What Yoga Actually Is (And What It's Not)

Feb 24

Yoga in Western culture has become... a lot. Body pump classes disguised as yoga. Instagram influencers doing handstands on mountaintops. Tight bodies. Upside-down challenges. "30-day transformations." The message everywhere: push harder, go deeper, do more.

And somewhere along the way, it feels like someone forgot what yoga actually is. On my journey, I had to ask myself: What is yoga to me? And is pushing it (constantly, relentlessly) really honoring the practice?

The answer? No. Not even close.

Yoga Is a Practice for Life

Here's what makes yoga different from almost every other physical discipline: you can do it your entire life. Athletes retire. Football players, basketball players, skiers—they get a few years (except Tom Brady, apparently). Their bodies can't sustain the intensity forever.But yoga? Yoga is meant to carry you through your whole human experience. If you're forcing it now, burning out your joints and nervous system, you won't have it later. That's not sustainability. That's not honoring your body. That's treating yoga like a sport instead of a practice.

What's Missing: Balance

There's a piece of yoga that's been lost in the Instagram version: balance. Sukha and sthira. Effort and ease. The intention to calm your mind, not just exhaust your body. Sometimes you don't need to arrive on your mat and push. You don't need the rush, the endorphins, the hyper energy. Sometimes you need the opposite. During my 300-hour training, I learned about brahmana and langhana: energizing practices vs. reducing practices. And I thought: That's it. That's what we're missing.

We're stuck in brahmana mode. Always building, always pushing, always more. But langhana - the slowing down, the softening, the reduction, that's where real healing happens.

I Think: You're Not Honoring Your Body by Breaking It

Going too deep in a pose, especially repeatedly over time, does more harm than good. Yogis with strong practices who loved splits and deep hip openers are now dealing with hip issues. People who loaded their shoulders for years in chaturangas and arm balances are facing injuries. If you're already amped up and stressed, overstimulated, running on adrenaline, and you keep choosing high-intensity, fast-paced classes, you're not honoring what your body actually needs. Especially if you’re (don’t hate the messenger) female. A mom. A coffee drinker. In the midst of as the internet loves to say: ‘generally gesturing all around about’ all this.

Yoga isn't always about the win. It's not about achieving the pose or proving you can do 90 minutes of intensity. Especially as you age. Why would you force a pose? Why would you choose stress and pain when your body is asking for rest?

What You Actually Need Right Now

If you've been living through the collective stress of the past few years (and you have), your nervous system is likely fried.You don't need more intensity. You need restorative. Foundational. Yin. Slow. You need practices that soothe instead of stimulate. That calm instead of hype. That honor where you are instead of pushing you toward some Instagram-worthy goal. Most importantly, you should know that Langhana practices - which to me include pranayama, slow holds, gentle movements, and deep rest/yoga nidra are still a workout. They're still challenging. They're just challenging your nervous system to regulate instead of constantly revving. That's honestly what most of us desperately need.

The Power Yoga Asana Will Always Be There

Here's the thing: when you're ready to ramp things up, the options are there. Power yoga. Vinyasa flow. The gym. High-intensity movement.

None of that is going anywhere. But right now? Take time to think about what you need before diving into what you think you should be doing or what's being sold to you in studios. Be selfish. Take care of your wellbeing. Listen to your body instead of the highlight reel. That's living your yoga.

My Invitation

If you've been forcing your practice and pushing through pain, chasing poses, treating yoga like a competition with yourself or others, I invite you to slow down. Try restorative. Try yin. Try lying in savasana for 20 minutes and doing nothing but breathing. See what happens when you stop asking your body to perform and start asking what it needs. That's yoga. Not the handstands. Not the splits. Not the 90-minute sweat session. The practice that meets you where you are. The one that carries you through your whole life. The one that reminds you:

you don't have to earn rest. You just have to take it.