flexibility

Yoga Myth #1 - You Have to be Flexible to do Yoga

This is part one, of a three part series, debunking some common Yoga Myths. If you have a Myth you would like to share or challenge me to debunk, share it in the comments below. If these Yoga Myth articles inspire you to try your first Yoga class - click here to sign up for Yoga in Winnipeg.



Yoga can look different and still be as beneficial

Yoga can look different and still be as beneficial

“You have to be flexible to do Yoga” - This is probably the most common misconception and most commonly used "excuse" as to why people haven't tried Yoga. Unfortunately, this myth is reinforced by Social Media accounts of uber flexible Yogi's, and magazine covers showing poses by people who have very advanced practices. You do not have to try and look like those people. There are many, MANY, poses that do not require you to lift your leg over your head, extend your spine into a backbend, or stand on your head. You don't have to be able to touch your toes, we have blocks and belts for that. You simply don't have to DO anything you aren't comfortable doing. All you have to do is show up, be open, feel and move your body, and take some deep lovely breaths. And you know what?? After you've practiced for awhile (no set length of time, it's different for everyone) you will find you have more flexibility! That’s because Yoga is a practice that is meant to help increase flexibility (as well as balance and strength).

As an Amazon associate I earn commissions on eligible sales.

Yoga props are there to help you access and modify poses.

Yoga props are there to help you access and modify poses.

So, let's agree to stop worrying about not being flexible enough to try Yoga. If you go to the right kind of class (maybe a Beginner Class), with a teacher that can assist you with modifications when necessary, and truly listen to your body while you practice (without trying to force yourself into what you think is a "picture perfect" shape), you will safely reap the many benefits from the practice. And as a bonus, you may be able to get closer to reaching your toes after a couple months!

Yoga Pose: Eagle Pose Part One - Arms Only

Eagle Pose - or Garudasana - is a very challenging balance pose that can look and feel quite intimidating when introduced. The problem is, if you only see the full version of Eagle in all of it's glory, you may never even attempt it, and that would mean you are missing out on the many benefits of this glorious pose. So, to avoid the overwhelm and intimidation, we are going to only focus on the upper body portion of this pose today. I am going to provide some tips, tricks, and modifications to make sure you get all the good stuff out of this stretch without having to think about balancing on one foot! Eagle Pose works to open and stretch the upper back and shoulders. I personally love it for shoulder tension that threatens to turn into a headache as it really works to release tightness from the Trapezius muscles. However, it can also be very tricky to move into if you have tight shoulders and back muscles - kind of a "catch 22" right?! Keep reading for some tips on how to move into Eagle Pose Arms, and how you can modify it to fit for you - wherever you are at in your practice! Make sure to check out the video at the end of the post for helpful visual cues. 

Your Best Yoga Manifesto: No two People will have the same Practice

... Or look the same in a pose.

I am back with another post breaking down the Your Best Yoga Manifesto (You can read about lines 1-4 here and here)! Keep reading to find out more about why I included line 5 and what it really means to me. Disclaimer: I am writing this post as my own informed opinion, point of view, based on my current knowledge  and education. I am not a doctor or someone who has studied biology, anatomy, or physiology extensively. 

If you don't look like the person in the picture  in the yoga book, you are not necessarily doing it wrong. If you don't look the same as your neighbour, friend, brother, or yoga teacher, when you move into a pose, you are not necessarily doing it wrong. There certainly is a "right" way to move into postures in terms of alignment and adjustments, but some people may enjoy and benefit from using certain Yoga props while others may not. One of you isn't wrong. There are a variety of reasons that two peoples postures - when done with correct alignment - would look different. For the purpose of this blog post I am going to focus on 3 of them: Flexibility in the muscular body, Skeletal Make-up and Body Proportions. 

1. Flexibility of the Muscles: This particular limitation is probably the most familiar and the most talked about in terms of a reason for someone shying away from yoga. The truth is we all enter our first Yoga class with varying degrees of flexibility and tightness in a variety of muscles. While I am sure, if you tried quite hard, you could find someone with the exact same tight muscles as you,  the reality is some of us have super tight hamstrings but open shoulders and some of us have locked up hips and a spine that can fold in-half backwards. Depending on the tightness you and your neighbouring practitioner are experiencing, you will look different in a Yoga pose. Take Downward Facing Dog for example - Someone with tight shoulders is often rounded through the shoulders, chest, and back, while someone with tight hamstrings can't get their heels to the ground or keep their knees straight. No one is doing anything wrong here, they're bodies will open the more they practice, they can use props to support their bodies, and over time they will likely start looking more similar in shape, but they still will not look exactly the same, because of the next two points.

2. Skeletal Make-up: Each of us are made up of femurs, tibia's, pelvis' etc. But each person's skeleton is not created equal. We are not walking around with carbon copy femur bones and knee caps, and because of this, we may not have the same abilities, simply because of the structure of our bones, and the way they are put together, which leads to my last point. (there is more information and discussion about this topic here if you are interested)

3. Body Proportions: Recently in my advanced teacher training, our instructor had us line up by height and stand with our arms by our sides. We then each had a turn to step out of the line and observe the students. It was incredibly interesting to look at two people who are relatively the same height and notice how differently their bodies are proportioned. So, lets think about Downward Facing Dog again. If you see the tutorial that I put up here, you may notice that I am generally proportionate in this pose. That is to say that my arms and upper body are the same length as my legs in this pose, so I look like an upside down "V". If someone has shorter arms they will not look like this and they won't experience this pose the same way I do as they likely feel a lot more weight in their hands in this pose. They certainly aren't doing anything wrong, but they may enjoy using props in their practice, such as blocks under their hands in Downward Dog, and their neighbour may not ever do this.  

Basically, we can only work with what we got! I am just fine with that for myself and with any students that I teach. We need to respect our limitations, and also respect our abilities, because at the end of the day, no matter what we look like, if we are practising yoga, our bodies are able to move and support us, and that is pretty great. 

If you want to sign up for the Your Best Yoga Beginner class Spring Session, there are only 4 spots left - Sign up before April 13th :)