When it comes to yoga people often consider themselves “not flexible enough” to even start a practice. This post serves as a response to this common misbelieve, and hopefully brings a different perspective to anyone interested in yoga but feels intimidated because of their lack of flexibility.
To respond I would like to say that yoga is about more than just the postures (asana) and that although it’s great that you gain some flexibility, there are many other things to be gained through yoga, such as awareness of the body. One thing one of my teachers would constantly point out is that you don’t have to be flexible to practice yoga, because yoga will eventually make you become more flexible.
Not only does practicing yoga bring you physical flexibility, it also serves as a tool to gain some mental flexibility. Forget about getting into perfect instagram worthy poses for a moment and ask yourself why you even consider practicing yoga.
Starting my practice I couldn’t even do 10 percent of the things the people on Instagram were doing and even till this day, due to my anatomy, I probably will never achieve a perfect lotus position, and that is ok. This was extremely annoying during the beginning, seeing some people folding their legs as if they were tying shoelaces, but why? Now I no longer care, because I realise my practice has been about finding balance, being aware and confronting the ego. Put simply, I practice yoga to step out of my comfort zone, as this is where most growth lies.
Remember that our bodies are all shaped differently, so never compare yours with someone who happens to be able to bend their backs like they’re made out of rubber.
In the end if you aren’t flexible, yoga might just be the thing you’ve been needing. It offers a balance between mental and physical flexibility. we learn to challenge and be honest to ourselves. Well, now it’s time for us to roll out our mats and start our practice!
Much Love & Namasté
A.J.
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