7 Crazy Yoga Myths Debunked ...

One of the most common yoga myths involves flexibility. You don't have to be flexible to benefit from yoga. Yoga has many beginner poses that help you build flexibility over time. The idea is to control your breathing, calm your mind and encourage discipline, much like martial arts. So what if you can't touch your toes? After spending a little time doing poses on a regular basis, you'll discover you actually are flexible.

Yoga isn't a religion on its own. It's often thought of as a spiritual experience. The poses date back thousands of years and were designed to help a person feeling more balanced. When done correctly, you feel more whole as your spirit, body and mind come into perfect harmony. It might seem like a religion, but it's not. You can still practice any other religion you want or none at all. Yoga won't get in the way.

Think about most yoga classes you see. How many guys are there? Yoga isn't a woman only activity. Grab your boyfriend and drag him along. Guys can benefit just as much as women. Besides, shouldn't he see it as more than just something involving form fitting clothes and sexy poses? Show him why you love it and he'll soon be addicted.

I admit, some of the poses do look a little weird. However, once you're in the zone, you don't notice anything but your own breathing and body. Besides, if you're in a class, everyone's doing the same thing. You don't look funny. You look like a person who's serious about bringing a better balance to their life. Who cares what others think? As long as you enjoy it, do it. Even if you're a beginner, just relax and do the poses as best you can.

Believe it or not, you don't need to spend a fortune to do yoga. Buy a few videos geared towards beginners or tune into free classes on YouTube. Buy a skid proof mat or practice on a carpeted floor. You don't need special towels, mats, bags, blocks and other supplies. You can do yoga at home with very little. As you advance, a few yoga blocks might be useful, but you can find those for less than $5 a piece. Usually, you can get started for under $20, which isn't expensive at all.

Yoga might not burn as many calories as a good cardio workout, but that doesn't make any less of a workout. Yoga is designed to improve flexibility and tone your muscles. It takes a strong core to stay in most poses. I didn't think it could do much for my physically, but I've noticed a major difference in my legs, abs and butt. Plus, I have more endurance for other types of workouts as a result.

Yoga doesn't have weight limits. You don't have to be a size 0 to do yoga. Most people can do yoga, no matter what their current weight is. Many find they even lose weight over time. If you go to a real beginner yoga class, you'll quickly discover yoga is for all shapes and sizes. You don't even have to wear the form fitting clothes if you're not comfortable. Grab some sweats and a tee and you're ready to go.

Stop listening to the naysayers and give yoga a try if you want to. It's great for flexibility, stamina and stress reduction. What do you really have to lose by trying it? What's keeping you from trying yoga?