Different strokes for different folks

While browsing a well-known social media discussion site recently, I read one of the funniest descriptions of yoga I've yet to come across on an 'unpopular opinions' message board. It started by saying: "Yoga is incredibly overrated, undeservedly trendy, and nobody actually enjoys it." it continued with: "Nobody could genuinely enjoy the act of freezing in horribly uncomfortable positions until your muscles shake from strain." The post gave me a good laugh, I could empathise.

One another message board, someone else described yoga by declaring: "Yoga makes me feel beautiful... When I do warrior poses, I feel so powerful." Admittedly, that post felt a lot more relatable.

You would be forgiven for thinking that these two people were describing two very different things. Yet, they both wrote about yoga from their own experiences and then shared their unique interpretations. It is these differences of opinion which exemplifies how diverse we all are, and in a wider context, highlights how we all experience things differently, even if they are perceived to be the same thing.

I love practicing yoga, especially yoga asana, and I like to think I teach it with abundant enthusiasm. Though, one thing I am continually mindful of, is that I do not force all the people around me to also share the same passion for yoga that I have. In fact, I do not mind if they barely even give yoga a second thought, because I appreciate that we are all unique. As the saying goes, 'Variety is the spice of life'... and life would certainly feel bland if we were carbon cut-outs of one another and exactly alike.