I hear this quite a lot as a reason people believe that yoga is not for them. That being flexible is a prerequisite for doing yoga. This is not at all true however, it is easy to believe from images of very advanced yoga posted on the internet that yoga is only for a certain type of person i.e. a gymnast. However, let me just assure you that in order to come to a yoga class you do not need to be able to do the crazy advanced contortionist poses that you might see on Instagram. You simply need to be willing to breathe, move and experiment a little. And if you can’t touch your toes, this is actually a great reason you should come to yoga. Yoga is not about being able to do super advanced asanas (postures) or being a certain shape. Yoga is about uniting the mind, body and spirit to get to the toes and beyond! Yes, you will grow stronger and more flexible through yoga, but you will also learn to breathe better, your stress levels lower, your focus improve, you will feel more connected and generally more balanced and calm. Yoga trains you to understand your mind and body better through movement and breath. It allows you to fine tune yourself and get a deeper connection to yourself and others and on this journey you will gain a more flexible body, you will feel stronger and you will push past things that you never thought would be possible. So, breathe in and reach for your toes.
