I’m Not “The Yoga Type” and Neither Are You
The yoga ideal is a harmful marketing illusion we’ve all bought into.
No one ever told me that yoga wasn’t for me. They didn’t have to. I could see, clear as day, that I wasn’t the type.
I wasn’t a thin, flexible woman in expensive yoga gear.
The classes — large groups of fit, bubbly, bendy people — were too intimidating and cliquey for me.
As an introvert, attending a one hour yoga class is about as close to torture as it gets. Further evidence that there was no place for me in the yoga community.
I didn’t think I could do yoga or that I would even enjoy it. Why would I? The marketing message is: look like this, live like this, wear this, and you’re in.
Otherwise, you’re an outsider.
For years, I avoided yoga because I believed that myth.
Busting The Stereotype
In April 2020, after years of neglecting my curiosity, I started practicing yoga at home. I got a cheap yoga mat, threw on my tightest workout clothes, and found a beginner video on YouTube.
I didn’t do well at first. Nothing about the scene was graceful as I twisted and groaned and rolled around, trying to get into every new bendy pose.
But every week I got stronger. I became more graceful and flexible and started to see what all the hype was about.
The first time I experienced a deep, restorative Savasana after a hard yoga session, I knew yoga was for me. I knew if I could feel this way about yoga, anyone could.
The Desire to Fit In
As my flexibility and balance improved, I saw glimpses of myself fitting in with the rest of the yoga community.
I knew I would never go to an in-person yoga class and mingle with the other white women in their Lululemon matching sets and stop for a green juice after practice. It just wasn’t me. Despite that, I felt I needed to become more like the (mostly fictitious) “yoga type” that dominated the industry.
But here’s the thing I finally figured out: the “yoga type” is a myth created by yoga marketers and perpetuated by us, the consumers. They planted the seed, and we did the rest. We bought into the yoga aesthetic.
But yoga isn’t an aesthetic. It’s not a still image of 25 women doing Warrior II in a brightly lit L.A. studio. It’s not for just one type of person with one type of body and one type of lifestyle. We equate the aesthetic with the practice because that’s the imagery that sells — it’s what the yoga industry has fed us for years.
The toxicity of it affects us all, on or off the yoga scene. We judge people who fit into the yoga stereotype because they’re too cookie-cutter. They’re expected to perform a certain way, wear certain brands, and live a certain lifestyle.
People who don’t fit into the stereotype feel discouraged from participating because they don’t look like they belong. They believe yoga isn’t for them, so they don’t try it even if they might be interested. If they do try, they feel obligated to change themselves, to go to classes even if they feel uncomfortable, or to buy expensive yoga gear. They deal with feelings of inadequacy and constantly strive to prove they belong, even to themselves.
All that is counterproductive. Yoga is about the joy of movement. It’s about peace and strength and resilience, not aesthetics.
The question “how can I fit in?” must become, “why do I want to fit into that unrealistic stereotype?”
The Gatekeeping Problem
People have told me you can’t learn yoga properly if you don’t go to a live class, that you’re not getting the full yoga experience if you practice at home. This is gatekeeping, and it’s not helpful.
It might be true that you miss out on certain aspects of the yoga scene if you don’t go to classes, but there’s no one right way to experience and practice yoga.
Some people feel energized in classes that allow for community and socialization, but others feel uncomfortable.
Some people can afford to go to classes and others don’t have the disposable income for it.
All are valid, and all should be respected.
We are all allowed to practice yoga on our own terms. At home, virtually, in class, on the beach, with lots of cursing and struggling, in bike shorts and a tank top, for ten minutes or three hours, once a week or every day.
All yoga is good yoga.
Final Thoughts
Is the yoga ideal something to strive for? I don’t think so. Instead, we should expect the yoga community to reflect the reality that yoga is for everyone.
No matter where or how you practice yoga, no matter your gender, what your body looks like, or how much money you have, you’re worthy of yoga.
We’re all outsiders, and we should be proud of it.
For body positive yoga content every week, follow Savasana Today.
Next week I’ll be talking about yoga clothing — brands, sizing, and my recommendations if you’re struggling with the dreaded rolling and pilling of your leggings during yoga.
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