I'm not flexible enough to do yoga

Ah yes, one of my favorite myths about yoga. People see images of yogis on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Magazines, just about everywhere, and these yogis are twisted into positions that one imagines only happening in Cirque du Soleil. How intimidating!

You do not have to be flexible to do yoga. So you can’t touch your toes, do a split, or clasp your hands together behind your back. Guess what, many yogis can’t either. Yoga isn’t all about achieving these pretzel like poses, as a matter of fact, I would contend that the people in these images aren’t doing yoga at all.

Yoga is about being present, about tuning into your body, and your mind. It is about listening to what your body and your mind need at that moment to feel better. It is about being present. If you are twisting yourself into a pose to try and capture an image, I’m guessing you are more worried about “the perfect pose”, or “the perfect picture” to really be in tune with yourself.

Don’t let those images scare you away from a yoga class or trying the asanas (poses) I’m going to be sharing on my blog. You may not be able to do all of them, but just in trying the asana and feeling the connection to your body and understanding how it impacts your mental state; you will be doing yoga. Over time you will become more flexible, both physically and mentally. You may never be able to touch your toes, or get into that split, but you will come closer and you will be more calm and focused and aware.

For the record, I can’t do many of the poses either!

-Desk Dwelling Yogi