There are so many rumours and misconceptions of yoga. This one is the biggest. If I had a dollar for every time I heard the following (I would own my own private island in the Caribbean):
Yoga isn’t for me because I’m not flexible.
Other common misconceptions of yoga I hear all the time are: you need to wear spandex (Nope! Comfortable but somewhat fitting clothing only so you don’t trip over your own pant leg.); it’s only for females (Nope! Traditionally yoga was practiced by males in India); and it’s a religious practice (Nope again! Yoga is not a religious practice. It has been around longer than most religions and was created to prepare the body for meditation.)
Ironically we actual practice yoga because we want to improve our flexibility.
Or how about the fear of that you’ll be twisted into a pretzel or forced to balance on your head? Sure there are many forms of yoga other there just like there are many different types of vegetables. The secret to eating more vegetables is to start with the ones you like. The secret to falling in love with yoga is finding a class that speaks to you.
Here at Healthy Finish I’ve created classes especially geared for the mature body, one with possibly limited mobility and a gentler and calmer practice. We focus on breathing, which allows the body to relax and help to reconnect to our mind, and gentle stretching poses, both sitting and standing, which helps to release the tension we hold in our bodies. Students that have been practicing with me for a while have reported better quality of sleep and more functional mobility.
Yoga helps improve functional mobility. You know the bending over a tying your shoe or reaching up high without losing your balance? You got to use it or lose it.
Not crazy about sitting on the ground why don’t you check out the chair yoga class? You still receive the same benefits of yoga but the class is modified for the more mature bodies or those with limited mobility.
Click here for more info about our seniors yoga classes.