Poor flexibility can lead to back pain, which is one of the leading causes of disability throughout the world, according to medical research. Stiff muscles can also cause a limited range of motion in joints, making ordinary tasks more of a chore than they should be.
Baptist Health, South Florida
Have you been avoiding yoga because you believe you’re not physically flexible enough? Well, good news! You’re not the only one who believes this about their bodies, and you don’t have to be flexible to start a yoga practice.
Think of your job, were you fully trained on how to do the things you are now able to do with relative ease before attending and participating in job training? Did you understand how a regular day at your workplace would go before orientation? Did you expect yourself to have this ability and understanding before applying? Sure, with most jobs most people apply for they have some form of experience doing what they are applying to do. Well, yoga is similar.
How? Well, think about it–if you went to a job interview and said “I have more than 20 years experience working the software program your company uses” would that not impress a prospective employer? My assumption is that you’ve used your body a minimum of 20 years, give or take a few years, and for this reason, you have a great deal of experience when it comes to operating your body; moving it, bending it, flexing its muscles to perform a variety of tasks. Because of your experience with these fundamental skills you already stand on a fantastic foundation to consider a regular yoga practice.
Many believe they need to be flexible before deciding to make yoga a regular part of their lives. When in reality the belief that you’re not flexible is what makes you a perfect candidate for consideration!
Why? Because just as you go to training and orientation for work because you lack training and orientation, the point, similarly, is to come to yoga because you lack flexibility, not because you already have it.
One-Legged Wheel Pose requires a lot of flexibility and some times years of practice!
When you come to the studio be sure that many, if not most, of the bendy people that you see on the mats beside you, didn’t get on the mat because they were already bendy; they got on the mat because they realized they weren’t and wanted to be.
If you’re sold on the belief that you can’t adopt a regular yoga practice because you’re not flexible, consider the fact that you are actually supremely qualified to begin a regular yoga practice for that exact reason.
Why does flexibility even matter?
- Flexibility helps to relieve pain
- You’ll reduce your chance of injury
- It’ll improve your posture
- If you’re an athlete or play sports it’ll enhance your performance
One of the great things about flexibility is that you can see huge improvements in a short amount of time if you’re consistent. On day one you may not be able to touch your toes, bend back into a camel pose, or sit in a squat, but with regular yoga practice, you might one day be able to do all of those things!
With a full arsenal of qualified, dedicated, and patient staff, Mountain Yoga Sandy is not somewhere the already flexible come to show off, rather it’s a place for people of all walks of life to become flexible. And if that describes you, then you already belong here.
Written by: Jade Swayne for Mountain Yoga Sandy
