A few months ago, while teaching a Pilates class at a gym in Curaçao, an energetic woman in her 80s came up to me after class. First of all, I was amazed at how well she takes care of her body at her age, and I have nothing but admiration for her. Yet what she said afterwards took me by surprise: she mentioned that she found it remarkable that I, as a yoga teacher, wasn’t sitting in full Lotus. This was at the end of the class, during some twists and stretches, and according to her, I should have been in the Lotus position instead of a cross-legged one. This comment was already noteworthy, given that this was a Pilates class, not a yoga class. She even suggested that I didn’t “look” like the yoga teachers she knows because I am not slim or extremely flexible.
It didn’t so much affect me that she thought I should perform in a certain way on the mat or look a certain way, but it did make me think. This is exactly the kind of misconception that is so common and may even prevent people from trying yoga: the idea that yoga is about how you look, how flexible you are, or whether you can twist yourself into a pretzel. That’s exactly what I explained to her kindly: that I’m proud to stand in front of the class with my own body as a teacher and help dispel this misconception.
“Yoga is the calming of the fluctuations of the mind.”
Yoga is not about outward display on the mat; it’s about calming the fluctuations of the mind. It is not a sport or a beauty standard. It is not about fitting into an image of how a yogi “should” be. Yoga is about breath, awareness, presence, and self-care. It’s about feeling, experiencing, and connecting with yourself. I have written before about the purpose of yoga and how it goes beyond the postures, in my series on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Strength, flexibility, or just for show?
During one of my teacher trainings, one of my teachers, who comes from the Ashtanga tradition, explained that the higher series in Ashtanga yoga are mostly “for show.” Series 1 (primary series) is intended to develop strength and flexibility, Series 2 focuses on the energetic body and nervous system, and Series 3 and above actually provide no additional benefits compared to the first two. This perfectly illustrates that yoga is not about how something looks.
Functionality versus appearance of a pose
In our training, we learned to view yoga poses functionally: how to perform a pose correctly so that your body benefits fully, how to adjust it to maximise those benefits and avoid injury, and above all, whether you can breathe calmly in the pose. It is not about making the pose look perfect.
For example, in downward facing dog, it may look aesthetically pleasing for the heels to touch the floor, but this can come at the expense of shoulder stretch and length in the spine. For many people, it is actually better to bend the knees so that the benefits are felt in the right places in the body.
A yoga teacher is primarily a ‘spaceholder’
I also want to dispel the misconception that yoga teachers must be slim, flexible, and strong. You don’t need to be any of these things to practice yoga or to teach a good class. As a teacher, the most important role is to be a ‘spaceholder’ for the people in your class. It is valuable to have teachers who may differ from the norm that many people imagine when they think of yoga. This allows us to represent real life and show that yoga truly is for everyone. I’m not saying teachers or practitioners cannot strive for more strength and flexibility on the mat, but ultimately, that is not the goal of yoga. Asanas are just a small part of what makes yoga yoga. As I have written before in my series on the Sutras of Patanjali, yoga is a way of life that helps us navigate living, and poses are just one way or step to support this.
Yoga means unity or connection
Yoga is about connection and awareness. It is about where you are on your own path, in whatever body you inhabit, and knowing that every journey is unique and that you can let go of attachment to the outcome. As a yoga teacher, I am grateful for every type of body that appears on the mat. Together, with all these different bodies, we experience and practice yoga as a unified whole. I believe yoga is for everyone, regardless of shape, size, colour, background, or flexibility. On the mat, you are welcome as you are, and here you can explore, grow, and become stronger, both on and off the mat.
Because that is the essence of yoga: it’s not about how you look, but about how you feel, what you learn, and how you embrace yourself. You are warmly invited to experience this in one of my yoga classes, or to book a private session with me in Curaçao.