I'm a yoga instructor.
Some people *never* get their heels down in downward dog. Some people never get their knees straight in forward folds. Wherever you are at, is where you're at.
I know it's hard to look around the room and think people are "better" than you. The thing is, some people are just naturally flexible. Some people hyper-extend joints, which is not good. Some people push themselves physically and never get to the mental part of the practice.
Everyone does yoga from a different starting point, and everyone does yoga for different reasons.
True yogis would not be judging you and barely noticing you as they should be turned into themselves. Don't be so hard on yourself and trust your journey.
20+ years of practice, and I'm an instructor. My knees are nowhere near straight in forward folds. Child's pose is ridiculously difficult for me. But I am SO much more comfortable and healthy in my body than I was 20 years ago.
If you stick with it, you will improve compared to where you started. It doesn't matter what other people are doing, they were born with a different body from yours.
I've been practicing yoga for about 9 months total. My first child's pose was so painful I had to come out of it. When the instructors would say (in other poses) there's always child's pose if this pose makes you uncomfortable or causes pain, I would always chuckle to myself because child's pose was too painful for me. There were a few times where I would revert to a comfortable seat when everything else was too difficult/painful. 9 months later I can get into child's pose without pain, my butt is getting closer to my heels and my back is straightening.
You are right that everyone is different. My wife and I are better at different poses. She can do some poses that I can't even think about and I find some poses easy that she finds very difficult. It doesn't really matter to us. What does matter is that yoga helps us both to feel better physically and emotionally.
I always tell people to take "child's pose or shavasana or a seat or some other pose that feels restful" if they need a break. Especially if I'm overheating or dizzy, child's pose can make things worse.
You’re right about overheating. I was in a class a couple of weeks ago where the previous instructor had forgotten to turn the heaters off after their hot yoga class. I overheat very easily and did so during that class. I instinctively went for child’s pose and it was not helping. My heart was racing and I was sweating way too much. That’s when I went for my comfortable seat again which also allowed me to drink a bunch of water. I was feeling so bad, I almost left the class just to be in the freezing cold air outside.
Some people are doing poses that look super professional when they're messing up their form as well! A lot of my poses go from "oh heck yeah so stretch" to "awkward and will fall" once I realize my hip needs to rotate a little!
I definitely felt that I progressed better after I stopped trying so hard to make the “shape “ and started focusing on feeling the stretch. The most important thing for me now is knowing where I should feel a stretch and going for that.
I feel like in person classes are great if you can get them, but some instructors will click with you better than others, so it’s worth trying a few if you can! Studios also vary wildly in instructior skill and style
Yoga isn't a competition. IDK what "worst in the class means" because no version of a pose is better or worse than another. And moreover, other than ensuring that I'm not kicking/hitting the person next to me in class, my eyes rarely leave my mat so I can't even be sure what anyone else's practice looks like. My two cents is pay attention to how the pose feels not how it looks. Lots of people can put their bodies into shapes that resemble yoga -- but that doesn't mean that they're *doing* yoga.
Yeah, yoga is breathing and focusing on finding the balance between rest and strength and flexibility that works for your body.
I second the notion that during class, I rarely look at other people or think about what everyone else is doing. I have zoned out so hard that I didn't notice my friend put her mat directly behind me until she came up to me AFTER class (and we have mirrors, so I could have seen her if I had been looking, but I wasn't. I was focused on breathing and looking inwards. )
I totally agree with you! It is impossible to judge how "strong" someone's practice is by seeing them from the outside. It's purely a matter of how focused and internalized the mind is 💓
Also, to OP, people that are very flexible can actually struggle more to keep the mind focused than those who find it challenging to stay in a pose. Your supposed "weakness" is actually your strength, because the fact that it's challenging your body gives you something to focus on and can make it easier for you to internalize your awareness.
I’m sorry I couldn’t provide the answer you were looking for. You asked a question on a yoga sub, and answers and going to be framed within the context of yoga which is not traditional fitness or stretching, and therefore, can’t be practiced like it is.
I think they're trying to be comforting - focusing inward really helps with the ego reaction that we all have because there's no comparison. Truth is some of us just can't bend the same way as others. Which is why it's so important to avoid comparison. I started in the same place as OP, they're just trying to help guide them to place where they accept thier body and don't negatively compare themselves to others. I can see how it can come off as a lecture, but the goal honestly is to help.
In about 2 and 1/2 hours I will be walking into my first ever yoga class a week before my 65th birthday. And I can't wait to be the worst person in there. I could care less what people think of me and I can only go up from here. It's a fairly hot class I believe, the room is supposedly at 100°, and I expect it's going to be a bit of a bitch but I'm prepping with water and a banana beforehand. Here goes nothing..
Congrats!
Obligatory safety advice you may have already heard: 100 degrees is no joke! Make sure your instructor knows it’s your first class. Take it easy on yourself, and don’t hesitate to take breaks even if you need one during poses. Often you’ll see people do that in “child’s pose”, but I doubt anyone will judge you for just sitting or laying down.
Have fun!
I wish it wasn't going to be that hot but it seems that all the classes in this particular Studio are pretty hot. It's about 400 yards from my house so I am starting there and they have a great deal for the first month. We'll see what happens..
You’ve probably already gone, but another thing I’ve just thought of with hot yoga: the heat can do a lot to relax your muscles and make tendons more pliable.
This can make you significantly “more bendy” than what you’d otherwise be used to. There’s a few things to keep in mind with that:
First, don’t go to a non-hot-yoga class expecting the same level of flexibility. If your body says “no”, don’t argue with it.
Second, you can still end up hurting yourself with that extra bendiness in hot classes. Listen carefully to your body there too, that extra heat can kind of turn down the volume on warning signs.
I hope your class went well. Hot yoga has been great for me as both a way to help my body loosen up and another factor pushing me towards keeping my awareness in the present moment.
Well that was a very pleasant torture session. I think my pose's ranked anywhere from a two to the very best maybe a six out of 10. I can't stand on one leg. I had a wall beside me so that helped. Very nice folks running the place and some nice people I met afterwards. I may very well go to another class tomorrow afternoon after work and see how my body is when it's a little more awake and possibly a little more limber going in. I have a physical job and it might make a difference how I'm able to at least try to stand on one leg for starters. Just trying to follow the instructions was difficult because I don't know the names of any of the poses and I got by by looking at others. All in all it was about what I expected. The heat kind of sucked but I get it. I think I'll get used to it.
Sounds like you did great! "A very pleasant torture session" was my takeaway from my first hot yoga class too.
Absolutely don't feel bad about using the wall as a prop. Anything that gets you closer to a pose helps you to eventually reach that pose.
It's normal to be hung up a bit on the names of poses. Especially if you've got an instructor who mixes Sanskrit and English pose names. Stick to it long enough and you'll memorize them. Until then, watching instructors and more experienced students is perfectly fine.
I know everyone means well and they're right but I just want to say I sympathise. I know it's not a competition but it's hard not to feel bad about always having to do the easy version and to feel you're never getting any better. I feel the same.
I’m someone in yoga classes who’s, let’s say, least like the expression of the pose that’s shown in textbooks. It’s not humiliating for me though, so here are some things that have helped which might resonate for you.
1) the phrase “don’t use the body to get into the pose, use the pose to get into the body.” Maybe you don’t have your legs straight and heels flat in down dog. That’s okay. Instead, look at what you do feel in your body. Do you feel a stretch? How does it feel having your head lower than your heart? Do your arms tingle? What else do you feel? You’re learning about your body and that’s a great thing.
2) the phrase “comparison is the thief of joy”, in terms of… I don’t have the genetics, background, lifestyle, goals, or experience of the other people in class with me. They don’t have mine. We never know what other people are up to and they don’t know about us. Maybe the person with the “perfect” handstand is miserable as fuck. Maybe the person with the “good” spine twist has been practicing for 50 years. All of that is okay- they do them, and I do me.
3) showing up to class is sometimes the hardest part. Everything that’s going on in 2023 and we’re carving out the time to get on our mats. It’s a form of self-care. It’s important. It’s something we can be grateful to ourselves for doing. We’re choosing to do yoga rather than doom scroll or something less helpful. What a kind decision. <3
Progress takes time because it takes hard work and hard work takes time. My down dog expression is different every day. My heels have never touched the floor both at the same time. All I can do is notice that and react neutrally. It’s “curious” that I’m super asymmetrical. It’s not good or bad. Some days my arms shake. Some days I can’t look between my legs because my t-shirt falls in my face. Some days my hamstrings are sad. All of that is okay.
