We occasionally hear instructions from yoga teachers that set our alarm bells ringing. Some of these instructions are misguided but relatively harmless, but others can have downright detrimental effects.
Check out the facts behind the top 5 misleading instructions below — and next time you hear instructions like these, pause and allow yourself some critical thought. Whether teacher or student, we can all reflect carefully on what information we absorb and repeat.
Instruction 1. Stimulate thyroid in halasana
The thyroid is a small endocrine gland in the neck. There is a belief that flexing the neck in halasana or similar asanas stimulates the thyroid. However, there is no convincing scientific evidence for this idea. No scientific study has compared the endocrine effects of halasana to that of other asanas.
#REFLECT NOW! Why would stimulating the thyroid be a selling point for halasana? Excess of thyroid hormones leads to a range of unpleasant symptoms, including insomnia, anxiety and heart problems. For people who do not suffer from thyroid hormones deficiency, stimulating the thyroid might not be such a good idea. Yoga (as well as other types of physical exercise) affects many hormones and body parameters such as blood pressure and heart rate. A balanced yoga practice could be an efficient protective strategy against metabolic disorders, even if we let go of the idea that one asana targets one specific endocrine gland.
INSTRUCTION 2. TWIST TO DETOX
A perfect example of a commercial myth is ‘detoxifying ’! Toxins don’t build up in the body. Our liver and kidneys are continuously busy excreting metabolic products. If the kidneys or liver fail to do their job, a severe organ dysfunction requiring medical aid develops rather quickly. If the kidneys and liver are functioning well, there is no need to eliminate toxins with special drinks, massages, or yoga asanas.
#REFLECT NOW! Take a moment to reflect on the whole idea of toxins. Telling someone that they have to detox implies that there is something wrong with them — they are poisoned and dirty from the inside. Isn't it unethical to convey a message like this to a student or client?
INSTRUCTION 3. Use Alternate Nostril Breathing to balance the left and right brain hemispheres
There is no direct passage from the left/right nostrils to the left/right brain hemispheres. When you breathe in through your nose, the air enters the trachea and then goes via the bronchi to the lungs. There, the oxygen gets absorbed into the blood and travels to the brain. It does not matter if you have inhaled with the right, left or both nostrils — the blood flow brings oxygen to both brain hemispheres.
#REFLECT NOW! Why do you need to balance the left and right brain? If you have clear vision and hearing on the left and the right, and you can move your limbs on both sides, then your brain hemispheres are working well in coordination already. However, alternate nostril breathing is a demanding task that requires a lot of concentration. Even if it does not "balance the hemispheres", it is still a great exercise to develop attention and breath awareness — so go ahead and practice!
INSTRUCTION 4. Do inversions to increase blood flow to the brain
The brain is protected from an influx of blood that may damage its delicate capillaries and cause a stroke. Despite what you may have heard at a yoga class, the brain cells are not "bathing in fresh blood" when we are upside down. Besides, inversions tend to slow down the heart and lower blood pressure, which means that the amount of blood going into the brain may even reduce in inversions (check out this research proof!).
#REFLECT NOW! Upside down or not, every mental activity that we take on increases oxygen and glucose supply to the brain. For example, the prefrontal brain areas receive more of these supplements when we meditate. If your aim is to increase the blood flow in the brain in a healthy and safe way, try meditation, juggling, playing music or solving math problems!
INSTRUCTION 5. Watch your thoughts — 85% of them are negative
It is common for people to have repetitive thoughts. We worry about the future or replay past events. In some conditions such as depression and anxiety, worry and rumination become excessive and may increase distress and suffering. But repetitive thinking can also be constructive: it brings healing from emotional wounds of the past and enables us to solve problems and plan the future. The statement "85% of our thoughts are negative" appeals to those of us who love exact numbers, along with similar statements such as: "people only use 10% of the brain", and "people have 70,000 thoughts per day".
#REFLECT NOW! Why would a yoga teacher impose these numbers and make students anticipate that huge amount of negative thoughts? The content of our thoughts is very personal and can be different from day to day. The state of mindful awareness means cultivating a non-judgemental state toward all thoughts, without labeling them "good" or "bad".
What yoga instructions do YOU find misleading?
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HI, I AM IRINA
I am a yoga teacher and a scientist. In this blog I write about the most recent scientific research about yoga/meditation/mindfulness. Please leave comments and share your thoughts!
Feel free to read Irina's previous blogs are here.
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Thank you for sharing these misconceptions! I must admit that I’ve sometimes said something about the assumption of the detoxifying effect of twists in my classes, as I’ve heard them so often. But when I dive deeper into the literature and try to understand how exactly this works, I cannot find any logical explanation indeed. It’s a very important responsibility as a yoga teacher to keep thinking critically in order not to spread untruthful ideas and especially not harmful ideas!
This is so true and thank you for being vulnerable Lana. We all grow and learn in our own ways, and many times we learn by copying (the words or actions) of others/ our teachers. We trust them. I did too in the beginning. Actually, we are often encouraged to copy the words of teachers in yoga teacher trainings, incl ‘cue’s’ for teaching. All the same cues’s. To every-body.
It’s my hope and mission to inspire people to feel themselves, and over-time understand the concepts of yoga and perhaps find the right words to share some of these concepts in a way that makes sense for a student. We should not trust a teacher blindly. Finding a teacher who reflects with you as you empower yourself, is a great gift I believe.