Flow 01 - Introduction to Yoga

Wellness culture has been thrown right into our faces more and more as social media has become a part of our everyday lives, but what really is wellness? The media has taken the desire for self-improvement and turned it into a trend, and with that comes a vast amount of misinformation, false advertising, and generally useless products. Wellness is not just one thing; it can’t be sold, taken as a class, or found instantaneously. If you’ve ever been interested in figuring out how to connect with and understand your own healing and wellness journey, Flow may be of assistance. Flow is my collection on holistic healing and how it works into my everyday life. In this collection, I will be looking into the psychology of wellness culture, where different practices and habits come from, my own personal outlook and opinions on how things have impacted my life, and other topics related to what wellbeing shows up as in today's world.

This is the first piece in this collection, and with that being said, I figured there would be no better way to begin than the practice I start and end my days with. Today I’m going to be talking about something I can almost guarantee you’ve heard of, and that topic is yoga. Yoga is very intertwined with the wellness community, and it has been for about the past two decades, but within that there is a fair amount of misconception and misguidance being promoted. To start, I’m going to explain a simple history of yoga and a bit about it in modern wellness culture.

Yoga arose from ancient India thousands of years ago, and the word “yoga” comes from the Sanskrit language, and it translates to “to yolk” or “to unite”. Yoga as a practice is grounded in the Hindu philosophy to balance the mind, body, and spirit. The history of yoga is understood in four periods: the Vedic period, the pre-classical period, the classical period, and the post-classical period.

The earliest mention of yoga was during the Vedic period, and it was found in a sacred Hindu text known as the Rigveda, where yoga was mentioned to achieve spiritual awareness. The pre-classical period is when the Upanishads were written; they explained the philosophy of Hinduism and explained yoga to be something that promoted spiritual liberation by controlling the mind and the senses. During the classical period, the Yoga Sutras were written, and they describe the eight limbs of yoga (yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi). The post-classical period is most directly linked to what we think of as modern yoga, as this is when many schools of yoga were formed.

Different schools and styles of yoga place emphasis on different parts of movement, devotion, and meditation, among many other principles of the practice. Some of the most popular schools of yoga are Bhakti (devotion) and Hatha (movement), although there are many others. The different styles of yoga tend to vary by intensity, where vinyasa (breath to movement) is more active, and yin is slower and focuses on holding poses. It’s important to note that you can practice as many or as few different styles as you wish; however, a fair mix is common.

Now that we’ve established a brief understanding of where yoga comes from, let’s talk about some of the mental and physical benefits. The most commonly associated physical benefits of yoga are: increased balance, reduced fatigue, promoting flexibility, improved kidney function, spinal strengthening, pain relief, reducing sleep disturbances, metabolism boosts, improved joint health, increased strength, and posture improvement. Of course, there are many different physical benefits to yoga that will vary person to person, but many who practice yoga will experience varying benefits. Some of the mental benefits are: confidence building, stress relief, reduced anxiety, enhanced senses of gratitude, promoting mindfulness, promoting awareness, and so many others. The benefits of practicing yoga are endless; balancing your mind and your body creates an immensely peaceful space to exist.

Understanding all of these parts of yoga is beyond useful if you’re interested in the practice, but don’t know where to start or just have very limited knowledge of the subject. What I’ve listed doesn’t even begin to describe the depth of what yoga truly is; it’s just an overview of the foundations and benefits—but how does all of that work into modern-day wellness culture? To understand how it does show up, I’m going to state some common misconceptions first.

“Yoga is just stretching.” Yoga has never been about just focusing on one part of the human experience; yes, promoting connection to the body is part of the foundation, but that can not be done without focusing on the mind and spirit as well. “You need to be flexible to practice yoga.” Many influencers and people within the yoga community are flexible; however, this does not make it a requirement by any means. Yoga is much more focused on stability rather than flexibility, and seeing as there are many different styles of yoga, there are poses and modifications for those who aren’t as flexible. “Yoga is only for a certain type of person.” This practice is not made for just one type of person; there is no gender, body type, or age range that is “perfect” for yoga; anyone can engage in this practice given the aforementioned range of styles and modifications. There are many misconceptions about this practice, but it isn’t that one-dimensional; you can truly tailor your experience to your needs.

Having all of this being said, a lot of the media's wellness culture promotes a certain “look” to yoga, and that is where a fair amount of these misconceptions come from. This is most likely the result of trying to profit off of yoga with trendy activewear, different props and mats, or an entire pre-packaged lifestyle that comes with practicing yoga, but the truth is you don’t need hundreds of dollars worth of accessories and a “perfect” lifestyle to engage with this practice. As yoga has gained popularity with the media, a lot of cultural significance has been lost, and many aesthetics have become the main focus, but that does not diminish all of the studios that honor the history of yoga and create a safe space for all. If you are looking into starting yoga, please make an effort to honor the origin and promote its values.

To end this piece, I’m going to speak on my own experience with yoga, as that’s one of the main focuses of Flow. I first came across yoga through common postures in varying settings; I never thought much of it, but I did know I enjoyed a good child's pose every now and then. I struggled with finding meaning in movement for a number of years for countless amount of reasons—I’m a figure skater, and that has always been my primary source of movement. Skating can be difficult on your body, and for recovery I’d usually do heated workouts in a sauna, most of which would be high intensity, and I didn’t find the results I was hoping for. It wasn’t until I was properly forced into a yoga class that I realized movement wasn’t a form of punishment. Punishment seems like a word with a lot of negative connotation here, and I don’t mean it in an excruciating manner, but I really didn't find comfort in the idea or act of movement until I found yoga. I was first introduced to yoga with vinyasa and restorative yoga. I have ADHD, and that part of me absolutely loved the pace of vinyasa. It was consistent, it was active, and it wasn’t overly strenuous. However, the restorative aspects really put things into perspective for me. My instructor was more than welcoming, and he always included bits of history and other explanations as we were going through flows or meditations, and he never made me feel bad for a second of my practice. This was a new experience for me; I had never been treated poorly in a gym or studio, but I had also never felt this accepted for the person I am. The reason I was forced into this space was actually because of my therapist, I have struggled with a myriad of issues with my mental health for as long as I can remember, and for the longest time, they consumed me. The time I started regularly practicing yoga was also aligned with the time my healing journey truly began. It was never about being perfect; it was about showing up in the moment I was in and accepting it for everything it was. It was about respecting my being for showing up and showing myself care. It was about sitting with the uncertainties and knowing I am only in control of myself, and that control was manifested into this beautiful practice. Yoga is something I have found myself, a community, peace, meaning, and so many other things within, and I hope by sharing parts of my experience with it, others may explore the practice too.

Ackerman, C. E. (2025, November 23). 60+ benefits of yoga for mental & Physical health. PositivePsychology.com. https://positivepsychology.com/benefits-of-yoga/

Escapes, Y. (2025, March 3). A brief history of yoga. Yoga Escapes. https://www.yoga-escapes.com/a-brief-history-of-yoga/

Stein, C. (2026). 10 Yoga Myths & Misconceptions. Inea Yoga. https://www.ineayoga.com/10-yoga-myths-misconceptions