Do you need to be flexible to do yoga?

No. Flexibility is a side effect of practice, not a prerequisite for it. Every pose has a version for tight hamstrings and a version for open ones, and the work is identical. Slow flow and yin are full practices that are kind to a stiff body. Show up consistently and range arrives on its own time.

What does the word yoga actually mean?

Yoga means the yoking of mind and body: connecting and integrating the two, and finding ease inside effort. The goal is that steadiness and presence, not how deep you can fold. Flexibility is a side effect you might not even notice until someone else points it out.

You don't need to be flexible to do yoga

The most common excuse for skipping yoga, "I'm not flexible," gets the practice backwards. Flexibility is not the goal; it is a side effect. Yoga means the yoking of mind and body: connecting the two and finding ease inside effort, on the mat and off it.

The poses meet you where you are, every shape has a version for a tight body, and slow flow and yin are kind places to start. Most of any class is built from a handful of repeating shapes like the sun salutations. You do not need to be bendy. You need to show up, breathe, and pay attention.

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