No OM Yoga: Yoga You Can Relate To

By Kimberly Fowler

Whether or not you’ve tried Yoga, it would be hard not to notice how popular it’s gotten over the last ten years. If you haven’t tried it, chances are that a yoga-convert friend or a trendy magazine has urged you to give it a try with stories of how wonderful Yoga is for you. Actually, there’s a good chance you’ve heard or read such stories more than once.

And, yes, they are true! But sometimes, too much hype is enough to turn anyone off, and if you still haven’t tried Yoga, maybe that’s why. But I think there’s another reason why, despite all the good PR, many people still haven’t tried or truly gotten into Yoga: They just can’t relate to it.

And it’s no wonder sometimes. Many Yoga classes ARE hard to relate to. Many Yoga classes look more like rooms full of pretzel people (tied up in knots) than, well, people like you and me. Many Yoga instructors use complicated Sanskrit terms so you don’t have a clue what they’re saying. Many classes include unfamiliar and, if you’re like me, uncomfortable chanting. Worst of all, many classes seem like exclusive clubs led by instructors who are treated (and sometimes act) more like gurus than everyday people.

That’s why there’s No OM Yoga. No OM Yoga is Yoga everyone can relate to. It’s practical, straightforward Yoga that’s fun and energizing and not intimidating. No OM Yoga was designed to get rid of the reasons many people have for not doing Yoga. I’m going to talk more about these reasons in a minute, but first, let me remind you why Yoga is so worth doing.

The physical benefits you hear about getting from Yoga—improved strength and flexibility, protection against injury (or help to recover from it), improved posture and overall tone—are all true. Take it from me, I just turned 52 and I know! Yoga has helped me to recover from two severe injuries and even cancer (I was told I had a brain tumor and six months to live in my mid-twenties). Yoga has kept me going strong for years: It truly does make you look and feel better, younger and even taller.

Then, of course, there are Yoga’s important mental benefits. Yoga is proven to help you relieve stress. It can bring you much-needed calm in our not-so-calm world. But you’ve probably heard all this before. So let me talk about why No OM Yoga will actually get you up off the couch and onto the mat!

For starters, and like the name says, there’s no chanting in No OM Yoga. When you walk into a No OM class (like one of my YOGA for ATHLETES® classes) there really is no Om-ing, you never have to worry that the instructor is going to ask you to chant along with her. And No OM Yoga instructors use Western names for poses so you’ll actually understand what they’re saying. Ancient Sanskrit terms that are hard for many of us to remember or even tell apart are never used in No OM Classes.

Other “spiritual” aspects of many traditional Yoga classes are also left out of No OM classes. Not because there’s anything wrong with them. It’s just that No OM Yoga prefers to leave your spirituality to you. You won’t be preached to in a No OM class. “I’m not your guru, you are,” is my only philosophy. No OM Yoga isn’t a cult, it’s a workout for your body and mind. As I often tell people, I’m not trying to get you to meditate on a mountain top. I just want you to experience the great physical and mental benefits of Yoga.

Another big reason many of us don’t relate to Yoga is what I call “the intimidation factor.” That’s really important to me. I can’t tell you how many Yoga classes I’ve walked into where I felt a lot of “attitude” from other students or the instructor. No OM Yoga has zero tolerance for that. No Om classes are designed to be welcoming, especially to newcomers. They’re absolutely non-competitive.

And you’ll never be asked to tie yourself up in impossible poses in a No OM class. I know I can’t do some of the pretzel poses I’ve been asked to do in certain Yoga classes—and I’ve been doing Yoga for almost 30 years! The good news is that you don’t need to be a contortionist to get all the benefits of Yoga. Doing uncomplicated poses that you adjust to your own level works just fine to give you a seriously good workout.

Other reasons that a lot of us use for not taking Yoga is that we don’t have the time or energy. I know peoples’ lives are hectic these days. Mine sure is. That’s why No OM classes tend to be shorter than traditional Yoga classes. Shorter, still, are the workouts in my new book, The No OM Zone! The book includes 13 five-to-ten minute workouts that target different areas of your body, from your head to your toes. I designed these workouts specifically for today’s busy schedules. You can do one here and one there, or a few at a time–whatever works for you!

As far as not having the energy to do Yoga, well, No Om Yoga’s got an answer for that, too. Once you take away all the things that stress you out about Yoga, you’ll find that you come away from class with more energy than you had going in. It’s not magic. It’s just that your body and mind react positively to the exertion and actually get you revved up to re-engage with your day. And that’s something everyone can relate to!

And that’s what No OM Yoga is all about: a great, straightforward workout that energizes you, that makes you look and feel better, that you look forward to doing instead of think of as a chore. No OM Yoga is all about making Yoga work for you, not the other way around! If you’re one of those people who would like to do Yoga if you could only feel more comfortable about it, your wait is over. Try a No OM Yoga class, and start relating to a new you!