process which refines and improves you — your flexibility, inevitably, will improve over time. This allows you to do the poses with more precision and efficacy, but it doesn’t mean that you can’t do them at all before you reach that point. To assume that poor flexibility is a barrier to yoga is to assume that any other skill must be mastered before it has even begun.
Going back to the examples above, how does one get food at drawing? It’s a simple matter of fact that, when somebody starts, their art is going to be pretty rough — maybe so much that they want to quit. But with time, and practice, art skills improve bit by bit until they’re drawing or painting masterpieces. It’s exactly the same with yoga — it’s silly to think you have to be flexible to start, because flexibility is one of the very things that yoga is helping you to improve!
Myth: Yoga Isn’t a Serious Workout
Your mileage may vary on this one, because it depends on what you consider to be a “serious” workout. But the myth that we’re addressing here is the idea that yoga doesn’t work you hard enough to be considered a viable workout option.
The people who hold this belief usually acknowledge the fact that yoga has certain benefits such as flexibility training, but that it doesn’t work you hard enough to be a viable alternative to “real” workouts. These people tend to see yoga as a hobby, discrediting its value as a full-body exercise routine.
As it turns out, most of these folks haven’t actually tried yoga.
Attend one yoga class, and you’ll realize real quickly how untrue this sentiment is. Yoga challenges your body immensely, and you shouldn’t be surprised if you end up in a full-body sweat by the time it’s over. Yoga challenges your core and flexibility more than many other “real” workouts do, and also tests your muscles in ways that they don’t normally experience.
Ultimately, it just comes down to what you want from a workout. Is your singular goal to lose weight? Cardio will probably do a better job. Do you want to get cut and have an enormous upper body? Maybe hit the weights instead. But yoga is still hard work, and it’s more than worthy of being considered a true workout.
Myth: I Don’t Have Time for Yoga
Ah, the struggle of every single working adult — not having enough time to accommodate a fitness-based lifestyle. We’re not being sarcastic here; it’s extremely difficult for the average person to make more room in their schedule, and this is a common reason why many people aren’t as healthy as they could be.
We sympathize with this, and you can bet that every one of our yoga and Pilates instructors had to go through their own personal gauntlet to make fitness a regular and consistent habit in their lives.
The good news? Yoga is extremely easy to do in small doses! And if you have just an hour to spare, you can come to our yoga studio and get a great, structured workout during that time. Not only that, but we can give you tips and guidance on exercises you can do at home which take only minutes to do. Do enough of these throughout the day, and you’ll see a difference!
Yoga is one of those activities you can chip away at in short bursts. Are you watching your favorite show? Consider practicing your yoga poses during the commercial break! Are you feeling far too sedentary at your desk job? Some quick yoga is a nice way to break up the monotony. Seriously, practice some yoga in the hall or over by the window. A few minutes can help raise you heart rate and improve your mood.
Everyone has time for yoga! If you need a starting point, we invite you to attend one of our Yoga classes in our Prosper studio. We’ll help you find more ways to do quick yoga on the daily!
Yoga Classes in Prosper, Texas
Have any of the aforementioned myths in this list caused you to think twice about signing up for yoga? It’s time to cast the thought away and try something new! Countless studies of ours have improved in body and mind from engaging in yoga as a regular activity, and we just know you’ll love it. What’s more, at least two of your friends already practice. Ask around. You could invite a friend to join you at our studio, too. We’re always looking to get people like you started.
Stop by Re:Gen in Prosper to get started with yoga! Additionally, we also offer other classes. Pilates is our bread and butter, but we also teach spin and Barre classes. Contact us today!
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