The Labels of Yoga

The labels of yoga are often misunderstood. I’m not a fan of labeling yoga classes as advanced, intermediate, or beginner.  Even though, once upon a time, I labeled my classes Chair yoga, Level 1 and Level 2.  But we don’t know, what we don’t know, until we know it and make a change, right? 

When we think to label yoga, we are generally labeling the asana or movement practice. The more bendy and difficult the postures, the more advanced. We think of the “advanced yogi” when we see the images of yogi-contortionists in near-impossible poses for most of society.  What’s hidden behind those images is the amount of pain or damage that deep stretches have caused those so called “advanced” yogis. This causes an aversion to yoga for most individuals with the idea, “I can’t do yoga because I’m too ____________.”  Or an attraction to yoga because the person is competitive, wants to challenge the body, or is hypermobile and wants to move into a shape that they can “feel something.”  

Yoga has become a performance in our country.  It has become the focal point of many jokes in our cultures tv shows, movies, and social media videos.  And when someone in pain is suffering and has been told by a doctor to try yoga, they head off to their first free yoga in the park or $10 yoga class at a studio somewhere and get more than they bargained for; a class that either helps or hurts them.  This make-or-break moment could be the first and last time a person in pain will ever attempt yoga.  

Yoga Recommendations

People may be led to a yoga class by a white coat that they trust and to a class that is cost appealing to them. What the doctors and the person practicing yoga don’t know, is that there is a wide array of teachers, styles, lineages, and training that are available when we use the term “yoga.” And in most cases, a class you attend in the US is heavily movement based and not necessarily healthy for the general public in pain or with chronic illness.  Yoga is much more than these movements we see and are familiar with.

What yoga encompasses

Yoga encompasses a practice of philosophy, movement, breathing, and quiet reflection or meditation.  Yoga is a lifestyle, a philosophy or way of thinking, it is a state of being. It is a lifetime’s work, not a one-hour class, once a week.  Yoga is a daily practice of living in the present moment and following a set of ethics and guidelines to live your best, most purposeful life. 

I’ve been practicing yoga for 20 years and been teaching yoga since 2013. That’s over a decade teaching these skillsets and the yoga philosophy.  I write about yoga and pain and teach workshops and retreats. My personal practice is often hours of my waking day.  Do I consider myself advanced?  Absolutely not. The time in itself doesn’t make me advanced. Would I say some of my teachers are advanced? Absolutely. I have worked diligently to have a daily practice that varies by the day and how I feel. At times it looks like breathing, meditation, walking in nature, writing or journaling, mindfully listening to a friend who is hurting, sitting with myself in contemplation of my life and goals, exploring my body through somatic movements, and on the rare occasion it might look like yoga we see in classrooms around the US.

Now What

We must be willing to change our own personal practice to serve the needs of our body and mind on any given day or even moment to moment instead of contributing to the ego through causing ourselves more pain and suffering.   We must let go of the labels of what we think yoga is or should be and let yoga be uniting body and mind in an effortless practice of mindfulness in all things. Not just the moments we spend on our mat. The learning and growing and changing we are doing as we move through life with awareness is yoga. Be yoga, not do yoga.

A certified yoga therapist can help you on your way to sustaining a more consistent lifestyle conducive to health. Ask me how! Meditate with me for free. Schedule a free consultation. Take a look at my on-demand library of common issues yoga therapy addresses. I offer tele-health, in person, and private yoga retreats tailored to your needs and abilities, meeting you where you are on your journey.