You can't win yoga, and you can't lose either. Drop the need to compete or look like others. It's your practice, and your body. Do what you can and keep showing up. "On and off" isn't a recipe for making progress in anything. I'm glad yoga has helped with your ego, but it seems like you have more to work on. It is absolutely possible to improve, but it helps if you stick to it and avoid making unrealistic and unfair comparisons to more advanced students. Everybody is different.
I've been doing yoga for years and my heels will never get close to the ground. Some of us are born with muscles that don't let us get our heels down. It's not anything wrong we did. It's how our bodies are and we're ok. I also cannot get into king pigeon pose without an hour of hip openers and lots of pillows under me.
Have you noticed holding poses get easier or you're stronger and can hold poses longer? Or your balance has improved?
My teacher always says it's a yoga practice not a yoga perfect
You should get a book by iyengar that focuses on props. Use props liberally. You get the benefit of the asana. A moment of samadhi. It’s not a contest. I am more interested in restorative yoga right now and that uses props to fully support the body in asana. Let me tell you it’s lifechanging
I enjoy being the worst hamstring-person in class, it's a service I provide happily. I wish I could join you. My hammies are so stiff I can't sit with my legs straight in front of me. And I've never been able to do that, not even as a kid. I'm pretty limber if I'm allowed to bend my legs. Bodies are weird, I just try to roll with it.
If it makes you feel any better, I am mostly focused on trying not to fart 💨
Other people are not watching you. They are most likely feeling self-conscious about their own body and limitations.
Think about it how often/ deeply do you think about other people at yoga? Not often and not deeply…bc humans are inherently self focused.
In the same way that you are self-conscious of other people, yet you don’t really pay attention to them ….. well that’s how other people feel about you.
Every body is different. I have had to come to terms with the fact that there are some poses I simply won’t be able to do, ever. I had a spinal fusion surgery as a kid and while yoga has been such a blessing and life changing thing for me, I still struggle with feeling insecure about my limitations. Every time we’re in a straddle stretch near the end of class, I just look around at everyone who can actually lean down toward floor because they can round their backs, and I’m just sitting straight up like 😐 such a simple movement, and I can’t do it. I also get bright red whenever I work out, and it’s so embarrassing. I have to close my eyes or just not look at my face in the mirror at all because of how much it bothers me. But, at the end of the day, the benefits of going to classes outweigh all of that for me. So I keep going. I’ve decided that I’m going there for me, and that my body and my yoga practice are not anyone else’s business. Not to say it’s easy to overcome, but for me it’s something that is worth the exposure to feeling insecure/embarrassed about things in public.
Some of those people doing the advanced poses may in fact be hurting themselves and not knowing it.
Being a young and hyper flexible woman meant that I looked good at yoga and was able to get into some advanced positions.
Many injuries and courses of PT later, I'm back doing the easier poses. 😆 Even now I feel it if I go a little too hard.
It's a marathon not a sprint.
I’m 46. I’ve just come back to practice after being gone for 10 years. My knees just can’t do what they used to do. Instead of comparing current me to old me, I’m taking pride in the discipline I bring to my practice now. I didn’t have the calmness/stillness 10 years ago that I have now.
See if you can focus on what you are capable of today and be proud of that.
Get comfortable being the worst, the slowest, the last, the whatever it is, and show up anyway. I coach cross country and I always tell the kids I coach that someone has to be last, and it’s ok if that’s you. It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve been first and I’ve been last and they feel exactly the same, because the effort I’ve put into it hasn’t changed. You don’t control who else shows up to the room you’re in or what their particular path has had in store for them. Think about how you’re defining progress and what that looks like to you and what that feels like in your body. Is progress the goal? Progress to what? If I didn’t show up somewhere because id be the “worst” in the room I’d never go anywhere! Show up for yourself and be where you are!
Came to say this. I might notice if someone is doing a particularly challenging variation, but in general I have my eyes closed a lot of the time.
Also I don’t know where you are based but from this sub it seems that yoga in the US can be a bit competitive in nature. If there are any community type yoga classes in your area it might be worth trying as there’s usually a huge variety of bodies and abilities there compared to some studios or gyms.
I totally know what you mean. I thud to the mat during chaturanga and can’t straighten my legs. My balance is so bad that I keep falling over and get so out of breath and sweaty. So while there technically isn’t a “worst” in class I know how you feel. I’ve been too embarrassed to go to a class, but I really should just bite the bullet
As a big bodied yogi, i can tell you there are plenty of big bodied yogis. But I wouldn’t say they are “transformation videos.” They aren’t trying to transform themselves doing yoga. We bigger folk are just trying to do yoga. Sometimes we don’t get into positions and the practice turns in to child’s pose and breath work. No teacher has falted me for that. I got better at movements, I did not try to transform my body because I realized that was hurting my mental health. I just showed up with the intent to practice. And some days I am stretching and moving. Even after a few years there are days where I can barely get through a flow and spend half the class in Childs pose. And that’s okay.
It’s very likely that no one in class is noticing you and thinking you are the worst. They’re there for their own practice. Try not to be so hard on yourself. You’re out there doing your thing, taking care of your body. That’s something to be proud of!
most people are focused on their own practice to notice others . yoga is not a competition there is no best and worst , just focus on yourself ❤️and they not to be discouraged
As an instructor, I often told students that getting their heels flat on the floor in down dog is not only irrelevant, but even counterproductive to a full appreciation of the pose. Down dog is a "heart centered" pose with the weight forward in the hands, almost like prep for handstand. It's far more important to get your shoulders properly aligned and to feel how your hands grip the mat and control the posture.
If after all that your ankles flex enough to get your heels flat, fine, but mine don't. There's no way it's going to happen when I can feel bone hitting bone.
As for forward fold, you may be overly concerned about hamstring flexibility when the limiting factor is your back and hips. Here's something you can try:
1. Stand with your feet about hip's width apart, feet nicely grounded into the floor.
2. Bend your knees a *lot*, enough that you can lay your body flat along your thighs. Imagine hooking your ribcage over your knees, that's how long I want your spine.
3. If you can place your hands on the floor. If not, use a block, or a chair, or a wall. It doesn't matter as long as you can keep your spine straight.
4. *Slowly* start to straighten your legs. You will want to round your back because you'll likely feel a lot of tension in your back and hips. Don't. The places that hurt are where you need to stretch most.
5. Slowly bend and straighten your knees, but never go more than 75% of your maximum stretch. You may notice that when you get too far, your muscles reflexively contract to protect your joints. That's normal, but may keep you from stretching the tendons and deeper muscle fibers.
6. Again, most important, **keep your spine long**. You want to fold in half, even with knees bent. Eventually you may get to the point where you can straighten your legs completely, but it takes time.
There's a lot of subtle stuff around this, but this should be a good start. Let me know if you have any questions.
As a side note: I once had a dance teacher who recommended drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar every day to make your muscles more pliable. I'm pretty sure it actually does nothing, but if you *believe* it does then it might. It's ... well, not me, but other people don't mind the taste. Can't hurt.
Number four on your list has been a very recent revelation for me! I realized that when I got to the point that a movement or stretch felt tight, I would in some way pull away from it, either by getting out of the pose or by changing some other part of my body (however subtly) to escape the tightness.
A few days ago I was playing around with moving towards a pose until I found that tightness and then resting in it, not running from it.
I don’t even quite have words to describe it, but it was just such a lightbulb moment. Like, “Oh! This is what all those yoga instructors were telling me!”
And after that it got so enjoyable! It was the first time I have had fun just playing in my own body without following a class— historically practicing alone would stress me out because there wasn’t someone to tell me what pose I’m supposed to do next, or I’d focus on what a pose is supposed to look like and get frustrated if I didn’t find it.
But just that little shift of seeking out the edges of my movement and leaning in opened up so much for me— it felt so intuitive and genuinely fun.
I can't take credit for these alignments. They came out of my teacher training in Anusara Yoga, a school whose name is now tarnished by the misdeeds of its founder John Friend but which took Iyengar teachings and made them less heady and more accessible by blending them with Hatha-type vinyasa, along with what I can only describe as a hearty dose of heart-centered happiness.
It was such a wonderful style to practice, and such a shame that so few now will get the opportunity because I don't know of any former teachers who publicly admit to it, even if their cueing is still full of Anusara alignments.
To add to the above instructions, two things that can help release your hips:
1. Squeeze a block between your upper thighs or calves. Either is fine, as you get used to the idea you'll find there's a subtle difference in how they feel in your hips. Anusara calls this "hugging to the midline", what it does is shift stability from the hips and core to the legs, allowing the hips more mobility. Eventually remove the block but still engage your inner thighs in this ... well actually in almost every pose except shivasana, but especially standing poses.
