Is Yoga Really Mainstream?

So, last week on Friday, Martha Stewart had her 2010 Yoga Show. I don't have cable, but watched a couple of clips from her show online last night and it pretty much discussed how yoga is becoming much more mainstream, how it is much more available to people and how accessible it is. By accessible, I mean that that there are so many styles of yoga that you can practice, anywhere from just meditation to some hardcore stuff like Bikram or even Ashtanga. However, next week is National Yoga Day on January 23rd and Yoga Alliance, the organization in the United States that pretty much sets the standards for yoga schools and instructors, conducted a survey about why more Americans aren't doing yoga. So, even though it may seem like yoga is everywhere and you see it in the magazines and on TV and maybe on every street corner, there is still a portion of America that it is not yet convinced of yoga's effects on the body, let alone the mind or spirit.

According to Yoga Alliance's survey, the three misconceptions that were mentioned is that yoga is religious, only those who are flexible can practice yoga and lastly, that yoga is not really exercise. I wonder if a survey was done in California only whether you would get those same responses, I highly doubt that. One of the things that the survey mentions, which I highly agree is that it is up to yoga practitioners to really get the message out there about what yoga has done for them and how it can benefit others. I think it is important for yogis and yoginis to tell their story of how they got into this practice so that for those who may be considering it can truly feel that it can be a practice that they can relate to. Do you have a particularly interesting story you would like to share about your first experience with yoga?

There were many other interesting facets to the survey and I encourage you to read it, here is the link: http://www.yogadayusa.org/pdf/YogaInsightSurvey2010.pdf

Something to consider for this week or whenever you choose to possibly do this; if you are a regular practitioner, consider taking a friend of yours who has never tried it or maybe who has their doubts and expose them to the wonderful journey that will unfold for them on their mat.

Happy Thursday :)