Raise your hand if you or someone you know has ever said either of these:

"I'm not flexible enough to do yoga."

"I need to do yoga to get flexible."

If I were to guess, I bet most of you raised your hand. Why? Because these are probably two of the statements yoga teachers hear most often. In this week's post, I want to focus on the second statement, but let me clear up something around the first statement before I do. 

You are flexible enough to do yoga! 

This idea is such a misconception about yoga. Yoga is not just for people who can easily touch their toes or contort their bodies into intricate shapes. Yoga is for everyone who wants to do yoga, period. Choose a style of yoga and teacher that you connect with and start. There is a style and a teacher for everyone. So don't get discouraged if you try one class or teacher and it's not your thing. Try another one.  Little secret: I hated the first yoga class I ever took. Hated. It. It was the wrong style and teacher for me, but now I practice a few different types, have teachers I love, and am a teacher myself! OK? Let's move on.

"I need to do yoga to get flexible."

Here's where I want to challenge you a little bit. What does "flexible" mean to you? Does it mean being able to touch your toes, or do a split, do a backbend? Does it mean being able to bend over and pick something up off the floor? There's no wrong answer, by the way. It's that the word "flexible" can have a broad range of interpretation, so I'd like you to think a little bit harder about what you mean when you think of being "flexible.” 

Now that you have your "what,” let's find out your "why.” Why do you want to be flexible? What will it help you achieve that you can't right now?

Again, no wrong answers, but let's think about this a little. I'll use a couple of examples to illustrate. 

Let's say you want to be flexible so that you can tie your own shoes without having to do it sitting in a chair, pulling your pant leg to get your foot up to where you can reach it, or needing someone else to tie them for you. Another example could be wanting to bend over easily to pick up the kid's toys or clothes off the floor or empty the dishwasher without your back or legs aching. 

In these scenarios, you're not looking to do a split; you're merely looking to perform a daily function with ease. And yes, increasing your flexibility will help you achieve this. I'm a huge proponent of using exercise, like yoga, to help people build the strength and flexibility they need to function well in their daily lives.  

Heres' another example. What if you're an athlete, avid exerciser, or dancer that wants to be flexible to reduce your chance of injury? Here, you may already be able to touch your toes without issue, so you already have a degree of flexibility. You're looking to improve upon it to meet a specific goal.

And finally, what if your goal is to do a split? Great! Go for it if that's what you want to do. But, if you or we cannot do a split or don't want to do a split, does that mean we're inflexible? Of course not!

Can yoga help you improve your flexibility?

Absolutely. I'm sure it's a big reason why so many people first try yoga (even though yoga is about sooo much more than this!). I know my range of motion has undoubtedly improved from consistent practice. And in the interest of full disclosure, I cannot do a split or put my leg behind my head, and neither are goals for me right now! 

Right now, my goal is to challenge us all to stop thinking about flexibility in the sense that we are flexible or not. It's not one or the other. Flexibility exists in a range. We all have a degree of flexibility; it just varies from person to person.  

So if you are looking to increase your flexibility through yoga or other forms of exercise, remember first to ask yourself why and then ask what the goal you want to achieve is. Then design a plan to help you make it happen safely!

What do you think about this? Let me know by leaving a comment or sending me a message!

Want to be the first to know what’s happening here and get first dibs on special offers and updates? Join my Inner Circle newsletter!  

Learn more about me and what I teach on my website (megdyoga.com) or by following me on social media (@megdyoga).