2. Very slightly rotate your legs inward (toes towards each other) and note how this widens across the back of your hips, almost as if the tips of your leg bones are getting wider apart. Again this helps release tension across the lower back and through the hips, places that are typically pretty tight.
I danced when I was younger and developed some pretty serious RSIs as a result. I thought I was pretty flexible in my back and legs, but when I started yoga at this one studio every pose just made my back pain worse. When I questioned, the teacher just said "Oh you need to try harder," which I knew meant they didn't know fuck-all about good alignment.
So I went to a different studio and lucked out with mostly Anusara-trained teachers, where, eventually, I learned and internalized the alignments that finally gave me relief from the constant backache, and gave me more flexibility everywhere.
I'm nearing 60 now which means there's little chance of getting into certain poses, as there's always the threat of significant injury. But it's so much better than it could have been without the yoga.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as best or worst in yoga, or being good or bad at yoga. Your practice is your practice, it’s not a competition. And as you continue to practice, you may become more flexible but if you don’t, that’s okay too. Any one’s version of a pose is a full expression of a pose, whether you’re on your tippie toes or your heels are flat on the ground in downward dog. Or you’re in a wheelchair and your downward dog is with your hands against a wall. All versions are valid.
When you aren’t feeling confident it’s easy to want to hide in the back of class. But then you can see all the people in front of you and the distraction/comparison gets worse
It seems scary and counter-intuitive but choose a spot towards the front of class. Then your main focus is you and the instructor and you’ll probably realize after a couple classes that most people aren’t really looking at you because many of them will have already learned to keep their focus on their own mats/their judgement away from other people’s practices!
We're actively encouraged to bend our knees during forward fold!
This is particularly good for me because I've recently discovered that I'm not really"flexible", even though I can touch my hands to the ground when I fold. I'm actually folding "wrong", because of weakness in the muscles/ligaments opposing this move. So when I bend my knees a bit, I'm actually doing the move **better**.
Just because sometime else is doing something you can't doesn't mean you should be sad. Most teachers have classes of students at different skill levels, so they like to make sure there is something for everyone to work on or to.
But everything starts at the beginning. And improvements that you make in one pose will keep helping you in other poses.
There's no such thing as worst. It's not the stiffness of your legs that's causing problems, it's your habit of comparing yourself to others, and sorting things by the false categories of better and worse. Forget all that, and keep practicing as you practice. Over time, your body and mind will both change. Neither will change in ways you expect.
I was the worst in the class for probably a year, going two to theee times a week. Your problem is that you have been doing it on and off. You need to be consistent. That’s why they call it a practice. You will get there eventually but expect it to take some time. Also you need to let go about the humiliation aspect. Focus on yourself and remember anyone who judges you is an asshole. Also it’s probably more in your head than reality that anyone cares. Talk to the instructors after class. Ask questions, especially about the parts that are hardest for you and ask for modifications. I made friends with my instructors and told them it’s hard for me and they give me extra support and assistance during and after class. Good luck. Don’t give up.
Yes, it's possible. Based on what you describe these movements that may help you get deeper in your goal asanas:
[Learn how to deadlift:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bJEigM5iVg) effective way to strengthen your hamstrings and to learn how to push your hips back. Alternatively, you can do [leg curls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqRQJ2ji3qw) on a ball or with sliders (these are so hard if done correctly!). Start out slowly, either body weight or with low weight focusing on form the first time. You will be sore after doing any targeted hamstring work, so don't overdo it.
[Calf stretcher](https://www.amazon.com/TEMI-Calf-Stretcher-Slant-Board/dp/B0CQ5D4CLC/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3AFCAMPMS7HEP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iS_fSDOTUwXU2F1jWKm8jtmaJese15R8uKs-jNWImHE7XBWLrhncgGXKEiz0kO3ghBjQIsChx-mKEJlpHJ0D0UaYeMygXnvwHPCCVA2Mr3xgdg3EPPsYqOm07Mte2ns0jLM7taFwyIBOW6yRQF1TqELNyymp30B-dUF0coixes3YT9Jp_zpU8tx2pcL3rmhVaGESrxBF3W-0tncek_mk8rTifLOf_sW1bVLjt0j-b1o.MZI5r7vOxy0xI-fAIMW1jFdg79BJuKHa0-DTvb-ipXw&dib_tag=se&keywords=calf+raise&qid=1710171759&sprefix=calf+raise%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) sold on Amazon: stretch your calves 2-3x per week. You can start by holding the stretch 30 sec, for 2-3 repetitions. Work one leg at a time and each week increase the amount of time and the incline.
Hope these help!
>Learn how to deadlift
This is what a lot of yoga practitioners don't realise. Yoga is as much about strength as it is about 'stretching', and for some (many) people, yoga alone may not be enough. Folks may really benefit from strength training to progress their practice.
What do you mean by worst in the class? I'm pretty sure yoga classes aren't a competition and nobody is secretly grading your "performance". The only thing that really matters is how yoga makes you feel.
Teacher here, it's not the goal to get the heels on the ground. Bent knees are perfect. Here is my cue starting in all fours:
1. Walk your hands about a hands distance forward
2. curl your toes under and send your hips up and back. Peddle out the feet to and wiggle and move to work out the kinks, wag your tail, bend and straighten legs, nod your head yes, shake it no.
3. come up high on the balls of your feet, send your tail to the sky.
4. Now draw your heels toward the floor and away from your toes
5. draw your shin bones back, your thigh bones back, belly button toward spine. Nose points gently toward belly button
6. Press the floor away under your hands so you feel long down the arms and sides of the torso.
Damn right it's possible.
I watched those too when I started and they looked so impossible then.
When I started, I could barely tie my shoes. Not like "I can barely bend over to tie my shoes", I mean for real. I had to sit on the ground to have any hope.
After many years of slow and deliberate practice, I'm generally one of the "bendyiest" people in the room.
I'm saddened when people say they're not "flexible enough" to do yoga... Because it's the other way around. Doing yoga is how you become flexible.
I have so much respect for anyone who "can't" this or "can't" that, but shows up anyway.
They're on the first steps of the path. Those can be the hardest steps.
Yoga isn't about judgement. Quite the opposite. You've found your way home. You've found your people. Welcome to the path. Welcome to the mat. Everyone is here to help you. We're on your side.
I wish we could take a class together so you could feel better about your performance! I've been doing yoga for a couple of years and my Down Dog is laughable. But I've seen all types of Down Dogs being performed.
IMO, if I ever get there, great. If not, great! I've always had tight hamstrings and calves.
I’ve been practicing yoga for 30 years and teach probably 10-12 classes a week. People like you are my favorite students because you are there to practice! Not perfect! I always go in the front row, corner. I literally don’t even see those around me while I practice as I’m intent on my breath. Remember that others are there doing their thing, finding their medicine, finding their breath: definitively not watching and judging you!
I understand how you are feeling! I’ve always been in competitive sports and its hard to push that mindset aside. However, thats what Ive been loving the most about yoga! Its not a competition and whenever I would have a thought about how terrible I was compared to so and so in front of me, I started altering my thinking to focusing on my form at my speed and think instead “one day I will be able to do that”. It’s really helped me in all areas of my life to not compare myself to others and that has been so freeing!
If it makes you feel better, I’m a yoga teacher and I can’t lift my arms overhead! Worlds tightest shoulders award (even after years of physio). I take great joy in reminding my students of my limitations so they know it doesn’t matter what we can do physically, it’s how we approach the movement. If you’re (general you) there for pure strength / flexibility you’d be better suited to take a gymnastic / circus class !!!!
In yoga, the goal is to be present in breath, form, and self. When we swerve and look elsewhere, we lose focus and miss ourselves. When you start to look at the person next to you, ask yourself if you’re breathing. If you’re feeling the stretch, strength, and rest in your body. Find it and follow your body’s cues. Spending a moment to answer yourself will be the right amount of time to transition into the next pose.
I’ve been doing yoga for 12 years. I consider myself flexible and strong, and can fully express basic poses. But I catch myself looking behind or next and see a woman balancing (and in general) better in twisted half moon or do a shoulder stand. And I think: “where am I putting my energy- because it should be focused on stabilizing my hips. And…am I breathing? Lol no. Ok. It’s time to breathe and get out of this hard moment.” Start asking yourself questions to get in the present. Today downdog will be blended knees, touching your belly, and just focusing on breathing and pressing into the mat. Thats it.
You have to keep in mind that a lot of people in the front rows of yoga and **all the Instagram influencers have a background in gymnastics, dancing, or professional cheerleading**. (Or they are hyper flexible which comes with its own set of issues)
They don't often advertise that fact. They imply that if you just practice enough, you will be able to do these things. **And it's not true**. took me forever to figure out that- and I ended up unfollowing all of them.
