Amazingly, there are myths and misconceptions around yoga on both sides of the stretch/flexibility coin! I hear both of these quotes on a weekly basis:

”I’m not flexible enough for yoga.”
”Yoga is just stretching.”

Hmm….well, neither of these statements is true, as anyone who practices yoga regularly can attest, but these are common reasons why people avoid stepping into the yoga studio. Are you one of them? If either or both of these misconceptions are keeping you from class or have you feeling self-conscious in your yoga practice, keep reading!

Why You ARE Flexible Enough for Yoga

Let’s start with “I’m not flexible enough for yoga.” Yes, you are. You are whatever level of flexible today and will do the poses as you are able today. If you don’t start, do you think the flexibility will come later….as you are older….and don’t stretch….???

Plus, we are all works in progress. Yoga classes are FILLED with people who are “inflexible” and who can’t do the splits and who don’t touch their toes. Yoga classes are FILLED with people of all ages, but especially those in mid-career and with busy lives who realize if they DO NOT make time for mobility work, they are going to lose it.

Yoga is a practice, a journey, not an accomplishment. You don’t stop practicing yoga when you get into the full expression of a pose. You progress as your body wants and needs. We all start somewhere and practice from there. We benefit from doing the stretch; the benefit is not dependent on how deep you are able to go.

There is no pre-requisite for starting yoga. You are not asked to demonstrate before entering the studio that you can touch your toes or touch your head to your legs in a standing forward fold. I find that most people who feel this way, who believe that they aren’t flexible enough to start, assume that only advanced yogis are in classes, that everyone in class is the instagram-perfect yogi. If you could just attend class and see the beautiful array of diversity in each person’s practice, you would see that there is a spot for you. Some touch their toes; others touch their knees; still others touch the top of the legs, but everyone is honoring their body by getting on the mat and “stretching” themselves. If you practice with me, you will quickly also see that I, too, am a work in progress and am on my own journey with yoga.

Touch your toes, or don’t. Do the splits, or don’t. That’s not the goal of yoga. Feeling better; lengthening out; slowing things down, AND gaining and maintaining mobility and agility — yes. Those are the goals of yoga and what I can help you with, beginning today.

BUT it’s Also MORE than Just Stretching

It’s not a misconception that there is stretching in yoga, but there is SO MUCH MORE to yoga than just stretching. When people believe it is “just stretching” they are subscribing to the myth that yoga will not “be enough” for them, won’t help them enough with their overall fitness.

However, if they give it a try, often my Vinyasa classes are a physical practice of poses linked with breath that are more physically challenging than these students anticipate. You will probably sweat. Odds are you might even be a little sore the next morning. It’s not just passive stretching. It is movement and flow and aligning the body, lengthening the body, and undoing some of the impacts of our daily life. It’s nourishing, not punishing, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy and not challenging.

But let’s talk even more about that idea of stretching. It doesn’t just mean the muscles. Yoga is movement and breath and mindfulness and a chance to prioritize self care.

Most of us do want some flexibility in our muscles and, especially as we age, to be able to stay limber and agile, to not wake up with aches and pains every day, to not feel older than we are, to be able to keep up with our kids and grandkids.

But think of other ways in which we should stretch ourselves in action and thought. Have we tried something new or read a book lately that challenged our thinking or picked up a skill/hobby or tried a different type of cuisine? We can also get stuck and stiff mentally and emotionally. Yoga might not only be something new to try, but the practice consistently stretches you mentally as well as physically. It helps you find some quiet time, to let the brain relax and put the body in charge. Sometimes amazing things come up for us in practice, thoughts, ideas, emotions. The practice includes mindfulness and the clearing of the mind, which for many of us is quite the stretch.

Maybe, in that sense, yoga is all stretching 🙂

But you won’t know the layers and intricacies of what yoga can do for you unless you are open to it and willing to give it a try, willing to learn and step on the mat.
Everyone has a Day One.
When will you start?

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Let me know your thoughts, your concerns, your questions.
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Let’s chat YOGA!

–TG