Why I’m staying away from mainstream yoga
Yoga isn’t as amazing as everyone says it is
In high school, I never got into the yoga rage – partially because my parents told my it could be harmful to my body and because it seemed kind of stupid. Yeah, it helps your core but I’m into hard work and it just didn’t seem like the intense cardio I needed.
When I came to college, yoga was basically shoved into my face. My friends in CHAARG love it, so I did it with them. Then some of my other friends frequented Amazing Yoga and other places around Oakland, so I tried that, too. I honestly got into it because I wanted to take cool pictures of my body doing cool things, but now I’m more interested in how yoga can hurt you and how to do it properly.
When I went to Ecuador, my friends Larissa and Alexa led morning yoga a few times. It was really fun and made me more interested in getting into yoga… until we got to the hard stuff like hand stands and other body distortion. I realized that without the proper training and support, I could really get hurt. I only tried a headstand but I did fall several times attempting it.
And I did get this cool picture with the help of my friends.
There is a viral video going around about the part of yoga they don’t show you: the part where you can get badly hurt.
I visited a yoga studio in Shadyside and to say it was awful would be an understatement. The instructors don’t seem to really know anything other than how to call out positions and they go at a really fast pace so it is easy to twist your ankle or hurt literally any part of your body. Yoga is about core strength and patience, so they showed me that they don’t know how to do it. I was warned by my CHAARG ambassador that this place is not the place to go, but I had to learn that for myself.
I am on a new quest now. I want to find the perfect yoga instructor – one that is patient and takes the time to properly teach students how to get into the tough positions. One that will support you and make sure you do not hurt yourself. If you have anyone in mind, please let me know and I will contact them.
If I had it my way, I would have a fantastic yoga instructor accompany me to the Ecuadorian beach every day, but that is a fantasy.