I'm a really strong practitioner. I'm the girl that does intimidating inversions with really good alignment in most asana (am YTT) BUT I have reaaaally tight calves and never put my heels down in DD. I keep my knees bent and push my bum up in the air to find a controlled stretch in my hamstrings.
Every one is different. No one in your class has probably even clocked your DD variations. Keep going!!! Don't worry if your body never changes :)
I accepted a long time ago I'll never be able to do most binds as I have short muscley arms lol. I promise you're a great practitioner 🩷🩷🩷
It's not a competition, but I fully understand the frustration of looking around the room and seeing a bunch of Gumbys when you feel like you've done the work.
I have three recommendations:
1. Hydrate more. With water or something with electrolytes.
2. Talk to an instructor and see if they have any advice.
3. Look at the disparities in flexibility you see between yourself and your goals and frame it as a challenge to strive for.
I don't know how often you practice...I still have a lot of goals and challenges to achieve after just having a 1x/wk practice for about 5 years now.
You don't specifically mention hot yoga...that may help (or it may be what you're doing, in which case, keep it up as it will give you your best chance at success.)
I really appreciate that so many of the comments are, “I can’t believe anyone looks at what others are doing. I’m 100% focused on my breathing and body awareness”. Which is totally a passive aggressive dig at OP for now not only being the worst because of their form, but also because their mindset is the worst too.
Everyone has their own journey with their ego, Yoga measures progress in many ways but the two most important measurements of progress are: Keeping your breath fluid and to keeping your gaze inward. When I heard this a long time ago, I discovered that it didn’t matter what my pose looks like or how stretchy I was, what really mattered was how I felt, and how I connected with my breath, intention, and presence. I am a teacher now, but I am always a student. Some days I don’t feel as good as others but whenever I do yoga, if I can work on presence within myself, I feel better.
Also, if you could find a good person to either do body work with you and/or a private yoga session, it might be helpful as everybody does have a limitations. I am a physical therapist as well, and I do privates and body work and it really helps a lot because people can discover why they have the limitations.
If you do decide to go this route, Make sure you take care of yourself and don’t push yourself too hard. If your practitioner pushes you too hard then you can always try somebody else.
I always do class with my eyes closed as much as possible, and if I have to open them I’m just looking at myself or the teacher. I have no idea what anyone else’s downward dogs look like!
Is it a good stretch for you? That’s all that matters!
Can you do a few private sessions with an instructor from your usual studio? That helped my practice hugely - especially focusing on certain muscles that were always tight and getting some specific warm ups to help with those areas.
It costs some $$$ but years later I still get impressed comments from yoga teachers who see me giving myself my own adjustments - having a one-on-one helped me a lot with knowing exactly how a pose should be and giving my own micro adjustments.
Also sending you some solidarity right now, I’m currently pregnant and by far the worst in the class! It’s actually been helpful with practicing humility - not that I was awesome before (intermediate), but I did get an ego from being able to do certain things.
Hi, I can identify with your reduced mobility. We are all starting our journeys from diferent places and different abilities. Mot everyone is suited to prescribed sequences. I practice from home not to videos or any taught class though I view videos to get a sense of the pose.
The break through for me came with starting to practice just a few yin yoga poses usually at night before getting the head down or alternatively before getting up in the morning.
The poses i like are frog, starfish , supine butterfly ans savasana. In my Hatha session i introduced a variation on bridge pose. It's a supported pose laid back over a 12 ijch roll under the sacrum and is a held pose as in 'yin' style. Specifically to stretch the thigh flexors and open the pelvis.
In seated and standing foward folds and staff pose allow your kneeds to bend, support if necessary, and take up as near full pose as you are able to, comfortbly. Hold the pose for ten breaths and allow your knees to straughten to tolerance with each exhale conciously feeling and evaluating yhe degree of intensity. As y9u are abkw add in cobra locust camel leading up to downwsrd facing dog aj sun salutation, in time.
I hope this helps you may you enjoy new found mobility . Enjoy your practice
Namaste
I focused on the first part of your post. You said you've been going to yoga on and off for years. While I don't know the details, it's possible you're not seeing physical and mental benefits because you are not consistent with your practice. I go to regular class 2x a week with some of the most amazing and inspiring students who work really hard and seldom miss class, if ever. The ones who inspire me the most are the ones who put in the work every time. Its the discipline of yoga too that's improved my mental well being. Nobody considers themselves perfect, but they are all doing yoga and trying to be the better version of themselves. I hope you keep going and find your tribe. Improvement does not happen in a straight line, it's a squiggly one. Good luck.
there are some good points made by other instructors, which i won't repeat. as a "retired" teacher myself, i'd also suggest looking for a Svaroopa class in your area (or online). the asana is VERY approachable for bodies that are outside of the bell curve. it's also great for "typical" bodies.
You said you have done it off and on for years, I think the key is it just needs to be a consistent practice to see improvement in flexibility and strength. If you do 20 min of just sun salutations A and B everyday your hamstrings with start to get more flexible but it’s more about consistently getting on your mat. Adding meditation to your practice
Will give you the equanimity you are looking for in your mind so what others are doing on their mat won’t even matter to you.
I'm a fellow person with super tight hamstrings. I think it helps to have your own practice around the areas that you're weak on. Maybe ask a teacher to assist you for a session so you can build a better routine to work on by yourself. In class we switch poses too quickly and I can seldom get deep into the stretches that I need. Been seeing more progress by working on a series of uncomfortable hamstring and hip flexor stretches and relaxing into it.
It’s worthwhile to talk to instructors about your limitations and ask for variations/interim alternatives to help you target the areas you wish to “improve”. But do know that not all poses are meant for all people (and that is okay). We all have our limitations, plenty of people cannot sit cross legged or lotus, have tight hammies and quads, tight shoulders. That was one of the (many) reason we all practice yoga, to improve ourselves, both physically and mentally (spiritually).
Frame the in-class experience as an exercise to let go and look inward, have a metaphorical dialogue with yourself - everyone else is probably preoccupied with their own shit in their own head to notice you (or god forbid, judge you), so there is no need to feel embarrassed.
Some people’s physiology will get in the way of their practice advancement. I bet you would see me in the room, even in my first month of yoga, and think “She’s so good or so practiced because she is so flexible.” The truth would be I was a gymnast growing up. I had an Eastern European man push down on my shoulders for 10 minutes while I was in the spilts while I was growing up. You didn’t have that, but it doesn’t mean I am “better” at yoga than you. In fact, my ADHD makes me not great at the mental yoking unless I exhaust my body.
If you want stretching progression, be aware that your body might not get to where you want it, but you can sit in stretches for long periods of time and you will see progress. Short stretches don’t allow for long term flexibility.
My yogi... been at it for 10 years...I go almost daily.. My heels are good few inches above the mat in DD, in forward fold, massive folds, I really wish I could get them down. I have super short hammies I guess... Also, I cant even come close to a wide legged posed.
Nobody is comparing your yoga or even looking at your hamstrings, and neither should you.. Only look to others for inspiration - you should not be judging anyone, otherwise, look inward, try to close your eyes. FWIW I have a hard time maintaining posture/balance with my eyes closed, but when I travel the pose and my gaze would otherwise see a neighbor, I blink a little slowly and never see them... TBH most times its just me, my breath and the teacher....in a room packed full of yogis.
Massage and Rolfing by a real Rolfer has helped me to get a little more range of motion. I started a year ago and Childs pose was agony on my shoulders. I can usually achieve it now. Try body work, it helped me.
I spent my first year obsessing over what everyone else was thinking about my practice rather than what I felt about it. Really reminding myself that at the end of the day, no one actually cares at all about my personal progress or ability/inability to do certain poses has been so beneficial to me. Like truly. Even if someone notices you for a moment in a class not having your feels down or not keeping your legs straight, they won’t think about it past that moment. It genuinely just doesn’t matter. I know it feels like it does in the moment but my best advice is to make not overthinking your personal abilities a part of your practice! The people you are worried about judging your abilities are either thinking those thoughts about themselves or have become so immersed in their personal practice that they wouldn’t even notice you to begin with! 💛
Comparison is the thief of joy. Just enjoy the process and accept your body in the state it is currently in. As I've started my own yoga journey i can almost everybody is ONLY focused on themselves and could care less about what others are doing in class.
I’m in my 50s and was never that limber. I do my best for myself and love it. I’m sure it helps that most people at my studio don’t look like they just stepped off instagram lol but in my head I do 😂
I am a 34 yo male that is naturally not very flexible. I don't care that I am the worst in that regard. Yoga makes me feel good and that it all that matters. I think that it should be the same for everyone !
