The most common question I get from being a yoga instructor is “Do you think I could do yoga? I’m not flexible.” This makes me so sad. So many people are deterred from yoga because they think it’s all about headstands and splits. Well, I’m here to share the news with everyone that yoga is for every BODY, every SOUL, and every BEING. Yoga is for everybody.
Did you know that the word yoga literally translates to union; to yoke. Yoga is about unifying the breath and the body, bringing them together as one. It’s about movement following the breath. If you think of it that way, it’s pretty clear that anyone can do yoga, right? I mean, we are all breathing, you must be to be reading this. Now maybe as you inhale, you bring your arms up overhead and as you exhale, you bring them back down to your side. Try this a few times.
Would you believe me if I told you that you just did yoga by this simple breathing technique? It’s true, look at you go, you yogi! It truly is that simple. There was once a time when I thought yoga was an unreachable hobby. I figured that I would never fit into the “crowd” of people who could turn their bodies upside down for minutes at a time or put their foot above their head or whatever crazy image that we hold in our minds of yogis but when I felt yoga for the first time, I felt empowered. At that moment it didn’t matter what I couldn’t do but what I could do. My body allows me to wake up and breathe every day. It allows me to stretch, some days a little deeper than other days, but it still allows me to move. That’s beautiful. It was at that moment; I knew I would never stop practicing.
Social media has made yoga seem like this complex following that is unattainable for most people. We scroll through Instagram looking at these beautiful images of people stretching their bodies in positions that a body shouldn’t even go in, but it doesn’t matter. They are on their own walk of life and they are beautiful in their own ways. Truthfully, I can guarantee you that even the “perfect yogi” has a pose they can’t get into, a fear they can’t get past or something that they envy in someone else. It’s so easy to look at other people’s lives and practice and want what they have and can do. Let’s stop that. Let’s look at ourselves and see how much we are capable of because it’s much more than we give ourselves credit for.
Studios have beginner’s yoga for a reason. Everybody has to start somewhere, and it just doesn’t matter where that place is. Yoga is beautiful because no one cares. Everyone does what they desire and it’s a judgment-free time. It’s about how you feel and following what your body craves. That is something that no other person can decide for you. It’s okay to try different classes and instructors. Not everyone has the same style and you have to look around and feel it out to find your groove. Don’t feel comfortable going to a yoga studio yet? You must have internet if you are reading this right now, so, pull up Youtube. The yoga videos are endless, and I am confident that you will find one that fits exactly what you need. Don’t allow yourself to miss out on something that changes so many people’s lives. Who knows, maybe it could change yours too.
Every single person is capable of doing yoga. Every gender, every race, every body type, every being, everybody; including YOU. Yoga is an art because it really is something that everyone can do. It absolutely does not matter what you look like. The only thing that matters is how you feel. Follow your breath, take that step, and begin to flow. I believe in you, now all you have to do is believe in yourself.
