Chair yoga, face yoga, even hair yoga, and many other new 'yogas' flood the Internet nowadays, and it looks like we are spoiled for choice .......
However, among all that, there is much less authenticity and credibility than it appears to be.
The internet is sadly full of fake gurus, fake spiritual guides, fake methods ......
Some are obviously and plainly - ridiculous, promising great results in just a few weeks, or even days, or throwing spiritual terminology at us, without having the slightest idea what those words truly mean.
Some are even dangerous, cult-like, but that I will address in an other future article.
Their 'practices' and 'preachings' sadly discredit true spirituality and those thoroughly trained people who actually know what they are doing.
So, how to know what is right and what is wrong ?
To start with, let's clarify something - the only way to become a competent yoga/spiritual teacher is to spend some time LIVING and/or STUDYING in a reputable institutions (usually ashrams) that have centuries old traditions and experience behind them, usually in the countries of origin, and be trained by fully certified masters of that tradition, with the knowledge and experience behind them.
The training, contrary to what many fake gurus claim, lasts for a minimum of 8 YEARS, and requires true inclination, dedication and commitment.
Every country that I know of has many yoga teachers, working alone or in yoga centres, but the majority of them have never seen a true master of any tradition, not to mention being properly trained by a reputable one.
Being able to do some yoga postures, even the complex ones, does NOT make someone spiritual, or a yoga teacher. Everyone with an elastic body can do that ! Do not allow that to fool you. Yoga and spirituality is so MUCH MORE than that !
So my suggestion is, do NOT fall for what you see or hear on the Internet ! And if you wish to attend yoga classes (which I highly recommend), make enquiries about the teacher's background. Not a certificate, because that can also be obtained over the Internet, sadly; for a certain amount of money, of course. Ask where they studied yoga, and how many years they have spent being trained in a recognised and reputable yoga institution, or being supervised by a yoga ashram/master BEFORE they started to teach. And, make sure that what they tell you is actually true.
To all musicians and/or musically inclined self-development enthusiasts, I suggest Nada Yoga, or yoga of sound - a spiritual holistic therapeutic yoga which is more than 5000 years old. As the name says, it works with sound and sound frequencies ... The practice itself is simple, however, the philosophy and the science behind it is quite complex. In fact, Nada Yoga is as much a philosophical system, and a holistic medicine/therapy, as it is a form of yoga.
More about Nada Yoga as a part of my workshop you can read here:
Totally agree!!! Just to add, your Nada Yoga sessions are pure magic. Inspirative, uplifting, transformative ...