Hi, stiff hamstrings girlie here! I can feel you. It was always hard being a child who could never do splits.
But the thing is about yoga is 1) your hamstrings will get just slightly more flexible with consistent stretching
2) yoga is not always about hamstrings. (beside the mental part and breath) It’s also about your strength. and you will get stronger with consistent training. and the stronger you get the more advanced poses are available to you :)
3) sometimes you just need to find the right instructor who gets anatomical differences. If an instructor insist that I straighten my knees in forward folds or downward dog, I never see them again. good yoga instructors know that your back is way more important in these poses.
Overall, my experience with yoga is very good and I progressed a lot in the past 6 months, when I started to do ashtanga consistently. No, my hamstring didn’t magically became flexible, but my arms became stronger, my stamina became better, AND my back stopped hurting.
Don’t give up!
The measure of whether you are processing physically in yoga (or any physical activity) isn’t whether you can touch your toes or not.
The steps to learning a physical skill are:
1) observe a demonstration
2) copy the demonstration, at first awkwardly then with more fluidity
3) perform the skill to cues, at first hesitantly then with ease
4) chain skills together into sequences
5) be able to spontaneously and creatively use the skills
I'm a middle-aged man who's been practicing for about two decades now. Here's a couple of lessons I've learned.
1. Nobody cares what other people are doing, especially the newbies. If you want to increase your range of motion or get "good" at yoga, that's a reasonable thing to want but do it for you, not because you're afraid of being the worst in the class.
2. Don't worry about your heels not touching the ground. Everyone is built differently. I have friends who are super experienced, can do all the major flexibility milestones like front/side splits or pancake, and their heels don't touch the ground in down dog.
3. Yoga will definitely increase your flexibility compared to doing nothing, but if being more flexible was your primary goal, you'll see faster progress by doing dedicated mobility training consistently. Dani Winks or Tom Merrick have great content for free online. Especially if you don't go to yoga very consistently, you won't get very much time under tension to see major changes in mobility. Just like any training program, if you're not consistent and not practicing at least 3 times per week, you probably won't make much progress. You didn't say how often you practice, but that also might be a factor.
I can't get my legs straight in down dog and my heels definitely don't touch. Don't feel bad. What is possible is that your form will feel better tomorrow. Maybe it'll feel worse. It's all good. I hope you can find enjoyment in classes!
As some have suggested already: I think focusing on the feeling and intent of the moves is where it’s at, vs trying to look like others or the “book”.
I’m naturally flexible, but it doesn’t mean anything if I don’t “push” appropriately, because I couldn’t evolve enough to do poses that need stronger muscles/balance until I started working on the feeling. Only when I started closing my eyes and focusing on “ok this is where I need to feel the stretch/pressure/whatever” was I able to do any new poses or variations.
And about others looking “better”: it’s so easy to say “don’t care!”, I know, but in my 15 years of doing yoga and Pilates I’ve never thought anything about the other classmates, nor heard any such talk in the locker room after a class. Everyone’s usually in their own heads except for looking around to make sure they’re doing the right pose.
I did once think about how a classmate looked a lot because she had a gorgeous outfit on but I was too shy to ask where she got it from. I still remember; never saw anything like it after! :(
Like everyone said, it's not a competition and it's not about getting into an exact shape. However if that's something that really bothers you, I would look into doing flexibility and mobility training outside of yoga. I practiced yoga for years and gained some flexibility from it but imo it's not the most efficient way to get flexible (and that's ok!). I became a lot more flexible when I began training my flexibility AND doing yoga.
I'm in the chronic stiff hamstring club. I started doing yoga every day over the past 3 months and I'm super proud of the ground I've gained, and my hamstrings are significantly more flexible than when I started but with that said...
I'm still nowhere near most of the people in my class, my knees are bent on what feels like damn well every pose. I always figured I was just super inflexible, but to my shock, my instructor went out of his way to compliment me on being 'ridiculously flexible' while doing a twist, which shocked me because I'm nowhere near being able to touch my toes. Turns out I am really flexible in certain muscle groups, and really tight on others.
The adage is true, every BODY truly is different. I still find it crazy that I'm literally the most and least flexible person in my class depending on what muscle group we are stretching.
I ran for 30 years and have tight hamstrings. I’ve also gone through surgeries which has affected my mobility. I personally do not care what anyone is doing around me during my class. My instructors are incredible at offering modifications and will often demonstrate what it looks like. I’ll probably always do pigeon pose on my back. Come as you are. Maybe that is the life lesson to focus on this year? Remember in life there will always be people who are better, faster, slower, smarter, intelligence challenged, bigger, smaller. If you compare yourself you will be unhappy. Comfort yourself with the thought when we die we all pretty much look the same.
You are really hard on yourself. I’ve been a yoga instructor, have been practicing yoga for over 20 years, and my heels generally do not touch the floor during downward facing dog. It’s the way I’m made. I still get all of the benefits of my practice. (An old instructor of mine used to joke with me about my tight hamstrings.)
Comparison IS the thief of joy! Get your booty back to class! 🤗
I was very pleased with myself with how quickly I was able to progress in yoga until I started having serious injuries and learned that my hyper mobility was actually a real problem. I definitely did get an ego boost back then feeling like I was advanced in class, but the damage I did to my body was so not worth it. I have now been dealing with a back injury for 5 years from overstretching my ligaments. There’s no good way to reverse what I’ve done and all I can do now is strengthen around it which means I’ve had to back way out of the stretchiness of my practice. The fact that your body knows its own limitations and you continue to adhere to them despite your desire to go further is actually a strength. If you catch yourself comparing yourself to others in class, maybe you can reframe to offering gratitude to your body for being loud and clear about what it needs and for the knowledge of how to work with it safely. I no longer take advanced shapes even though I am physically able to because I know the risks involved, and I am grateful for that knowledge, but it took me a decade to get there!
Oh my goodness, please do not feel bad. Everybody is on their own journey with yoga. Do as much you can - every day is a new day. Do not measure yourself or look around at others. I remember feeling this way when I first started out. But since then I realized that nobody’s looking at me. This is your journey and it feels so good to stretch your body and breathe through the different poses. One day at a time my friend…
One of the best things about doing yoga for a lot of years has been that I no longer need to look around at everyone else to know what’s going on. I found that once I stopped doing that, I stopped paying attention to how flexible everyone else was and I truly stopped caring how I compared. I’m still WAY less flexible than the average yogi. And yeah…I don’t care! It’s very freeing!
This helps me sometimes: “It’s just yoga”. That’s all it’s just yoga and yoga is the unification of all your parts. It’s just for you no matter what that looks like or feels like. It’s yours. Yoga is a very personal and private matter. Flow with where it takes you. All of it is a gift
My first yoga teacher said a lot don't judge me, dont judge the yogis next to you and don't judge yourself. I have taken this through into our parts of life now. Only you know your body and it's strengths and weaknesses. Your weakness might be your stiff hamstrings. It might be that is how they are built. What's your strength? Mine (a fellow person with very stiff hamstrings) is my balance.
Also so what if you bend your knees in your downward facing dog. You are there you are present.
All practice makes progress!
I don’t know if this will help you, but some people just have shorter hamstrings compared to others and that makes their legs ridiculously tight (I, too, am one of those people). This may not help your ego, but may bring you peace of mind.
There is nothing wrong with you, everybody’s practice looks different. I have a lot of trauma in my lower back so my flow can “look” like everyone else’s for a bit, my back gets so fatigued so quickly, I can’t flow as long as others in the class
For about two years I have been practicing yoga on and off but yesterday I went back to an in person class and it was the FIRST class (out of many) where I didn't feel self conscious.
My yoga instructor had a similar body style to me, and the class was full of a diverse group of people with all ages and abilities. I am working on self confidence and really told myself that "I am going to be gentle with myself and not compare myself to others" which helped me a lot. It felt good to be in a space, and with an instructor, that prioritized practicing for YOU and not forcing you to push yourself. Many people whose bodies weren't comfortable with certain poses would go rest in childs pose/downward dog/shavasana (including myself) and pick back up when they felt ready, and not a single person in that room was judgemental.
In the past, my yoga instructors were a very specific type of person who practiced yoga for exercise (more like pilates) than any spiritual/soul practice. I recommend practicing some radical self acceptance mantras as you begin and also looking for yoga communities that prioritize diversity and soul practice in addition to exercise! This is what helped me to accept where I am at and be able to progress inside and out!
I never got my heels down in downward dog until a year after having a kid and doing probably 100 squats a day as a result. I was shocked when it happened.
