Do you need to already be fit to do yoga?

If you’ve only ever seen yoga via those pictures of young, sculpted men and women

contorting themselves into gravity-defying poses all over the internet, the answer might seem

like a definite “yes.” How could anyone possibly bend themselves into those positions—let alone

stay there—without being at the peak of human conditioning? If you only have those pictures to

help you imagine it, yoga can be intimidating and discouraging. After all, if that’s what yoga

involves, what hope do the rest of us less-sculpted, less-flexible people have?

The truth is, the answer to “do you need to already be fit to do yoga?” is actually a

resounding “no”! Anyone can do yoga, at any level of fitness and flexibility. All you need to start

yoga is a mobile body and a willingness to try. Yoga can be asana (physical postures), pranayama (breath work), meditation and ethics (the eight limbs of yoga). Some students only work with one or two of these areas. It is all yoga.

When it comes to asana, there are literally hundreds of ancient and

modern yoga poses to choose among, and a good instructor will introduce new ones only when

you’re ready for them. Not able to manage “Downward Facing Dog” just yet? No problem!

There’s still “Tabletop ”which is a pose with a neutral back on hands and knees, or even

“Sphinx” which involves using your hands to help lift your chest from lying prone on the mat.

If a standing yoga practice is too difficult, there’s chair yoga, or even mat yoga, where

all the poses can be done lying on a yoga mat. My mom does both at 82 and loves it. Yoga is

truly a practice with something for everyone.

The yogis I know take deep joy and pride in making their craft accessible. A good yogi

will coax you to push your limits but never expect more than you’re able to do, and present new

poses as challenges, not requirements. It took me weeks to be able to handle “Crow Pose” (which is essentially curling your body tightly while balancing on your hands), but with my yogi’s

patient help I’m now actually pretty good at it. I may never be able to balance my body with my

legs stretched out in “peacock pose,” but that’s okay. I’m gaining strength, balance and

flexibility with the poses I can do, and the number of poses I can do increases all the time; Challenging myself is fun.

That’s the fantastic thing about yoga: you don’t have to be fit to start, but you will

absolutely get fit as you practice, and the poses will get easier the more you do them.

So even if you’re never able to coax your body into an impossible-seeming pose worthy

of an Instagram account, you’ll be a healthier, more confident version of yourself. And that’s

much more impressive than any hand balance.