The short answer is: YES!
I often hear the reason that people do not attempt to practice yoga is because they are not flexible. I KNOW that it can be practiced by everybody, no matter their age, flexibility, fitness level or medical. It’s about finiding the RIGHT type of yoga for YOU, no matter where you are on your yoga journey. We have been lead to believe that yoga is the domain of the young and bendy folk, who bust wonderful and complicated poses on social media at any time of the day and night. And of course, there’s a place for that. But the reality is oftern differnt to what we see on Instagram.
I have been practicing yoga since 2009 and my practice changed so much over the years. My first ever yoga practice was a Bikram Yoga class. I was hooked from the first class to the heat, intensity and the happy feelings afterwards. I started slepping so much better and I ate more healthily. I felt lighter and my skin was clearer. I also realised I needed to cut out drinking and cigarettes (and certain people) from my life. I was gaining clarity in my head and in my body with regards to what was good for me and what is not.
But… when I first started, each class felt hard. My head was constantly buzzing with millions of thoughts and I could not keep up with what the teacher was saying. At that point, I lived very much in my head and my body felt like a separate entity. I would say it took about a year from the first class for me to really grasp what was happening to me on a physical and mental level.
After practicing Bikram yoga for a couple of years (and some major life changes), I moved to South London. There were not many Bikram studios there (at the time). I found another studio, where classes were comfortable 26-28 degrees (instead of 40 degrees Celcius), but the yoga was much more dynamic. It felt like home: the community, the challenge and the heat was what I needed!
I felt myself getting stronger and more confident. I found that more about yoga, that’s it’s not just about the physical practice, but it’s about breathing, meditation and philosophy, too.
Now my practice varies, I practice dynamic and yin yoga, meditation or pranayama. I am not hung up on doing just the physical practice.
I am still learning about myself through my practice, but if you are hesitating, go for it. It’s life-changing (if you want it to be).
Gosia x
Co-Founder of Wellbeing in Your Home
Read more about benefits of yoga here.
