Do I have to be flexible to practice yoga?
Because yoga is neither a body culture and nor a competitive sport, there is no need for any special physical traits to practice yoga. All it takes is desire, patience, and perseverance. It does not matter if you can reach your toes in a forward bend position, or whether you can fold your legs into a lotus position. The effects of yoga are not necessarily proportional to how the pose appears externally. It is quite possible that an inflexible person will gain greater benefits from yoga than a very flexible person. Everyone should reach the level of extension appropriate for them and settle there. That place is where things happen, where learning to let go and be with the sensations of the body and the breath occurs. Yoga is not about flexibility. It is the practice of concentration, listening, attention and awareness. Flexibility, when comes, is only a by-product. ^ Back to top