A practice for everyone

"I can't do yoga, I'm not flexible."

"I have done yoga before, but I'm not good at it."

"It's just stretching, I need more than that."

These are common responses I get from people when I tell them I practice yoga and am a yoga teacher. The good news is, these are just common myths about the wonderful practice of yoga.

If you're new to yoga and have always wanted to try it, go into the practice without any judgement of yourself and without any comparison to anyone else (especially the teacher). We are all on different paths, with different bodies/genetics, different mindsets, feelings, and environments. All you have to do for yourself to start practising, is to start showing up on your mat :)

Practising yoga does not require flexibility, but it can foster it.

Let's take any asana-based practice, for example. There will be several options and modification for each pose and it's not about being able to touch your toes, lift your leg high, or contort yourself into a position, but about the journey and intention of getting there. Doing the pose with the correct alignment rather than focusing on getting into the full expression, already gives you all the same benefits of the asana. The teacher does not look for whether you can touch your toes or have your nose on your shin. We focus on the alignment of the posture, not the depth. From there, we foster using the breath to get deeper into the pose slowly over time.

There are different styles of yoga practices, some meditation- and some movement-based. They all have the common goal of "stopping the fluctuations of the mind" and bringing us to the present moment. Deeming yoga as "easy", "stretching", just for a certain type of person, is something we tend to do when we are afraid of trying something out of our comfort zone. Yoga might look easy from the outside perspective, but in practice can be very tough. Holding poses for a long period of time, flowing through a sequence of bodyweight-heavy asanas or sitting in stillness with our own thoughts trying to focus their attention. Not an easy practice but an inclusive one. Due to the different styles, availability of modifications and the focus on listening to your own body, we can each establish a practice that benefits us.

Now let's start practising together with the intention of grace, gratitude and growth.