When you love Northern Beaches yoga, it is only natural to want your family and friends to love it as well. But no matter how many times you try to convince them to start yoga, there is one excuse that some of them say – yoga is not for people like me because I am not flexible. While it is true that yoga can be very intimidating for those people who cannot touch their toes and do simple poses, everyone can practice yoga. Here are a few reasons why yoga is for everyone, even those who cannot touch their toes.
It improves body strength
When people picture a yoga class, they imagine practitioners twisting their bodies into complicated poses. However, the fact is that yoga is more about building strength because it is about improving flexibility. You will need every muscle in your body for most poses in yoga, especially arm balances and inversions. You will also need your strength and your muscle tone will improve quicker than you could ever imagine.
It is not just about striking yoga poses
Yoga is also about being mindful. It is unique around physical pursuits because it focuses more on the mind than on the body. It is meditation through movement and the main point is to be in the present and focus on inner experience.
It keeps your brain flexible
Yoga near medoes not just work on your body alone, but also on your brain. Recent studies show that regular yoga practice can increase grey matter in the brain, replacing the grey matter lost through chronic illness or depression. Grey matter is useful for pain tolerance, emotional regulation, and decision-making. Yoga can potentially regrow your grey matter and this means that your brain will be more adaptable if you practice yoga consistently.
Emotional flexibility
Flexibility is the ability to bend your body without breaking and this also implies your mental state. When life throws obstacles in your way, you can either break or bend and copy positively. Yoga will teach you how to focus on the present. It will also teach us that discomfort is temporary. When you make this part of your worldview, you can cope with whatever life throws at you.
Most styles do not focus on flexibility
What most people who do not practice yoga do not know is that yoga is very diverse. Instead of jumping into flexibility-focused classes, begin with gentle restorative yoga. Other yoga styles focus on meditation and breathing work. This means that no extreme flexibility is needed. If you want to become more flexible, there are a lot of styles you can do.
Yoga is mainly about the process
If you are only practising Northern Beaches yoga to show off how you can do complex poses on Instagram, you are doing the wrong thing. Goals are good and showing off can be a motivator. However, when it comes to yoga, both failure and success are equally important. Failure helps you learn and improves. If you cannot do a headstand, do not despair because one day you will do it.