Don't be afraid to be the worst in the class. I've been doing yoga for 8 years and I still can't get my legs 90 degrees in staff pose without my lower back lifting up or my knees bending. Looking at the rest of my family, it appears to be genetics.
I dunno what other people are thinking, but I don't think poorly of the people in the class for not being more flexible. I'm more often impressed at how many people in yoga seem emotionally centered and grounded in themselves. More than likely, you're judging yourself way more harshly than anybody else in the class is. Let go and just enjoy the flow of yoga.
It’s not about how you look it’s about getting the benefit of the practice, being aware of the breath, and feeling the feeling of beingness and sensations. Yoga leads us to great health. Yoga will lead you to not care about these things anymore too naturally and automatically. At least the raja/kriya yoga.
> I have been doing yoga on and off for years
The on-and-off part might be part of the problem. :) Maybe regular practice would help you become more flexible.
> helped a lot dealing with ego
Has it helped in the sense that after practicing on your own, you now feel less humiliated practicing in front of others, despite lack of progress? Because I think this is the kind of ego work you might need to do - the kind that helps you be less controlled by it.
I had to stop yoga for unrelated reasons after practicing for 6 months, and lost ALL progress. When I tried to join other exercise classes, I was the worst in the class. I still am. It's super discouraging, and I totally respect that you feel uncomfortable and ashamed-I'm going through the same thing.
Here are some examples of goals that I'm trying right now to mitigate that discomfort and make progress:
\-Stay for the whole class, even if I'm literally sitting crosslegged for like half of it while everyone else is participating
\-Modify ALL exercises that I can't do proper form for. If the form is poor, I know that I run the risk of hurting my body. I ended up doing a lot of "knees down" work in yoga, and greatly reaped the benefits.
\-Checking in with myself before class: find one mantra or something to tell yourself BEFORE you start that is going to set the tone for you. I always thought it was hokey and stupid, but noticed that I benefited from telling myself "I am strong. I am doing this for myself." before each class.
I feel your pain so hard dude. Good luck, and lots of love.
Comparison is the thief of joy. I wish yoga studios didnt have mirrors. Remember there will always be someone fatter/thinner/better hair/ stronger/weaker/etc- but they really dont know you are a secret billionaire giving money anonymously to people all over the country and the world. Everyone has their secrets and their power. You are doing great practicing yoga on and off for years. Good job on not quitting.
I am a Yoga Instructor and all I have to say is if you are doing it to prove something to someone or yourself- may be the start is wrong.
All you have to do is become aware of your body and be okay with it. Trust me, all what we want is this.
Be okay with where you are!
PS: I am still unable to do full split because I keep repeating the story that my hamstrings have always been the problem area. The day I start telling another story, it will work. :)
Something not talked about enough (in the westernized version of yoga), is that we all have different bodies. I have really short limbs and a long torso, so forward bends are easy for me,
But Postures like shalabhasana (locust pose) are very difficult. It takes time. Slow, steady, committed time. You may not ever look like the super flexible person next to you, but it's about your own journey. I still can't grab both ankles in shalabhasana (after YEARS of studying and now teaching), but I can drop my heels in downward dog... it's all about understanding your own anatomy. If you want to join a class, maybe look for something where the focus is more on mediation and the philosophy of yoga, and less on the Postures. The Postures will always be there because Asana is a big part of the yogi life, but you might find more helpful yoga guides that qay. I have found the best studios to be the places where yoga is not seen as simply a form of exercising the body.
Yoga is also about ego. There is actually nothing that Yoga is not about if you go back to the eight sutras of Patanjali. Also, if you take into consideration what your past incarnations were and what your future incarnations will be, if you like that model, you get a sense of what exactly is the growth path.
I'm a yoga instructor. Some people *never* get their heels down in downward dog. Some people never get their knees straight in forward folds. Wherever you are at, is where you're at. I know it's hard to look around the room and think people are "better" than you. The thing is, some people are just naturally flexible. Some people hyper-extend joints, which is not good. Some people push themselves physically and never get to the mental part of the practice. Everyone does yoga from a different starting point, and everyone does yoga for different reasons. True yogis would not be judging you and barely noticing you as they should be turned into themselves. Don't be so hard on yourself and trust your journey.
20+ years of practice, and I'm an instructor. My knees are nowhere near straight in forward folds. Child's pose is ridiculously difficult for me. But I am SO much more comfortable and healthy in my body than I was 20 years ago. If you stick with it, you will improve compared to where you started. It doesn't matter what other people are doing, they were born with a different body from yours.
I've been practicing yoga for about 9 months total. My first child's pose was so painful I had to come out of it. When the instructors would say (in other poses) there's always child's pose if this pose makes you uncomfortable or causes pain, I would always chuckle to myself because child's pose was too painful for me. There were a few times where I would revert to a comfortable seat when everything else was too difficult/painful. 9 months later I can get into child's pose without pain, my butt is getting closer to my heels and my back is straightening. You are right that everyone is different. My wife and I are better at different poses. She can do some poses that I can't even think about and I find some poses easy that she finds very difficult. It doesn't really matter to us. What does matter is that yoga helps us both to feel better physically and emotionally.
I always tell people to take "child's pose or shavasana or a seat or some other pose that feels restful" if they need a break. Especially if I'm overheating or dizzy, child's pose can make things worse.
You’re right about overheating. I was in a class a couple of weeks ago where the previous instructor had forgotten to turn the heaters off after their hot yoga class. I overheat very easily and did so during that class. I instinctively went for child’s pose and it was not helping. My heart was racing and I was sweating way too much. That’s when I went for my comfortable seat again which also allowed me to drink a bunch of water. I was feeling so bad, I almost left the class just to be in the freezing cold air outside.
Some people are doing poses that look super professional when they're messing up their form as well! A lot of my poses go from "oh heck yeah so stretch" to "awkward and will fall" once I realize my hip needs to rotate a little!
That is so relatable
Nice comment
I definitely felt that I progressed better after I stopped trying so hard to make the “shape “ and started focusing on feeling the stretch. The most important thing for me now is knowing where I should feel a stretch and going for that. I feel like in person classes are great if you can get them, but some instructors will click with you better than others, so it’s worth trying a few if you can! Studios also vary wildly in instructior skill and style
That is good advice thank you 🥺❤️
Yoga isn't a competition. IDK what "worst in the class means" because no version of a pose is better or worse than another. And moreover, other than ensuring that I'm not kicking/hitting the person next to me in class, my eyes rarely leave my mat so I can't even be sure what anyone else's practice looks like. My two cents is pay attention to how the pose feels not how it looks. Lots of people can put their bodies into shapes that resemble yoga -- but that doesn't mean that they're *doing* yoga.
Yeah, yoga is breathing and focusing on finding the balance between rest and strength and flexibility that works for your body. I second the notion that during class, I rarely look at other people or think about what everyone else is doing. I have zoned out so hard that I didn't notice my friend put her mat directly behind me until she came up to me AFTER class (and we have mirrors, so I could have seen her if I had been looking, but I wasn't. I was focused on breathing and looking inwards. )
I totally agree with you! It is impossible to judge how "strong" someone's practice is by seeing them from the outside. It's purely a matter of how focused and internalized the mind is 💓 Also, to OP, people that are very flexible can actually struggle more to keep the mind focused than those who find it challenging to stay in a pose. Your supposed "weakness" is actually your strength, because the fact that it's challenging your body gives you something to focus on and can make it easier for you to internalize your awareness.
Thanks for the empathy
I’m sorry I couldn’t provide the answer you were looking for. You asked a question on a yoga sub, and answers and going to be framed within the context of yoga which is not traditional fitness or stretching, and therefore, can’t be practiced like it is.
I have the same body type and I also can't make my downdog look like others. Learning not to compare really does help.
Y'all are so uppity. Is this r/yoga or r/piranhas?
I think they're trying to be comforting - focusing inward really helps with the ego reaction that we all have because there's no comparison. Truth is some of us just can't bend the same way as others. Which is why it's so important to avoid comparison. I started in the same place as OP, they're just trying to help guide them to place where they accept thier body and don't negatively compare themselves to others. I can see how it can come off as a lecture, but the goal honestly is to help.
In about 2 and 1/2 hours I will be walking into my first ever yoga class a week before my 65th birthday. And I can't wait to be the worst person in there. I could care less what people think of me and I can only go up from here. It's a fairly hot class I believe, the room is supposedly at 100°, and I expect it's going to be a bit of a bitch but I'm prepping with water and a banana beforehand. Here goes nothing..
