Three Reasons Why You Hate Yoga
You need to find a style that works for you and chances are you haven’t found it yet.
The first reason why you hate yoga is because you had the wrong teacher.
Real talk: not all yoga teachers are created equal. Everybody has their style, everybody is for somebody but everybody ain’t for everybody. If you’ve gone to a yoga class and left feeling like yoga isn’t for you, it could have been the teacher. It could also have been the teaching style, or the language could have made the practice feel inaccessible. It could have been their tone of voice or their general energy and vibe. It could even have been the music that they played or the way they put the flow together just didn’t feel right for you. Bottom line is that you may not have hated the yoga, you just weren’t feeling the teacher.
The second reason why you hate yoga is because you had the wrong style.
A lot of people don’t know that there are many different styles of yoga it’s not just about that hot, fast, power vinyasa, can’t-catch-your-breath, tryin-to-get-to-the-next-pose. There is so much more than that! There is yin yoga where you’re literally on the ground the entire time, where you damn near have permission to fall asleep. There are other styles where the movement is much slower that allow your body to sit in a practice and get familiar with the posture like Kemetic yoga or Hatha yoga. Hardcore yoga like Ashtanga ain’t no joke, they really about that life.
The third reason why you hate yoga is the pace.
This is related to number two, but it could just be that the pace of the class didn’t feel good for you. If the pace was too slow – going out to my workout junkies and gym rats – some folks really need to get that adrenaline pumping. Maybe they want to a class that was just too slow and need to go to a power vinyasa class where the goal is to push you to your edge.
On the other hand, maybe the pace of the class was just too fast and you need a slower style of yoga – particularly for those who may be beginners. So start with beginner-friendly yoga, Kemetic or yin for example.
I’m gonna add a bonus here! The fourth reason you hate yoga is that you did it in the wrong place or the wrong setting.
I know for me, certain yoga studios just don’t feel right. A lot of these yoga studios are elitist, a lot of these studios are very white, a lot are racist - we’re going to call it what it is! It could have been that you were just in the wrong space and you didn’t feel comfortable. Perhaps because you were on-guard and didn’t really feel safe, you didn’t get to unravel enough to experience the practice the way it’s supposed to be experienced.
Maybe you were outside and the ants were crawling all up on your mat, or maybe you did it on the beach and the sane kept coming up onto mat and you’re sinking. It really may be that you were just straight up in the wrong space.
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What I would suggest if yoga really hasn’t been your thing and you’ve not been feeling it up to today, I would say to just consider whether you have the wrong teacher because you should try at least three different yoga classes and three different teachers before you say it’s not for you. Look for a teacher that you vibe with and whose teaching style you enjoy and you feel the music that they play.
Then you need to find a style that works for you – be thinking about what your goals are for your practice. Are you looking to build strength? Are you looking to find peace of mind and de-stress? Try to look for the styles of yoga that can really help you with the goals that you have and move with the yoga that is the right pace for you.
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All that said, if you like my teaching style and you like the way that I deliver and that I’m knowledgeable on my topics and you want to get into some yoga and give it another try I am going to SHAMELESSLY plug myself and say that I have a whole Online Studio including:
35 on-demand classes.
Two new classes added every month so the longer you’re a member the more classes you get.
You get to join me twice a month in live online classes.
Around 60 plant-based recipes, and
18 guided meditations.
I really designed the studio as a way to be a more wholistic experience and support you as you start to move your body, sweat, feel good about yourself. It’s important to have those recipes so you’re eating to support your health, the meditations are there to support your mental health and you get to be in community particularly with the live classes.