Some of the foremost myths about yoga appear to be the following:
myth 1: yoga is a cult, with severe rituals -
fact 1: a cult is ritualistic, and has a leader; yoga has no rituals other than discipline, and has no leaders - only masters.
myth 2: yoga is for women only -
fact 2: the best known contemporary masters of yoga are men - bks iyengar, pattabhi jois, tt krishnamachari, and tkv desikacharya are just the tip of that iceberg.
myth 3: yoga means giving up eating meat -
fact 3: although meat fibers improve muscle strength, a vegetarian diet has natural fibers that improve elasticity.
myth 4: yoga helps us lose body weight -
fact 4: yoga may help lose inches due to muscle toning, but it also primarily monitors body weight by optimizing bodily functions.
myth 5: yoga should be practiced only by slender people -
fact 5: although being slender and/ or naturally flexible help the stretch process, technique and flexibility of mind help even heavy set people stretch as deeply as anyone else.
myth 6: yoga is just a less intense form of exercise -
fact 6: yoga includes breath, focus, relaxation - all of which require intensity of purpose; in fact, low impact tendon stretches in yoga can actually cause an internal sweat.
myth 7: yoga chants have religious overtones -
fact 7: although some practitioners may occasionally choose to take this to a spiritual level, the internal echo in repetitive sounds simply help clear the mind of negative debris.
myth 8: yoga is an esoteric/ erotic practice -
fact 8: because yoga is inclusive rather than exclusive, it may help improve sex life just as any other physical activity might; but the primary purpose of yoga practice is preventive healthcare.