REason: the power of the mind to think, understand, and form judgments logically
Maybe you have had this experience:
you are in the middle of a yoga practice
the teacher says something that just sounds a bit . . . off. Maybe its something like ‘you have to squeeze your navel to your spine here, in order to protect your back’. Or ‘this pose helps detoxify your body’. Or ‘any pregnant students should refrain from twisting’. Perhaps its a little stronger, such as: ‘if you’re on your period, don’t invert, there are associated risks’. Or, maybe something even bolder, such as: ‘this breathing technique can help avoid the development of cancer’, or ‘this pose can help alleviate depression’.
a little voice in your head goes - ‘wait - is that really true?’
Yoga is an extraordinary and deeply varied practice, that has existed in many forms for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Originating as a spiritual practice, or a way of being and doing in the world, in recent decades it has developed - for many, though not all practitioners - into a very physically focused practice. For many modern practitioners, a regular yoga practice forms part of a healthy lifestyle. It offers physical exercise and movement, with an emphasis on: breath-work, mindfulness, and in some cases spirituality, which gives many people a sense of rounded well-being.
The discussion of yoga’s history could easily fill an entire degree program, let alone a small website! But I think that it is important to acknowledge yoga’s rich and complex legacy here, because that can often be a concern that meets the ‘evidence-based’ yoga community. Are we doing the right thing by imposing modern scientific knowledge on an ancient system with deep roots in spirituality? There are complex conversations to be had here, especially concerning yogis for whom a yoga practice is a spiritual experience, not only a physical and mental one.
Having said that, the bulk of many modern yoga classes are focused on the physical body. There are certain things that modern science cannot investigate, but it certainly can - and has - vastly increased our knowledge of the human body and how it works. When yoga teachers are teaching about the physical human body, I do think it is our duty to teach accurately and in line with modern knowledge. That means: not fear-mongering about things that are not true; not giving an inaccurate impression of how the body works; not offering over-simplified solutions to complex physical and mental challenges.