To think that many yoga teachers are too “woo woo?”

[SnugShaker]

I’ve done yoga for a while and noticed that a lot of teachers seem to embrace a very spiritual, “new age” approach, with talk of energy, chakras, and healing. While I understand yoga has a deeper, more mindful side, sometimes it feels like it goes a bit overboard. Is it just me or do others feel that yoga teachers often focus too much on this “woo woo” stuff?

The thing that's intrinsically wrong about having a 'sanitised western version' as the pp puts it below is that it's not yoga. Don't call it yoga. Call it a stretch clas. But just thinking 'let's westernise it and take all that foreign muck out of it' is essentially whitewashing and cultural appropriation. It is offensive to a 5000 year old tradition.

I respect that people might not want to do a practice based on spirituality, but in return people that do practice it should respect that it is a practice based on spirituality and a rich history, and it shouldn't have to be sanitised so that it is palatable to them

Where are all these offended yogis?

I spend my week teaching science so I quite like my 1 hour of sitting in the dark surrounded by fairy lights, omming and shakraing and being gonged. It's escapism woo woo but it gets my thumbs up.

Sorry, chakra- ing

But not all cultures have the same attitude towards cultural appropriation.

In some, in fact, it's a sign of respect and honour to imitate or copy other cultures. It's a mistake to assume that others will be offended - it's infantilising. And others will take the approach that a little spirituality is better than none.

It's very presumptive to call out cultural appropriation on someone's behalf.

Whenever I heard of pople talking of 'woo-woo' I can't help but think of this...

m.youtube.com/watch?v=FdGQU92n4cE

As many have commented yoga has a philosophy and history. If you do yoga in a yoga centre more of the spiritual side is often incorporated but in a gym it isn't. I don't agree with others that you should do Pilates or Stretch classes if you don't want that side, lots of people who aren't devout Christians sing carols. Yoga poses are sequenced in many styles of yoga and the transitions are important. I do a lot of yoga and have tried Pilates but I don't like the Pilates, it's very different.
If you want a style with very little woo woo try Power Yoga, it's rarely done in yoga studios but can be found in gyms.

I prefer Pilâtes. Can't bear some of the sanctimonious guff that some yoga people come out with. Besides, it makes me giggle.

I’ve tried to get into yoga a few times over the years but we didn’t click.

The 3 yoga teachers I had were great at what they did, but, yes, 2 of them in particular were a bit ‘out there’ and I found it hard to fully take the classes seriously. Especially when one of them started talking about my feet being roots and to imagine I’m swaying in the wind, she then gave me an impromptu head massage when I was laying down. I know some people would love that, but I found it a bit weird.

There’s elements of it I do practice though - the sitting still, closing eyes and focusing on deep breathing, it’s great for the core and I really do feel like my mind is calmer afterwards.

I do Pilates twice a week and really enjoy it.

Surely it’s just about finding a teacher who suits what you need at the time and who can grow with you.

I’d say I started as the least woo person ever. I started yoga at least a decade ago, looking for a solution to a very specific physical problem, in the expectation that it may well take a good few lessons to get me sorted. i was very clear in my expectation.

In the years since, I have come to really value more and more of what I might originally have dismissed as ‘woo’. My teacher introduced elements in what I now think of as a way which was appropriate to my ability to internalise it. My body has been totally transformed and my mind too is very different, both can do many things I would not have thought possible.

if I had not ‘clicked’ with the teacher I would never have learned and experienced all that.

Hope you find the right teacher, when “the student is ready, the teacher will come”