When I urge my family, friends and co-workers to give yoga a try, the most common response I get is, “I’m not flexible enough to do yoga!” Friends, and hopefully future fellow yogis, I am here to tell you that while yoga does enhance one’s flexibility, YOU. DO. NOT. HAVE. TO. BE. FLEXIBLE. TO. DO. YOGA. Period, the end!
Developing a routine of yoga is more about building self awareness and then using that awareness to live your fullest, happiest life. Yoga heightens one’s ability to listen to their body talk to them about what it needs. Yoga is about increasing one’s wisdom and connectedness-physically, mentally, and spiritually. In time, flexibility will come; but, biology also plays a big role in the level of one’s flexibility.
So if you’re not overly flexible, blame it on your gene pool! There is a slew of fancy, scientific jargon and data that explains the relationship of your flexibility with the organs, cells and muscles in your body. Simply put, some people have flexible fascia (collagenous web-like substance in the body) and others don’t. This means that some people can keep straight legs while bending forward and touch their hands to the ground with no yoga necessary. And, for some of us, it means we can have years of yoga experience and still not easily attain this pose.
This does not give you an excuse to not incorporate yoga into your daily routine. Flexibility, strength, and stability are all vital to your overall health, and yoga will increase all of these for you. You can test your flexibility so that you are aware of your body’s abilities and limitations. Both of which are important to have a good understanding so that you push yourself to your edge in your practice, but you don’t go over the edge and cause injury. A quick way to measure your innate flexibility is to bend your hand at the wrist, palm down toward your forearm. Then use the other hand to very carefully pull your thumb of bent hand toward that same forearm. The closer your thumb gets to your forearm, the more innately flexible you are.
What to work on in yoga if I am innately flexible?
Need to rely on muscles for stability
Avoid passive stretching, don’t linger in postures that increase flexibility
Incorporate more strength building poses such as: plank, bridge, shoulder stands, downdog, balance poses
What to work on in yoga if I am not innately flexible?
Incorporate more yoga postures that focus on stretching such as: standing forward folds, seated forward folds, wide legged straddle stretch, pigeon, wide legged standing forward fold
Use yoga props such as blocks and straps to assist, support and enhance your stretching postures and ability to stay in postures longer for increased flexibility
Bottomline...there is no right or wrong, good or bad type of body. Don’t compare your body’s ability to do a certain pose with what someone else’s body can do. We’re all different, inside and out. But, when considering whether or not to start a regular yoga practice, please remember it is one of the best things you can do for your body (and your mind). I promise it will pay off in the long run, and you will be so thankful you developed your practice and increased your strength and stability. And, you may just surprise yourself with your flex“abilities.”