The first response I always hear when I mention anything about yoga is “I am so not flexible,” “Oh I am not flexible enough to do yoga,” “Don’t you have to be super flexible to do that?”
The answer is no!!!
Over the years the yoga that is promoted and shown on social media/advertisements are people folding themselves into pretzels and contorting their bodies into shapes that look extremely painful to anyone not in Cirque Du Soleil. The truth is that you don’t even need to be able to touch your toes to do yoga and if “not being flexible” is what is stopping you from starting your yoga journey…well I’m glad we can easily get that misconception right out of the way!
While it’s true that a huge benefit of yoga is that it increases your flexibility, you don’t need your elbows on the ground in forward fold in order to be good at yoga. Yoga is about the movement of the breath with the body! To date back to when yoga first began, very little emphasis was actually placed on the “asanas” or poses in yoga (it was only one of the eight limbs of yoga!) Instead of focusing on becoming more bendy, it’s more important to focus on your breath, remaining present within your practice, and connecting your mind, body, and your heart.
If you are just starting out and are a little more stiff or not as flexible as you once were, some poses may be more challenging or uncomfortable, but it certainly doesn’t mean that you are not good or can’t be good at yoga. Yoga is amazing because there are many different styles (will get into those details in another post), and ways to modify sequences to fit what your body needs. A good yoga teacher (especially if they are teaching a beginner class) will include modifications to make poses easier or more challenging to appeal to the entire class. One suggestion an instructor may make is to use a yoga block (if you are at home and don’t have a yoga block you can easily substitute a textbook or sturdy water bottle). This prop is useful in poses such as forward folds, or lunges when you may not be able to reach your hands all the way to the ground. Another prop that can assist with flexibility is a yoga strap (you can also use a resistance band) which helps in poses such as “Hand to big toe” pose or “dancer pose” where your foot may not be accessible without a strap. By using the strap, you can help extend your pose and intensify your stretch.
Below I have included some basic, beginner poses (all can easily be modified with props) that help to increase flexibility (these poses are great because they let gravity do the work :
Forward Fold (can use a block to modify if your hands don't reach the ground)
Seated Forward Fold (use a strap to further your stretch)
Steated Straddle
Down Dog
Baby Cobra/Upward facing dog
Reclining Bound Angle Pose
Reclined Hand to Big Toe Pose (use a strap to further your stretch)
Runners Lunge
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