Since it’s reached the West in the late 19th century, yoga has been popularised as both a sport, and a mindful relaxation tool. However, instructors have now warned that the practice has become too sexualised online.
US TikTok user Queen of the Ratchet, pointed out that a quick search for the word ‘yoga’ on the popular app came up with countless clips of women recreating graphic poses while wearing little to no clothes.
While many of us will be searching popular channels like Yoga With Adrienne in January, instructors have warned that less reputable teachers are taking the practice away from its spiritual and mindful roots.
Former Strictly professional Kristina Rihanoff, who co-owns the UK’s biggest yoga and wellbeing centre Soo Yoga, told Femail she fears the sexualisation of the practice might turn people away from yoga.
British and US yoga instructors have warned that the practice has become too sexualised online, after countless women shared videos of themselves doing suggestive poses in bikinis
Many users were shocked to find the explicit videos lurking around the tag ‘yoga’; on TikTok.
User nimay.ndolo went viral with a video where she asks her followers to ‘type in the word “yoga” on this app,’ before revealing ‘they are showing p****, they are showing p*****. P***** and buttocks, 4K buttocks.’
Yoga instructor Nikita Desai said in a video reacting to Nimay’s clip: ‘It still amazes me how the algorithm allows this to be the spectacle of yoga.
‘I guess that’s what happens when an ancient, deep, meaningful spiritual practice that was intended for the purpose of our mental and emotional wellbeing becomes overly sexualised and heavily whitewashed.’
Former Strictly professional Kristina Rihanoff, who co-owns the UK’s biggest yoga and wellbeing centre Soo Yoga, told Femail she fears the sexualisation of the practice might turned people off from yoga
Highly suggestive videos have begun to populate the social media under the search term ‘yoga’
Giving her opinion on the spread of the videos, Miss Rihanoff said she has seen how social media has changed the practice over the years.
‘As someone who has been a yoga devotee for 20 years, I can see how the social media trends shifted the focus of yoga from holistic to being something of a “showcase” of slim physiques, sexy outfits and ridiculously complicated poses,’ she said.
‘The purpose of yoga is to build strength, awareness and harmony in both the mind and body. It’s a philosophy and step-by-step guide toward spiritual enlightenment. Sexualising yoga takes us away from what this ancient philosophy is really about. It takes us away from authentic roots of yoga.’
TikTok user Queen of the Ratchet, left, was one of the first to notice the trend. Yoga instructor Nikita Desai, right, said she believes the videos have surfaced because yoga has been overly sexualised and heavily whitewashed
Miss Rihanoff said she fell in love with yoga because it gave her a space to relax, as well as made her body more flexible.
She noted that while she knew the practice had been heavily Westernised by the time she took it up, yoga was still about the ‘mental & physical wellness of the practitioners.’
The dancer added that she believes the sexualisation of the practice is also encouraged by yoga brands and social media channels promoting it online.
‘Instagram and TikTok took over our world and we now see quite the opposite in yoga. I don’t believe it’s purely because yoga started to be seen just as a fitness trend,’ she said.
Miss Rihanoff believes the sexualisation of the practice is also encouraged by yoga brands and social media channels promoting it online
She added that clothing companies have also been producing ‘tiny little bikini-type yoga outfits’
She added that clothing companies also have an impact, saying: ‘I think there is a lot of influence from yoga clothing companies which produce tiny little bikini-type yoga outfits, which let’s face it I will never, ever wear myself and I never see any of my students wearing either.
‘When I do look at skinny teenagers performing splits in pretty much underwear, and backbends where you can see the full body anatomy, it makes me sad that a lot of people who perhaps want to start taking yoga will be turned off by that, or perhaps feel that they will never be able to practice yoga.
‘I think we need to be more realistic about body types and what we would consider to be healthy. It is not about being skinny, it’s about being strong – physically mentally and emotionally – and that should be reflected in yoga clothes brands.’
She added that, as a mother of two, she believes that the sexualised version of yoga will put some people off wanting to try it.
‘They already have a preconceived vision of those sexy poses of young girls doing pretzel poses and they think that’s what yoga is,’ she said.
‘Yoga is many things and there’s nothing wrong with doing complex poses. But why do we have to make it all about nearly naked people twisting their limps around their neck.
‘Yoga should be about appealing to a wide range of ages and abilities and even disabilities.’
Miss Rihanoff, who is qualified in many styles from pregnancy/postnatal yoga to chair yoga for people with mobility issues, added that physical variants of the practice still hold a wellbeing component.
‘Ashtanga vinyasa classes are extremely full on practices which will give you a stronger workout than some fitness classes, but they still should be taught from the place of mindfulness and spirituality,’ she said.
‘You are honouring your body by training it to be stronger, to be more flexible, to be better.
‘Many studios have a very holistic approach to practice, always starting from breathing and mindfulness in the movement, which truly draw me to that type of exercise. To be fair. I never thought that it’s exercise.’
Meanwhile, Trish Whelan, who created Soul Adventures yoga retreat, said she believes the sexualisation of yoga comes from a bigger trend.
‘The sexualisation of spirituality was bound to happen, as the spiritual ego can become problematic when it is not balanced,’ she said.
‘Yoga poses on the edge on cliff edges in bikinis is probably about as far away from the original practice of yoga as we can get.
‘Let’s all remember why we got to this practice in the first place, let’s keep it holy.’
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