The Myth of the Yoga Body

I hear it again and again, “I’m not flexible enough to do yoga”, “I’m too old”, “I don’t have an athletic body”, "I’m inexperienced!"

Yoga, in our western culture, has become highly influenced by the impossible ideals of the fashion industry and consumerism. This superficial imagery is propagated throughout the modern yoga world . You only have to any open any yoga magazine or scroll through instagram to find images of the perfect aesthetic; an ultra flexible, super athletic body with awesome biceps and a cute butt. Of course this creates an impossible ideal and perpetuates the externalised focus of yoga moving us away from the internal 'felt experience' of cultivating a practice of wholistic wellness and health that has been developed as a tool to help us heal and find freedom from suffering.

As yoga has become more and more commercialized and been adapted into western culture, we have unfortunately lost the essence of what yoga has to offer us - a rich system of health and wellbeing. Instead, we have become addicted to achieving the perfect physical form. This physically oriented, externalised focus of yoga can actually lead to new types of illnesses both physically and mentally.

Our modern marketing and media systems only add to the to the sexualised, over photo-shopped, perfectionistic imagery that infiltrates our subconscious on a subtle level, often highlighting the unconscious wounded parts of ourselves, Do I look ok? Am I wearing the right clothes? Am I good enough? How can I improve myself?

Hijacked by modern imagery and the marketplace of yoga, many people are striving for the perfect 'yoga body' instead of just simply loving and accepting their bodies where they are at.

We have come a long way, there is a continued and deepened discussion on the intersection of yoga and body image and it is more relevant than ever to ensuring that yoga is inclusive, non-harming, accepting and welcoming of ALL bodies regardless of gender, weight or size.
However, many yoga teachers and yoga students have an uninformed and superficial ideal of yoga practice and become attached and sometimes even obsessed with achieving an unrealistic and perfect body.
The last thing we all need is another reason for self loathing, body shame and not feeling good enough . After all, our relationship to our bodies is the longest relationship we will ever have.

As yoga teachers, bringing awareness to this subject is critical.

I personally, care deeply about my student’s experience 'on the mat' and hope that they walk away from my classes feeling a deeper sense of connection to self, a decreased sense of self judgment and acceptance and an overall sense of wellbeing - that has nothing to do with what their body looks like.

Yoga is an opportunity for us all to come home to our full and complete selves, to take up space, to be seen, to open our hearts and fill up our own lives form the inside out.