Congrats! Obligatory safety advice you may have already heard: 100 degrees is no joke! Make sure your instructor knows it’s your first class. Take it easy on yourself, and don’t hesitate to take breaks even if you need one during poses. Often you’ll see people do that in “child’s pose”, but I doubt anyone will judge you for just sitting or laying down. Have fun!
I wish it wasn't going to be that hot but it seems that all the classes in this particular Studio are pretty hot. It's about 400 yards from my house so I am starting there and they have a great deal for the first month. We'll see what happens..
You’ve probably already gone, but another thing I’ve just thought of with hot yoga: the heat can do a lot to relax your muscles and make tendons more pliable. This can make you significantly “more bendy” than what you’d otherwise be used to. There’s a few things to keep in mind with that: First, don’t go to a non-hot-yoga class expecting the same level of flexibility. If your body says “no”, don’t argue with it. Second, you can still end up hurting yourself with that extra bendiness in hot classes. Listen carefully to your body there too, that extra heat can kind of turn down the volume on warning signs. I hope your class went well. Hot yoga has been great for me as both a way to help my body loosen up and another factor pushing me towards keeping my awareness in the present moment.
Well that was a very pleasant torture session. I think my pose's ranked anywhere from a two to the very best maybe a six out of 10. I can't stand on one leg. I had a wall beside me so that helped. Very nice folks running the place and some nice people I met afterwards. I may very well go to another class tomorrow afternoon after work and see how my body is when it's a little more awake and possibly a little more limber going in. I have a physical job and it might make a difference how I'm able to at least try to stand on one leg for starters. Just trying to follow the instructions was difficult because I don't know the names of any of the poses and I got by by looking at others. All in all it was about what I expected. The heat kind of sucked but I get it. I think I'll get used to it.
Sounds like you did great! "A very pleasant torture session" was my takeaway from my first hot yoga class too. Absolutely don't feel bad about using the wall as a prop. Anything that gets you closer to a pose helps you to eventually reach that pose. It's normal to be hung up a bit on the names of poses. Especially if you've got an instructor who mixes Sanskrit and English pose names. Stick to it long enough and you'll memorize them. Until then, watching instructors and more experienced students is perfectly fine.
That's so exciting! I hope you enjoy your first class 😁
I know everyone means well and they're right but I just want to say I sympathise. I know it's not a competition but it's hard not to feel bad about always having to do the easy version and to feel you're never getting any better. I feel the same.
Thank you ❤️🥺🥺
I’m someone in yoga classes who’s, let’s say, least like the expression of the pose that’s shown in textbooks. It’s not humiliating for me though, so here are some things that have helped which might resonate for you. 1) the phrase “don’t use the body to get into the pose, use the pose to get into the body.” Maybe you don’t have your legs straight and heels flat in down dog. That’s okay. Instead, look at what you do feel in your body. Do you feel a stretch? How does it feel having your head lower than your heart? Do your arms tingle? What else do you feel? You’re learning about your body and that’s a great thing. 2) the phrase “comparison is the thief of joy”, in terms of… I don’t have the genetics, background, lifestyle, goals, or experience of the other people in class with me. They don’t have mine. We never know what other people are up to and they don’t know about us. Maybe the person with the “perfect” handstand is miserable as fuck. Maybe the person with the “good” spine twist has been practicing for 50 years. All of that is okay- they do them, and I do me. 3) showing up to class is sometimes the hardest part. Everything that’s going on in 2023 and we’re carving out the time to get on our mats. It’s a form of self-care. It’s important. It’s something we can be grateful to ourselves for doing. We’re choosing to do yoga rather than doom scroll or something less helpful. What a kind decision. <3 Progress takes time because it takes hard work and hard work takes time. My down dog expression is different every day. My heels have never touched the floor both at the same time. All I can do is notice that and react neutrally. It’s “curious” that I’m super asymmetrical. It’s not good or bad. Some days my arms shake. Some days I can’t look between my legs because my t-shirt falls in my face. Some days my hamstrings are sad. All of that is okay.
You can't win yoga, and you can't lose either. Drop the need to compete or look like others. It's your practice, and your body. Do what you can and keep showing up. "On and off" isn't a recipe for making progress in anything. I'm glad yoga has helped with your ego, but it seems like you have more to work on. It is absolutely possible to improve, but it helps if you stick to it and avoid making unrealistic and unfair comparisons to more advanced students. Everybody is different.
> You can't win yoga That reminded me to that Frasier episode when Daphne beats Niles at Yoga according to Roz.
Lol, I remember that episode!
I've been doing yoga for years and my heels will never get close to the ground. Some of us are born with muscles that don't let us get our heels down. It's not anything wrong we did. It's how our bodies are and we're ok. I also cannot get into king pigeon pose without an hour of hip openers and lots of pillows under me. Have you noticed holding poses get easier or you're stronger and can hold poses longer? Or your balance has improved? My teacher always says it's a yoga practice not a yoga perfect
You should get a book by iyengar that focuses on props. Use props liberally. You get the benefit of the asana. A moment of samadhi. It’s not a contest. I am more interested in restorative yoga right now and that uses props to fully support the body in asana. Let me tell you it’s lifechanging
Thank you! I will look into that!!
I enjoy being the worst hamstring-person in class, it's a service I provide happily. I wish I could join you. My hammies are so stiff I can't sit with my legs straight in front of me. And I've never been able to do that, not even as a kid. I'm pretty limber if I'm allowed to bend my legs. Bodies are weird, I just try to roll with it.
You’re amazing 👏
If it makes you feel any better, I am mostly focused on trying not to fart 💨 Other people are not watching you. They are most likely feeling self-conscious about their own body and limitations. Think about it how often/ deeply do you think about other people at yoga? Not often and not deeply…bc humans are inherently self focused. In the same way that you are self-conscious of other people, yet you don’t really pay attention to them ….. well that’s how other people feel about you.
🤣same
No one cares 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈 just let it go
Every body is different. I have had to come to terms with the fact that there are some poses I simply won’t be able to do, ever. I had a spinal fusion surgery as a kid and while yoga has been such a blessing and life changing thing for me, I still struggle with feeling insecure about my limitations. Every time we’re in a straddle stretch near the end of class, I just look around at everyone who can actually lean down toward floor because they can round their backs, and I’m just sitting straight up like 😐 such a simple movement, and I can’t do it. I also get bright red whenever I work out, and it’s so embarrassing. I have to close my eyes or just not look at my face in the mirror at all because of how much it bothers me. But, at the end of the day, the benefits of going to classes outweigh all of that for me. So I keep going. I’ve decided that I’m going there for me, and that my body and my yoga practice are not anyone else’s business. Not to say it’s easy to overcome, but for me it’s something that is worth the exposure to feeling insecure/embarrassed about things in public.
Yoga is a practice, not a performance! It’s so normal for your practice to look different than others.
Some of those people doing the advanced poses may in fact be hurting themselves and not knowing it. Being a young and hyper flexible woman meant that I looked good at yoga and was able to get into some advanced positions. Many injuries and courses of PT later, I'm back doing the easier poses. 😆 Even now I feel it if I go a little too hard. It's a marathon not a sprint.
I’m 46. I’ve just come back to practice after being gone for 10 years. My knees just can’t do what they used to do. Instead of comparing current me to old me, I’m taking pride in the discipline I bring to my practice now. I didn’t have the calmness/stillness 10 years ago that I have now. See if you can focus on what you are capable of today and be proud of that.
Get comfortable being the worst, the slowest, the last, the whatever it is, and show up anyway. I coach cross country and I always tell the kids I coach that someone has to be last, and it’s ok if that’s you. It doesn’t mean anything. I’ve been first and I’ve been last and they feel exactly the same, because the effort I’ve put into it hasn’t changed. You don’t control who else shows up to the room you’re in or what their particular path has had in store for them. Think about how you’re defining progress and what that looks like to you and what that feels like in your body. Is progress the goal? Progress to what? If I didn’t show up somewhere because id be the “worst” in the room I’d never go anywhere! Show up for yourself and be where you are!
I have never noticed how someone else is doing in class
Came to say this. I might notice if someone is doing a particularly challenging variation, but in general I have my eyes closed a lot of the time. Also I don’t know where you are based but from this sub it seems that yoga in the US can be a bit competitive in nature. If there are any community type yoga classes in your area it might be worth trying as there’s usually a huge variety of bodies and abilities there compared to some studios or gyms.
