I was at a party recently and the inevitable happened: someone asked me what I do for a living, I said “I’m a yoga teacher” and then I heard all the reasons why the people within earshot “don’t do yoga.” I am so used to it by now that I actually fully expect it when I answer the question of “What do you do for a living?” It’s funny because I almost feel like for whatever reason, people feel pressure to DO yoga. It’s as if there are no other forms or exercise or there’s a sense that you have to be of a special “ilk” to “do yoga and if you’re not, you owe people an explanation as to WHY.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Sometimes, I wish I said, “I’m a movement therapist.” I know that’s part of what I do but it doesn’t cover the mindfulness aspect nor does it pay respect to this time tested practice for both body and mind. The other funny thing about a conversation like this I’ve had is that in the same breath that someone mentioned all the reasons why they don’t practice yoga, they went on to say they love going to their “Stretch Therapist.” When I asked more about that, they said they go to someone who does passive stretching and myofascial release. I said, “Wow, you realize that’s pretty much what yoga is, except you’re doing more of the actual posing yourself rather than having someone move your limbs for you.” There was silence.

So, please understand that I’m not making an issue out of this, just sharing my experience and if you’re a yoga teacher, I’d love to know if you’ve experienced this too. I thought today it might be helpful to share some of what I share with people when these kinds of conversations happen. I suppose I could just nod my head in an understanding way and leave it at that, agreeing with them that their “lack of flexibility” meant that yes, you CAN’T do yoga, but I can’t help it. I just have to at least TRY to share with them a little of the science behind the practice and then leave it at that. I’m not trying to convince anyone; just trying to share some of what’s made sense to me over many years of teaching, training students and teachers and studying the anatomy of the body.

So, here are some of the common questions I hear and how I approach answering them: 

I’m not flexible enough to do yoga. Ah, yes, the myth that “being flexible” is a pre-requisite to doing yoga and in fact that “being flexible” is a desired state. What if your hamstrings were super flexible and when you walked, your pelvis rocked forward and back because the hamstrings were so loose, they didn’t provide any support or anchoring of your pelvis to the back of your knee? I’ll bet in that case, you’d wish for stiffer hamstrings. I get it though. There is a great deal of movement in yoga and to move, we need to have MOBILITY. But let’s not confuse MOBILITY with FLEXIBILITY. Mobility can happen in a healthy range with no requirement that I stretch my muscles to their end range. Flexibility can happen too along that continuum but for many people, they think they need to be at the END range of all the poses so therefore, they opt out.

I share with people that yoga is more about healthy movement and building a balance between both stretching and strengthening.

I get bored doing yoga. This one really amazes me because sometimes when I hear this, the person goes on to say they love running. I love running too but I can say that running is 10 times more monotonous than yoga! You’re basically moving through the same motion for as long as you’re out there. You might switch up your pace and sure, there’s the environmental variations in both what you can look at and where you can go but if you’re really “in the zone” when you run, you don’t look around all that much anyway.

My sense is that this kind of label of “I’m bored” has more to do with not feeling a benefit from yoga or a sense of connection to the practice. I think it’s just more that the person doesn’t like it and to that I say, “Try a different class and a different teacher!” So much of our experience of yoga is connected and shaped by where we practice, what class we take and who is teaching. If you tried it once and it didn’t work out, don’t give up on it. Try another class and then see. I’d say in general, try at least 3 different classes before you opt yourself out.

I don’t like to hold poses for a long time. I have a hard time paying attention. These can be two separate things or related concerns. Holding a pose for five breaths does indeed involve focusing your mind and if that’s not something that comes easy to you, then yes, this will push your buttons. Again though, it’s no reason to give up and if you feel there’s some benefit to be had, I’d encourage the person to try a different class and one that’s an hour long. Classes that are over an hour can tend to hold poses longer and maybe to start out, an hour long class is the perfect amount of time. Also, there are classes that can tend to have more dynamic movement than holding poses. You’d certainly want to have a person like this avoid restorative or Yin classes to start and go with the Power Yoga/Vinyasa/Flow style to start.

So these are just some of what I hear and again, if you’re a teacher, I’d love to hear the kinds of things YOU hear like this and what YOU say. Again, we’re not here to push people into yoga, just share what we love and the science behind it and let them make their own decisions.

Two more things before I sign off:

Have you listened to my latest podcast episode yet? “The Bare Bones Yoga Podcast: Conversations for Yoga Teachers” is getting great reviews on my website page and social media. Teachers are sharing with me that they love hearing the content and the voice its giving to different issues we deal with. In fact, someone just recently shared that listening to my podcast encouraged them to take a class for the first time in a while! I loved hearing that. The most recent episode is about building a yoga business as an independent teacher with less struggle and more ease. Listen here. 

The last thing is to let you know that if you’re not already signed up for my LEARN ANATOMY CHALLENGE, you’re missing out on my FREE training all about anatomy! This online video series walks you through key concepts in anatomy. You can check out the link here and get started today by downloading your guide to the Challenge.

Thanks for reading and please comment below!