Yoga for Your Body

One of the things I love about yoga is its adaptability and inclusivity. Yoga can be a wonderful practice regardless of your age, gender, sexual preferences, spirituality, weight, height, skin color, body type or shape, level of flexibility, level of strength or endurance, whether you're chair-bound or muscle-bound or both! Take from it what you need or want - maybe community, spiritual connection, maybe mindful movement, gentle stretching, rigorous physical motion, maybe a little bit of everything, and maybe it changes from day to day. Yoga is for EVERY body.

The first of many opportunities for mindfulness in yoga is spending some time becoming aware of what you need for your body. Are you already strong and need flexibility? Do you have pain in your joints? Haven't exercised at all for a long time? Are you recovering from injuries? Need to relax and relieve stress? Do you like vigorous activity to relieve stress or slower, gentler movement? When I started, I was tense, stiff, out of shape and in dire need of stress relief so I started with a Gentle Yoga class. I did that for a few weeks and then started incorporating other kinds of classes - more strength building, faster pace but still focused on mindful movement and stress relief. I still take a Gentle class from time to time - just listening to what my body can do and what it needs on any given day.

So the point is to identify what you need for your body, read class descriptions and try a few. Depending on your abilities, needs, and what's accessible for you in terms of cost, location, and times of classes, look for specialty classes such as Silver Sneakers or Chair based yoga, or opt for a class advertised as all-abilities, rookie, or beginner. No doubt it could be hit or miss until you find the right format, teacher, (virtual) studio, and that intuitive feeling that this is the one.

Take note in classes of how teachers offer pose modifications so students can adapt the pose to their own body. Prompts, demonstrations and verbal cues for using props to support you can be really helpful. In a physical studio class, a teacher may come near you and suggest individualized modifications based on what he or she is seeing. In virtual class, individual modification may not be possible unless you've given the green light to be called by name. It is never the intention of a teacher to make you feel self-conscious by doing this so if you don't want to be called out, have a private word with your teacher before or after class.

If the idea of being in a class with other people is intimidating, now is a perfect time to try virtual classes with so many being offered in these Covid-19 times. Whether in a physical studio or virtual class, I would hazard a guess to say that the only person watching you is the teacher (because the rest of us are busy being self-aware in our own movement). And if that doesn't alleviate your concern, consider a few private sessions with a yoga teacher. Sometimes just knowing what to expect or building up to a certain point with private sessions is just the boost you need to be more confident in a studio or virtual class.

One of the most important mindfulness aspects of yoga when you're doing the poses is noticing your body, being aware of what your body is telling you. This is really important to prevent injuries. Start to know in your body the difference between what feels uncomfortable versus what is painful. Pain is always to be avoided. Discomfort, a challenge, we learn to hold. (This is related to the notion of impermanence, which we'll cover in a future blog post.) Keep in mind that what's right for someone else may not be right for you, so look less at what other students are doing and do the yoga that's right for your body. If the teacher doesn't offer a modification that works for you, don't be afraid to ask for a modification or alternate pose that works for your body the way it is today. Do what works in your body: Bend your knees if your hamstrings are tight, use blocks to bring the floor closer to you if your hands don't reach the floor; have a hand on the back of a chair or on a wall if you need support for balance poses; pause in a resting pose if you need a breather.

Yoga is personal. Be and embrace who you are in mindful self-awareness. Your body -- Your yoga.