Yoga has been around for hundreds of years, orignating in ancient India it was used as a religious practice. Connecting the human body and soul with something larger, something sacred. Yoga has come into and out of trend many times and has recently returned in 2026. Growing up in Costa Rica, my mom was your typical expat, a white hippy yoga teacher. she taught kundalini yoga and did massage on the side to support her and I. She would often leave for yoga teacher retreats, packing her suitcase with only white, natural fabrics and her prayer beads. She would come back a relaxed and better version of herself.
Having a yoga teacher as a mom meant I automatically grew up knowing how to meditate and flow, and solely listening to yoga music on car drives. But as I blossomed into my own person, I stepped away from it, feeling like it was forced on me. But when I turned 16 something switched and I wanted to learn more. It was around the same time my anxiety flared up and wouldn't leave. I took a teacher training to teach kids yoga and I had never felt better. So for a few years after I taught kids yoga twice a week. It felt great to move my body, to laugh, and to be able to sit in silence, finally quieting my racing thoughts.
When I was 20 I moved to Kauai, specifically the North Shore. now if anyone has ever been to Kauai, you know how trendy it is. For those of you who don't know, all I can say is it's basically a small L.A. We even have our own version of Erewhon. With this trendy place come trendy people who all have money and free time, willing to drop hundreds on "organic" food, and a monthly yoga subscription.
My wonderful boyfriend recently became a fitness trainer and started working at a fancy yoga studio in the heart of Hanalei so I basically get the benefits of that and get to go to the yoga classes for free! So I started trying out classes because I forgot how great it is to move your body, especially in winter. I fell in love with heated vinyasa, feeling the release of toxins from your body and the flow of breath you get into is out of this world. Not to mention the improvement of my mental health for the rest of the day. But the more I go to these classes, the more I notice how 'trendy' it is. it has become a whole social event of social competition. People showing up in tight little trendy brands, Bala bands, and their posy of social media friends. When did yoga become less about the spiritual and natural fabrics and turn into the trendy fast fashion and "yoga body"? Will the trend drop off again or is it around for good this time? Will yoga still be seen as demonic to the religious or will it become a part of recommended human need?
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