“‘I’m too inflexible to do yoga’” - Inviting everyBODY to class

Image via Yoga Journal

A yoga teacher won’t make it very far down his or her career before hearing a student or potential student utter these words. Part of our jobs as yoga teachers is helping our students recognize their true potential, but it isn’t a secret that there are a lot of misconceptions around what is required in order to successfully practice yoga.

Being in the yoga world, the most important idea we need to communicate to our disillusioned students or fearful potentials is that if you can breathe, you can practice yoga. That’s it. The pranayama, or breath, is the foundation of our practice, the asana, or physical postures are added on after.

One of my favorite sayings from the good ol’ pinterest is, “You are not too hungry to eat, you are not too sick to go to the doctor, therefore, you are not too inflexible to do yoga.” How true is that?! If you think about it, yoga is one of the main actions we can take to help increase our flexibility as well as strengthening core stabilizers to help us find better balance and smoother motion in all of our other physical endeavors.

But what is holding people back from trying or to give up after only a few tries? What is the source of the resistance? The responses are vast and broad, but I think a large majority would agree there is a stigma and an image of how yoga and certain yoga poses “should” look. People see pictures on the internet or instagram of people twisted like pretzels, bent backwards into a doughnut, and folding completely in half. If you are already not very limber, there’s no question that these images can cause a little weariness. No one wants to feel unsuccessful, but where is one to start? That is where you as the teacher come in, fully equipped with inclusive language and modifications for any posture you plan to offer in class. Stay posted for a blog post on how we can use inclusive language soon, but for now, think of how you can positively frame the different options you provide in class so that everyone feels empowered and successful when they leave your care.

Now I will fully admit that I,too, am guilty of the bendy-flexible pictures on my own instagram. In fact, it took me years before signing up for an account for this very reason, because I didn’t want to be “showing off”, but then something switched. Just as an artist uses painting, a dancer choreography, or a musician a piece of composition, yoga is an art form of self expression. There is nothing to hide. As Marianne Williamson says, “when we allow our light to shine we unconsciously give others permission to do the same.” Wow. That is powerful.

Teachers, consider combining the two: make space for post's of self-expression and those that educate your followers about modifications and empower the practice to be one for every-BODY. We are here to spread the light and make it accessible to all. Let’s help our friends who are resistant find a place of comfort and sanctity on their mat, so that they too can share and spread their light.