We often say yoga is for everyone. But do the images that represent it say the same? A 2019 study in the International Journal of Yoga (Thomas, Warren-Findlow and Webb) set out to check.
The study
The researchers analysed the poses section of every Yoga Journal issue from 2015 and 2016: 230 images and 340 paragraphs.
What they found
- No image showed any form of disability.
- Models were mostly white women in their thirties.
- The text did mention physical limitations, but almost always as a problem to fix, and rarely the social context or disability as part of identity.
Why it matters
According to the authors, these images suggest yoga is only for “able” bodies. They recommend diversifying images and content to include everyone.
The study has limits, but the question is valid for anyone who communicates about yoga.
In the studio
- Every pose can be adapted: with a chair, blocks, straps or on the floor.
- There is no yoga body: there is your body, today.
- If you have a limitation, talk to your teacher: we’ll find a way.
Source: International Journal of Yoga – Yoga is for every (able) body (2019).
