Even people who haven’t tried yoga seem to make a lot of assumptions about it.
(We could make a terrible Dad joke right now and include the punchline to the classic “You know what happens when you assume” joke, but we’ll spare you.)
Yoga is portrayed a certain way in the movies and on TV, so we can’t exactly blame anyone for having certain preconceived notions of what our practice and community is all about. The fact is that some of those assumptions do hold true at certain studios, making those arguments even stronger. Things get tricky, though, when people who haven’t experienced yoga or haven’t heard about new kinds of yoga — like ours — apply their preconceived notions to the entire yoga world. Because… guess what?
We’re not all the same.
There are six misconceptions that drive us especially crazy. Like, this kind of crazy:
Keep scrolling for all of the details (and please, please never say these things to us again).
1. “YOU HAVE TO BE FLEXIBLE TO DO YOGA.”
People see photos of yogis wrapping their bodies into complex positions and assume that anyone who’s ever maneuvered into such a pose started out with the necessary flexibility. Oh, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Yoga is a great practice to help you become more flexible, so even if you don’t kick off your practice with super bendy limbs, you’ll notice an increase in your flexibility over time. Honestly, there are plenty of people who love yoga and never become flexible enough to get into those complicated poses you’ve seen in photos — but that’s not really the point. The point is to stretch your muscles so you feel healthier with every class.
2. “YOU HAVE TO BE SUPER SPIRITUAL TO BE INTO YOGA.”
This, people, is exactly the mentality that we’re trying to change. We know that there are plenty of yogis out there who tie their physical practice directly to their spiritual beliefs, and while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, we bulldoggers want to prove that it’s not the only way. At bulldog, for example, there’s no chanting or visualization or prayer — just an intense workout that gets you into your body and having fun. We like to think this takes the pressure off and makes it easier for you to show up on the mat.
3. “YOGA IS A QUIET PRACTICE.”
Yeah, no. We think it’s pretty obvious that music is a pretty big deal to us, but if you visit us for a class online or IRL, there will be no mistake about how much we love our tunes… and how much we love ’em played loudly. Our leaders spend so much time putting together kickass playlists (which you can check out at home on our Spotify channel!). Why wouldn’t we turn them way, way up?
4. “YOGA ISN’T A TOUGH WORKOUT.”
We could literally write a whole blog post disputing this one — oh wait, we already did — but suffice it to say that if you think yoga is a quasi-workout that doesn’t make you sweaty or leave you sore for a few days, you’ve obviously never met one of our amazing leaders. We spend the vast majority of every class with our core muscles totally engaged, using our body weight as resistance, and moving through various lunge poses. Add in some heat and the motivation that comes with being in a room full of crazy supportive people who want to see you be your best, and you’ve got yourself a great workout.
5. “IT’S AWKWARD TO TRY YOGA WHEN YOU HAVEN’T DONE IT BEFORE.”
It’s never easy to feel like the only person in a full room that’s never done the specific thing that you’re trying to do, or to show up to a brand new place and try to figure out how things go. Standard newbie jitters aside, though, we like to think that some types of yoga (bulldog yoga, duh) are anything but intimidating. Maybe it’s the gangster rap playing or the actual bulldog running around (hi, Gracie Jane!)… but whatever it is, we think you’ll feel pretty comfortable in our spaces. And what’s more comfortable than trying yoga for the first time from home with one of our online classes? Peace out, awkwardness.
6. “YOGA ISN’T FUN.”
You bite your tongue! Obviously, our community is about as fun as it gets. The way we do yoga? It’s a total blast.
What do you say to people who have these misconceptions? Tell us on Facebook + Twitter!
***You can get the bulldog experience anywhere, anytime with our online classes — and make sure you check out our full line of bulldog swag, too! Don’t forget to subscribe to the bulldog blog so you can get e-mail notifications about every new post.***