Has anyone here ever quit yoga?

[ALeafInCobra]

I have practised for over 6 years, mostly Iyengar yoga, and due to several personal and health related changes am considering winding it down and moving on to something more appropriate for me at this point in my life. I don't need advice at this point, and am happy with where I am at, so my post is really about others rather than myself, if that makes sense!?

I am interested in other people's reasons for quitting yoga, as I can't find much information about it online, apart from connections to injury. So I am just fascinated really, because yoga does seem to generate such a huge amount of positive press (because it's great!) yet rarely any discussion surrounding why an individual might choose to stop practising it.

For instance, I have an old friend who quit a few years ago due to not getting along with class 'politics' (she had a weird teacher, I think!) and didn't feel as inspired or comfortable with self guided practice at home.

A colleague quit recently to to suffering headaches and dizziness, even with supervised practice. As far as I know he has no medial issues generally.

So it doesn't suit everyone, yet there's often a sense of yoga not being able to have a negative impact (anyone who rejects it must be 'flawed', etc), a sort of evangelical attitude that perceives the practice as beyond criticism, so I would prefer to avoid that kind of discourse here.

Like any interest out there, it's a mixed bag of reward and frustration , and of course there are physical limitations for many practitioners. I am also sure that we all perceive yoga very differently, from how we approach it/use it to the philosophy integral to it.
For me, I seemed to just 'fall out of love' with it at some point, as my life and interests changed. I never practised yoga for fitness reasons, I was more on the meditative side of things, and have grown more interested in meditation without movement in recent years. So, a simple enough reason for me, but I would like to hear other people's thoughts and realisations if they ever quit practising.

Yeah, I quit after I developed severe diastasis recti after my second pregnancy. I'd been going to pregnancy yoga quite religiously in the last few weeks. I had a very large bump (4.5kg baby and polyhydramnios) and several times questioned whether I should keep on doing the downward dog (all a bit half arsed at that point anyway) and other forward bend poses. Yoga teachers all kept encouraging me. Afterwards the NHS physio said they found it hard to understand why the problem was so bad, 'unless you spent a lot of time in pregnancy kneeling with your stomach hanging down'. Made me feel that the teachers at the studio I went to didn't really understand the human body properly and were surfing along on received wisdom rather than really thinking things through. Didn't want to end up with serious back problems (already have scoliosis) so started swimming instead.

I found it boring and usually ended the session by almost falling asleep. For someone who grew up in the era of aerobic workouts, it was all too slooooooow.

Because Savasana is shit for anterior pelvic tilt and it's far more useful to strengthen and stabilise hypermobile joints than increase the incidence of dislocations, subluxations and tendon injuries.

No irritating elephant trousered numpties in the gym, either.

@BryceQuinlanTheFirst yes! I agree with this about yoga, particularly yin, it's hard, so are arm balances and inversions wich Is what I practice.

hides elephant trousers and leaves thread

Joking.
I have had negative, physical reactions from yoga but the vibe out there is that it is beyond criticism and can't be questioned. People who love yoga don't seem able to appreciate those who can't take to it. Not all, but some of course.

I think we are all different, so those who prefer meditation alone are likely more cerebral and less physically inclined. Some people prefer to find stillness through the body, some don't. No one is correct or incorrect.

The whole Namaste thing feels cheesy to me, taken out of its original context. The west is good at appropriating other culture's rituals and bending them into a new, distorted and commodified shape that rarely acknowledges or benefits from the original power or value of the ritual or system. I am not remotely religious but it feels incredibly inappropriate to call someone else's spiritual beliefs 'woo'.
I've heard the competitive attitudes of big studios in major cities (especially in the US) are quite toxic. Let's face it, it is a super-trend, and people become evangelical about health and fitness in the west, assigning morality to different food choices and pastimes.

I have moderately high pressure behind the eyes so have been told to avoid inversions from now on as they can worsen the condition and cause glaucoma. As far as I know, inversions can also create issues for those with heart problems, vertigo, ear pressure, sinusitis and high/low blood pressure. It is always worth checking things out if you are going to be spending a lot of time upside-down

We are also advised not to become passionate about playing wind instruments such as horns, tuba's and trumpets.

