I Can't Touch My Toes! How Can I Do Yoga?

By Angelica Cook

It happens all the time - we’ve had all kinds of people tell us they would love to join a class but they just can’t touch their toes! They say, yoga sounds amazing but I can’t even … (you fill in the rest). Well dear friends, this may come as a surprise, but you don’t need to be stretchy to join a stretchy class! Let us tell you why.

Everyone Starts Somewhere

All yogis are different. Just as we enjoy different types of dessert (one chocolate a day keeps the doctor away right?), we all start off with varying degrees of flexibility, and that is totally ok! We can promise you now that no yoga teacher expects their students to all have the same abilities. We plan and adjust to allow each student to feel comfortable and get the most out of each class.

What is Your Focus?

We find our ways into yoga studios for various reasons from wanting to become more flexible and fit to wanting to find a little calm in our busy lives. So while the yogi in class next to you may have been practicing for a year, they might be focused on calming their mind rather than standing on their head. If you have a specific goal, let’s say to work on your posture, it might be helpful to come early and mention it to your teacher!

Become a Yogi Overnight

While it would be fabulous to join your first yoga class and walk out a flexible beast, in our experience that usually isn’t the case. Just with any type of physical training, it takes time to really find your groove. Would you like our best advice? We thought so!

Take it easy on yourself and give it a go! If you are one of those less stretchy people, yoga might be just what you need. It is amazing how different your body begins to feel when you allow a bit of wiggle room for those muscles and joints to breathe. Remind yourself that yoga really is about the journey so make mistakes, learn, become more comfortable in your body and enjoy the ride!

We hope to see you soon :)