“I’m not flexible enough for yoga” is the best reason to come

I hear this one all the time, usually from someone peeking in between classes as they are leaving the shoe store next door: “I’d love to try yoga, but I’m not flexible enough.” So let’s take that thought and gently set it down. Saying you’re too stiff for yoga is like saying you’re too hungry for dinner. Flexibility isn’t the price of admission — it’s the result.

Every student who can now fold forward comfortably started out exactly where you are: hands hovering somewhere around the knees, hamstrings arguing, and a quiet worry about what everyone else can do. That was completely fine for them, and it is completely fine for you.

What a first class actually asks of you

Not one pose in my classes requires you to touch your toes. A forward fold is done with soft, bent knees and a long spine — you hinge from the hips, let your head hang heavy, and let your hands land wherever they land. Blocks bring the floor up to meet you. A strap lets you hold a stretch you can’t quite reach yet. A chair gives you balance while your legs learn a new job. Props aren’t a beginner’s crutch; they are the tools that make the pose fit the body you brought in the door today.

What I do ask is simpler. Breathe through your nose. Move a little slower than you think you need to. Notice where you feel the stretch, and back off if it turns sharp. A good stretch feels like a long, warm pull. Pain is a stop sign, never a goal.

Where the change actually comes from

Muscles lengthen when they are warm, relaxed, and given time. That is why we move with the breath: a slow inhale to lengthen, a slow exhale to soften a little deeper. Hold that for five or six breaths, a few times a week, and something quiet happens. A few classes later my “I can’t touch my toes” students discover their fingertips have wandered down to their shins without anybody announcing it. Nobody in the room is measuring. The only body you’re comparing yourself to is the one you had last week.

Where to start

Gentle Flow is where most of my first-timers begin: slower-paced movements matched to your breath, on Mondays at 9:30am and Thursdays at 9:00am at my studio, or Thursdays at 6:30pm over Zoom if you’d rather try it from your living room. If getting down to the floor is the part that worries you, Chair Yoga on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays does the whole practice with the support of a chair. Poses with Props on Tuesday evenings at 6:30pm gives you the opportunity to safely learn through guided instruction how to use yoga props (blocks, straps, bolsters, and chairs) to support you in your practice. 

Try replacing the old sentence with a new one: “I’m improving my flexibility with every practice.” Then come prove it to yourself. First time? Just come. Dress comfortably, arrive a few minutes early, and I’ll take care of the rest.

My studio is inside the Fleet Feet building at 1511 Mount Rose Avenue in York — come in the main door and my Yoga and Wellness Center entrance is inside and to the left. Parking is free, drop-ins are always welcome, and every class is $15. You can register online or simply stop in.