I do still enjoy many upright asanas but I would have to modify a lot of sequences. My interest just seems to have phased out of the years as new things interest me. There definitely is so much hype and misinformation surrounding yoga, I agree. There are articles online urging people with glaucoma to begin inversions for health 🤔and most teachers have no medical or physiological knowledge whatsoever. There's a lot of misinfo out there which does not present a balanced view of yoga. It is a form of physical exercise, so like any other, it can present complications. It is certainly not always safe, easy or accessible, and is as subject to trends and profit seeking as any other popular system.
I have always been amazed at the claims of longevity attached to yoga, yet those who espouse them claim to be opposed to 'woo'. If the trend in the West has only been thriving for 20 years, then nobody knows what effect yoga alone would have on lifespan, which will obviously include general health, diet, genetics and other factors.

There are plenty people over 100 yrs old in Sardinia and Okinawa Island who enjoy life outside of modern culture, with gentle stretching, gardening, enjoying the community/friends and cooking good food. Strangely enough yoga isn't a super trend there, and the largest contributing factor to their longevity is more than likely the lack of stress and alienation. No amount of Lululemon and yoga in the West is going to achieve that.
It really bothers me to think people believe this one practice (which can't be compared to traditional Indian yoga) is a ticket to immortality and perfection. But it sells pretty well on social media.

I found it boring, some of the poses hurt my back, and my large noobs for in the way of the poses. I preferred BodyBalance, which is more varied and done to music. I also regularly do Zumba, which I love!

I'm like @Bhu I came back to it during a really tough period, and it was the only thing that shut my mind off from my RL.

Even now, I like to go to the studio (it's not the same at home) to escape my life a bit.

I don't understand the comments about it building flexibility not strength though - how is this the case? It does strengthen the shoulders, arms and glutes/legs doesn't it? And possibly the core too although that's quite hidden for me. (I do weights too so it's hard to tell, but I've definitely got stronger).

I'm lucky with my studio in that it isn't horrible or bitchy or cliquey and I like the teachers there, but I stopped the first time when I moved cities and couldn't find a studio I liked as much.

I loved running more, but crap knees have put a stop to that.

I didn’t say it builds flexibility over strength. I said it ‘prizes’ flexibility over strength. So if you’re super flexible it comes easier to you, but you may not necessarily have the strength to back that flexibility, especially at the end of the range.

You can build strength doing yoga. But most of the advanced poses are only available to those super flexible or naturally hyper mobile. This isn’t a good thing.

Pilates is much more about strength. You don’t need to be super flexible to do the advanced work but you do need to be strong.

I have done Hatha yoga for the better part of 4 years 2-3 times a week. While I did enjoy the relaxation and the flexibility that came with it, I also experienced negative side effects, such as anxiety, anger and depression. It also continually brought up past memories of unpleasant experiences I didn't want to re live. My mother has paranoia schizophrenia, so mental illness does run in my family, so I think I'm sensitive to moving the energy through my body. So I quit, and I replaced yoga with cardio and kettlebell. And I still stretch, but without the yoga. And I feel 100 percent better. I also don't feel any less "authentic", which in hindsight I think is just a term used to sell Lululemon gear. All the best going forward! And you can still practice mindfulness without yoga😊

I stopped it because it was ridiculously stupidly expensive, where I live in London. you need to be rich to be able to afford it

needless to say, I just do exercises via YouTube video instead

I quit yoga classes because yoga people tend to be quite bitchy, and classes are expensive and pretentious. Mind I'm thin and bendy so not about self consciousness, I just think the Lululemon competition isn't enjoyable enough to justify the cost, slight commute, etc.. I feel content doing Yoga with Adriene etc

Yes because it was causing long term pain and I realised after doing some research that it wasn't a good exercise form for me to do (hypermobility).

Aren't elephant trousers Thai/Southeast Asian, not Indian? 😅

I practiced Bikram for around 20 / 25 years buy sadly the studio closed around 7 or 8 years ago so I've stopped. I really miss it, and the feeling at the end of a lesson but can't find an alternative hot yoga.

I've never been attracted to other yogas am I missing out?