You Don’t Need to Be Flexible to Start Yoga

“I’d love to try yoga, but I’m just not flexible enough.”

If I had a pound for every time I'd heard somebody say this over my years of teaching yoga, I'd probably be doing rather well!

There seems to be a perception that you need to be able to touch your toes, sit comfortably cross-legged or bend yourself into all sorts of impressive shapes before you're allowed anywhere near a yoga class.

But here's the thing:

You don't need to be flexible to start yoga.

In fact, if you feel stiff and inflexible, that could be a very good reason to give it a try.

Yoga Is About So Much More Than the Poses

When we look at yoga on social media, we're often presented with beautiful images of people performing advanced poses.

It's very easy to assume that's what yoga is about.

But the physical postures — or asanas — are only one part of a much broader practice.

Yoga has ancient spiritual and philosophical roots, encompassing practices such as meditation, breath awareness, ethical principles and working with the mind as well as the body.

For me, one of the most valuable aspects of yoga is simply the opportunity to be present.

So much of our lives is spent thinking about what we've already done or what we've got to do next.

We're planning dinner, thinking about tomorrow, remembering a conversation, worrying about something at work or mentally working our way through the never-ending to-do list.

Then we come onto our yoga mat.

We notice our breathing.

We notice how our body feels.

We concentrate on the movement we're doing right now.

For a little while, we're bringing our attention back to the present moment.

That is yoga too.

And none of it requires you to touch your toes.

“But I'm Really Stiff...”

That's okay.

You don't have to arrive at a yoga class already flexible any more than you need to be strong before you start strength training.

Flexibility can develop through practice.

When we regularly move our joints through comfortable ranges of movement and gently lengthen muscles and other tissues, our tolerance and capacity for movement can gradually change.

But flexibility isn't about forcing yourself deeper and deeper into stretches.

Bodies are different.

Our anatomy differs. Our proportions differ. Our previous injuries, age, activity levels and movement histories are different.

There will always be certain poses that feel easier for one person than another.

And that's absolutely fine.

Yoga isn't a competition.

The person on the mat next to you isn't doing “better yoga” because their hands reach the floor and yours don't.

A Good Teacher Should Be Able to Give You Options

This is something I feel strongly about as a teacher.

A yoga pose doesn't have to look exactly the same for everybody.

There are usually ways we can adapt a posture.

We can reduce the range of movement. We can bend the knees. We can use yoga blocks, straps, bolsters, chairs or the wall. We can change the position completely or find another variation that works better for that individual.

An experienced teacher should be able to offer options so that people aren't trying to force their bodies into a shape simply because that's what everyone else appears to be doing.

Sometimes the most appropriate version of a pose is actually the simplest one.

It isn't about how impressive something looks.

It's about what the practice is doing for you.

The Physical Benefits of Yoga

Of course, although yoga is about far more than flexibility, there can be many physical benefits to a regular practice.

Flexibility and mobility

Regular yoga practice can help us maintain and potentially improve our range of movement.

This can become increasingly valuable as we get older.

You don't necessarily need extreme flexibility. Most of us simply want enough mobility to move comfortably through everyday life — reaching, bending, turning, getting up and down from the floor and doing the things we enjoy.

Strength

People sometimes think yoga is purely about stretching, but many poses require considerable muscular work.

Standing poses, balances, planks and weight-bearing through the arms can all challenge the muscles.

Depending on the style of yoga you're practising, you may be surprised by just how much strength is involved.

Balance

Yoga often challenges balance and body awareness.

We might stand on one leg, move slowly between positions or change where our weight is distributed.

Maintaining balance becomes particularly important as we age, and practising it regularly can help us develop confidence and control.

Posture and body awareness

Rather than promising that yoga will give everybody “perfect posture”, I prefer to think about it as developing greater awareness of how we hold and move our bodies.

During a yoga class, you might suddenly notice where you're holding tension.

You might become more aware of your shoulders, your breathing or how your weight is distributed through your feet.

That awareness can begin to carry over into everyday life.

Moving the whole body

One of the things I love about yoga is that it can encourage us to move our bodies in lots of different ways.

We bend forwards and backwards. We rotate. We side bend. We balance. We reach. We stretch. We strengthen.

In everyday life, we can become quite repetitive in our movement patterns, particularly if we spend long periods sitting.

Yoga gives us an opportunity to explore more of what our bodies can do.

And Then There's the Mental Side of Yoga

For me, this is every bit as important as the physical practice.

Sometimes we arrive at a yoga class carrying the whole day with us.

Our minds are racing.

We're thinking about work, family, messages we haven't replied to and everything we still need to do.

Then we start moving.

We begin noticing the breath.

Our attention moves from everything happening outside the room to what is happening inside our body.

Gradually, things can start to feel a little quieter.

Yoga practices that incorporate slower movement, comfortable breathing, meditation and relaxation may help encourage the body's parasympathetic — or “rest and digest” — response.

This is the counterpart to the sympathetic nervous system response associated with being alert and ready for action — often described as “fight or flight”.

We need both systems. The sympathetic nervous system isn't bad; it's an essential part of being human.

The difficulty comes when we feel as though we're constantly switched on.

Yoga can give us an opportunity to slow things down.

Sometimes that might be through movement.

Sometimes it's breathing.

Sometimes it's meditation.

And sometimes it is simply lying quietly at the end of class in Savasana and giving ourselves permission to do absolutely nothing for a few minutes.

You Don't Have to Be “Good” at Yoga

This is another misconception I'd love to get rid of.

People sometimes tell me they're “not very good at yoga”.

But what does being good at yoga actually mean?

Being able to do the splits?

Standing on your head?

Putting your foot behind your ear?

None of those things necessarily tell us very much about someone's yoga practice.

Perhaps your yoga today is noticing that you're tired and choosing the gentler option.

Perhaps it's staying with your breathing when your mind wants to wander.

Perhaps it's realising that you're comparing yourself to the person next to you — and bringing your attention back to yourself.

Perhaps it's simply turning up.

There is always somewhere to begin.

Start With the Body You Have Today

You don't need to lose weight before you start yoga.

You don't need to get fitter first.

And you certainly don't need to become flexible before you walk through the door.

Come as you are.

A good yoga class should meet you somewhere close to where you are now and allow your practice to develop from there.

You might gradually become more flexible.

You might become stronger.

Your balance may improve.

You may discover that your body moves in ways you didn't think it could.

But you may also discover something you weren't expecting.

An hour where nobody needs anything from you.

An opportunity to breathe.

A chance to become more aware of your body.

A little more space between your thoughts.

And perhaps that's one of the reasons I've continued to practise and teach yoga for so many years.

The poses are part of it.

But yoga was never just about being able to touch your toes.

Thinking About Trying Yoga?

If you've been telling yourself that you're not flexible enough, fit enough or experienced enough to come to a yoga class, I'd love to reassure you that you don't need to be any of those things to start.

My yoga classes are friendly and welcoming, and I offer different options and adaptations so that you can work at a level that feels appropriate for your body.

You don't need to know the poses. You don't need to be able to touch your toes. And it doesn't matter if you've never stepped onto a yoga mat before.

Just come as you are.

Yoga can be an opportunity to move and strengthen your body, improve your flexibility and mobility, slow things down and give yourself some much-needed time away from the busyness of everyday life.

I've been teaching yoga since 2009, and my classes combine my experience of Hatha and Vinyasa Flow with elements of slower, restorative practices.

If you'd like to give yoga a try, take a look at my current yoga classes and find a class that works for you.

I'd love to welcome you onto the mat.