We've all got that one friend (maybe we ARE that one friend) that we've tried to bring into the magical world of yoga, only to hear one of the following phrases uttered; "I can't touch my toes!" "I'm not flexible enough for yoga!" "People will stare at me!" "I wouldn't know what to do!"
*siiiiiiigh*
1. I can't tell you how many of my classes I've taught and taken that DO NOT require toe touching in any way shape or form. Thigh touching, ankle touching, knee touching, block touching are all just as rewarding as those bendy peeps who can grab their toes, and to be honest, a lot of those people are compensating and cheating their way into those poses. (I used to do it too)
2. Your range of motion (ROM) is about as unique as your fingerprint; you see, we all have these weird things under our skin called bones, and they're all put together in a general shape of a skeleton, but not all of our skeletons are the same. Not all of our muscles may be as loose and opened as we want them to be, which causes some of us to not be as flexible as we wish we were. If only there was some sort of exercise that could help us in this area... OH WAIT! It's called yoga....
3. The purpose of yoga is to be in your own body, and worry about where your body is lined up. A lot of people practice yoga with their eyes closed to get closer to their practice. As a teacher I get stared at more than anyone; that's sort of the point. I suppose a neighbour may take a quick peek over at you to make sure they're not doing something wrong, and then go back to concentrating on breathing and getting through their own practice. The best part about yoga and yoga classes is that they are such non-competitive environments, and the teacher is there to support that. If you ever hear a yoga teacher saying "Now if you're not flexible enough just sit down on your butt and think about your life choices" you're not in a yoga class.
4. Well I mean, if you took a class you might be able to learn!!! ... All sass aside, you've no idea how many beginners there are in yoga, heck, I'm still a beginner for a lot of things! And believe it or not there are classes for those of us who aren't a yogi guru who can float off their mat in divine peace... Take a look around your city for some "foundations" classes or even "karma" classes are a great place to start.
We can all make as many excuses as we want as to why yoga isn't for us, or fitness in general for that matter, in the end, most of them are just excuses, and we can overcome those excuses pretty easily.
So if you've got that one friend (or if you are that one friend) who keeps making those "no"ga excuses maybe it's time to try a class.. or two.
Namaste
E xxx
*siiiiiiigh*
1. I can't tell you how many of my classes I've taught and taken that DO NOT require toe touching in any way shape or form. Thigh touching, ankle touching, knee touching, block touching are all just as rewarding as those bendy peeps who can grab their toes, and to be honest, a lot of those people are compensating and cheating their way into those poses. (I used to do it too)
2. Your range of motion (ROM) is about as unique as your fingerprint; you see, we all have these weird things under our skin called bones, and they're all put together in a general shape of a skeleton, but not all of our skeletons are the same. Not all of our muscles may be as loose and opened as we want them to be, which causes some of us to not be as flexible as we wish we were. If only there was some sort of exercise that could help us in this area... OH WAIT! It's called yoga....
3. The purpose of yoga is to be in your own body, and worry about where your body is lined up. A lot of people practice yoga with their eyes closed to get closer to their practice. As a teacher I get stared at more than anyone; that's sort of the point. I suppose a neighbour may take a quick peek over at you to make sure they're not doing something wrong, and then go back to concentrating on breathing and getting through their own practice. The best part about yoga and yoga classes is that they are such non-competitive environments, and the teacher is there to support that. If you ever hear a yoga teacher saying "Now if you're not flexible enough just sit down on your butt and think about your life choices" you're not in a yoga class.
4. Well I mean, if you took a class you might be able to learn!!! ... All sass aside, you've no idea how many beginners there are in yoga, heck, I'm still a beginner for a lot of things! And believe it or not there are classes for those of us who aren't a yogi guru who can float off their mat in divine peace... Take a look around your city for some "foundations" classes or even "karma" classes are a great place to start.
We can all make as many excuses as we want as to why yoga isn't for us, or fitness in general for that matter, in the end, most of them are just excuses, and we can overcome those excuses pretty easily.
So if you've got that one friend (or if you are that one friend) who keeps making those "no"ga excuses maybe it's time to try a class.. or two.
Namaste
E xxx