“Going to the pub is healthier than going to a yoga class,” said a work colleague of mine
recently.
A few of us had told him that we couldn’t go out for a drink with him the following evening due
to our yoga class.
We, of course, dismissed his comment.
However, he wasn’t the sort to leave it at that, oh no.
That night he must have spent some considerable time searching the internet to find all the
evidence he could muster to prove his point.
Sure enough, the following morning we were inundated with emails directing us to web articles
pointing out all the terrible things that could happen to us during a yoga class, alongside
articles promoting the virtues of relaxing with a drink.
Quite a lot of these stories seemed to come from the Daily Mail.
There were stories of people who had herniated discs in downward dog; people who had
dislocated knees; others that had passed out; another who had fallen to his death during a
mountain-top yoga session; people suffering strokes and heart attacks during yoga class due to
the unnatural strains put on their bodies.
One story described a man who became so besotted with his yoga teacher he decided to
remove his wife from the equation by murdering her. Can’t quite see the connection there but I
guess it can be easy to fall in love with your yoga teacher.
There were some articles that criticised yoga for its Hindu roots and accused people doing it
of being anti-Christian. According to one yoga critic, getting in touch with your inner self is not
something Jesus wanted us to do. Now that’s a sermon on the Mount I would like to have heard.
And so the list went on.
Of course, it didn’t make any difference. We all went to the yoga class, anyway, and we all
survived and all felt better afterwards.
Yep, we gave the drink with said colleague a miss, because, quite honestly, no one likes a
smart arse anyway.FM BEGINNER’S
BLOG
Yoga or the pub?
I do yoga
because...
Name: Robin Graham
Location: Manchester
Occupation: Director,
Feelgood Communities CIC
and Laughter Consultant
I am an Art of Living teacher, teaching
and practicing yoga breathing
exercises which bring me to an inner
stillness and happiness. These are
amazing in bringing calmness of mind
and an ability to face life’s challenges
and rewards. I am also a Laughter
Yoga teacher, a group practice which
brings me to an outer happiness with
greater confidence and contentment.
Both help me to be healthier, happier
and less stressed. And both have
brought me new experiences and new
friendships for which I am so grateful.
There can be only one winner in this debate
says Jonathan Schofield