For the uninitiated Westerner, there's a lot about yoga that may appear "religious," and certainl…

For the uninitiated Westerner, there's a lot about yoga that may appear "religious," and certainly, there's a spiritual element to the practice, but it's important to understand that yoga itself is not a religion.

"I hear this myth a lot among Christians," says Brad Ormsby, of Freedom Genesis, a yoga and meditation blog. "This comes from yoga's Indian roots where mantras and chants have been used for many years. They're meant to bring focus and help you awaken internally, but they're not required to practice yoga." 

And even if you decide to join in with the mantras and chants, you're not "converting to yoga" as if you were converting to a new religion. "There's a spiritual element that encourages you to connect with a higher power, but it's non-denominational, so you can do yoga as a practitioner of any religion," says Christa Fairbrother, a 500-hour RYT and the owner of Bee Content Yoga.  

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Only Vegetarian Hippies Do Yoga

It's true that yoga is a practice that encourages self-awareness, love, and connection with the world. As practitioners become more mindful and conscientious of their actions, many do make choices that seem "hippie-like" to the outside world.

According to the 2016 Yoga in America survey, half of yoga practitioners do say they "live green, eat sustainably, and donate time to their community"1—all positive attributes, by the way—but that means half don't claim to do those things. So let the record state, there is no requirement for yogis to give up m