Although most people think that Yoga is about tying yourself into a pretzel, this is only a small part of the physical aspect of Yoga which may (or may not!) develop over the years. Flexibility is certainly not a prerequisite before you start. In fact the only requirement is that you can breathe because Yoga actually teaches us to breath better, deeper and more consciously, and the physical postures are built around the breath.

Doing Yoga also teaches us to become more aware of what is happening in our bodies and in our minds. So the stiffer you are, the easier it is to feel your body and what it’s doing. When dancers and gymnasts come to my Yoga classes, I feel sorry that they have to twist themselves into complicated knots in order to feel the same thing that I, and other ordinary mortals feel just by trying to touch our toes.

Yoga classes usually have people of all standards in the same class because it is easy to adapt any given posture to suit very young, fit, supple people or those who are stiffer or carrying injuries. The end result is still the same, but the way there is as variable as there are people in a class.

Any competent teacher will allow for different people’s ability or limitations and help you work within your limits, not forcing you beyond what your body can safely do. (Yoga’s about learning to relax, not creating more stress by forcing yourself into pain, or feeling you failed at a certain pose!)

The most common feedback I get from new students is that they feel both energised and relaxed at the same time after class. This is a curious combination for most people who are either wired after 4 coffees and cigarettes, or brain-dead with the remote control in front of the TV.
So once you have learned some basic skills on the Yoga mat and how to adapt postures to suit your own body, then over time your body will probably open into a more supple, strong, light and healthy organism that feels genuinely good to be in all the time.

By Mark O'Brien qi yoga and Natural therapies