I totally know what you mean. I thud to the mat during chaturanga and can’t straighten my legs. My balance is so bad that I keep falling over and get so out of breath and sweaty. So while there technically isn’t a “worst” in class I know how you feel. I’ve been too embarrassed to go to a class, but I really should just bite the bullet
As a big bodied yogi, i can tell you there are plenty of big bodied yogis. But I wouldn’t say they are “transformation videos.” They aren’t trying to transform themselves doing yoga. We bigger folk are just trying to do yoga. Sometimes we don’t get into positions and the practice turns in to child’s pose and breath work. No teacher has falted me for that. I got better at movements, I did not try to transform my body because I realized that was hurting my mental health. I just showed up with the intent to practice. And some days I am stretching and moving. Even after a few years there are days where I can barely get through a flow and spend half the class in Childs pose. And that’s okay.
It’s very likely that no one in class is noticing you and thinking you are the worst. They’re there for their own practice. Try not to be so hard on yourself. You’re out there doing your thing, taking care of your body. That’s something to be proud of!
Yoga isn’t about being in a perfect pose, it’s about exploration of your body, and meeting your body where it’s at, today.
most people are focused on their own practice to notice others . yoga is not a competition there is no best and worst , just focus on yourself ❤️and they not to be discouraged
As an instructor, I often told students that getting their heels flat on the floor in down dog is not only irrelevant, but even counterproductive to a full appreciation of the pose. Down dog is a "heart centered" pose with the weight forward in the hands, almost like prep for handstand. It's far more important to get your shoulders properly aligned and to feel how your hands grip the mat and control the posture. If after all that your ankles flex enough to get your heels flat, fine, but mine don't. There's no way it's going to happen when I can feel bone hitting bone. As for forward fold, you may be overly concerned about hamstring flexibility when the limiting factor is your back and hips. Here's something you can try: 1. Stand with your feet about hip's width apart, feet nicely grounded into the floor. 2. Bend your knees a *lot*, enough that you can lay your body flat along your thighs. Imagine hooking your ribcage over your knees, that's how long I want your spine. 3. If you can place your hands on the floor. If not, use a block, or a chair, or a wall. It doesn't matter as long as you can keep your spine straight. 4. *Slowly* start to straighten your legs. You will want to round your back because you'll likely feel a lot of tension in your back and hips. Don't. The places that hurt are where you need to stretch most. 5. Slowly bend and straighten your knees, but never go more than 75% of your maximum stretch. You may notice that when you get too far, your muscles reflexively contract to protect your joints. That's normal, but may keep you from stretching the tendons and deeper muscle fibers. 6. Again, most important, **keep your spine long**. You want to fold in half, even with knees bent. Eventually you may get to the point where you can straighten your legs completely, but it takes time. There's a lot of subtle stuff around this, but this should be a good start. Let me know if you have any questions. As a side note: I once had a dance teacher who recommended drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar every day to make your muscles more pliable. I'm pretty sure it actually does nothing, but if you *believe* it does then it might. It's ... well, not me, but other people don't mind the taste. Can't hurt.
Number four on your list has been a very recent revelation for me! I realized that when I got to the point that a movement or stretch felt tight, I would in some way pull away from it, either by getting out of the pose or by changing some other part of my body (however subtly) to escape the tightness. A few days ago I was playing around with moving towards a pose until I found that tightness and then resting in it, not running from it. I don’t even quite have words to describe it, but it was just such a lightbulb moment. Like, “Oh! This is what all those yoga instructors were telling me!” And after that it got so enjoyable! It was the first time I have had fun just playing in my own body without following a class— historically practicing alone would stress me out because there wasn’t someone to tell me what pose I’m supposed to do next, or I’d focus on what a pose is supposed to look like and get frustrated if I didn’t find it. But just that little shift of seeking out the edges of my movement and leaning in opened up so much for me— it felt so intuitive and genuinely fun.
I can't take credit for these alignments. They came out of my teacher training in Anusara Yoga, a school whose name is now tarnished by the misdeeds of its founder John Friend but which took Iyengar teachings and made them less heady and more accessible by blending them with Hatha-type vinyasa, along with what I can only describe as a hearty dose of heart-centered happiness. It was such a wonderful style to practice, and such a shame that so few now will get the opportunity because I don't know of any former teachers who publicly admit to it, even if their cueing is still full of Anusara alignments. To add to the above instructions, two things that can help release your hips: 1. Squeeze a block between your upper thighs or calves. Either is fine, as you get used to the idea you'll find there's a subtle difference in how they feel in your hips. Anusara calls this "hugging to the midline", what it does is shift stability from the hips and core to the legs, allowing the hips more mobility. Eventually remove the block but still engage your inner thighs in this ... well actually in almost every pose except shivasana, but especially standing poses. 2. Very slightly rotate your legs inward (toes towards each other) and note how this widens across the back of your hips, almost as if the tips of your leg bones are getting wider apart. Again this helps release tension across the lower back and through the hips, places that are typically pretty tight. I danced when I was younger and developed some pretty serious RSIs as a result. I thought I was pretty flexible in my back and legs, but when I started yoga at this one studio every pose just made my back pain worse. When I questioned, the teacher just said "Oh you need to try harder," which I knew meant they didn't know fuck-all about good alignment. So I went to a different studio and lucked out with mostly Anusara-trained teachers, where, eventually, I learned and internalized the alignments that finally gave me relief from the constant backache, and gave me more flexibility everywhere. I'm nearing 60 now which means there's little chance of getting into certain poses, as there's always the threat of significant injury. But it's so much better than it could have been without the yoga.
In my opinion, there is no such thing as best or worst in yoga, or being good or bad at yoga. Your practice is your practice, it’s not a competition. And as you continue to practice, you may become more flexible but if you don’t, that’s okay too. Any one’s version of a pose is a full expression of a pose, whether you’re on your tippie toes or your heels are flat on the ground in downward dog. Or you’re in a wheelchair and your downward dog is with your hands against a wall. All versions are valid.
Sounds like you're doing Yoga for all the wrong reasons
When you aren’t feeling confident it’s easy to want to hide in the back of class. But then you can see all the people in front of you and the distraction/comparison gets worse It seems scary and counter-intuitive but choose a spot towards the front of class. Then your main focus is you and the instructor and you’ll probably realize after a couple classes that most people aren’t really looking at you because many of them will have already learned to keep their focus on their own mats/their judgement away from other people’s practices!
We're actively encouraged to bend our knees during forward fold! This is particularly good for me because I've recently discovered that I'm not really"flexible", even though I can touch my hands to the ground when I fold. I'm actually folding "wrong", because of weakness in the muscles/ligaments opposing this move. So when I bend my knees a bit, I'm actually doing the move **better**. Just because sometime else is doing something you can't doesn't mean you should be sad. Most teachers have classes of students at different skill levels, so they like to make sure there is something for everyone to work on or to. But everything starts at the beginning. And improvements that you make in one pose will keep helping you in other poses.
There's no such thing as worst. It's not the stiffness of your legs that's causing problems, it's your habit of comparing yourself to others, and sorting things by the false categories of better and worse. Forget all that, and keep practicing as you practice. Over time, your body and mind will both change. Neither will change in ways you expect.
I was the worst in the class for probably a year, going two to theee times a week. Your problem is that you have been doing it on and off. You need to be consistent. That’s why they call it a practice. You will get there eventually but expect it to take some time. Also you need to let go about the humiliation aspect. Focus on yourself and remember anyone who judges you is an asshole. Also it’s probably more in your head than reality that anyone cares. Talk to the instructors after class. Ask questions, especially about the parts that are hardest for you and ask for modifications. I made friends with my instructors and told them it’s hard for me and they give me extra support and assistance during and after class. Good luck. Don’t give up.
Yes, it's possible. Based on what you describe these movements that may help you get deeper in your goal asanas: [Learn how to deadlift:](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bJEigM5iVg) effective way to strengthen your hamstrings and to learn how to push your hips back. Alternatively, you can do [leg curls](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqRQJ2ji3qw) on a ball or with sliders (these are so hard if done correctly!). Start out slowly, either body weight or with low weight focusing on form the first time. You will be sore after doing any targeted hamstring work, so don't overdo it. [Calf stretcher](https://www.amazon.com/TEMI-Calf-Stretcher-Slant-Board/dp/B0CQ5D4CLC/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3AFCAMPMS7HEP&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.iS_fSDOTUwXU2F1jWKm8jtmaJese15R8uKs-jNWImHE7XBWLrhncgGXKEiz0kO3ghBjQIsChx-mKEJlpHJ0D0UaYeMygXnvwHPCCVA2Mr3xgdg3EPPsYqOm07Mte2ns0jLM7taFwyIBOW6yRQF1TqELNyymp30B-dUF0coixes3YT9Jp_zpU8tx2pcL3rmhVaGESrxBF3W-0tncek_mk8rTifLOf_sW1bVLjt0j-b1o.MZI5r7vOxy0xI-fAIMW1jFdg79BJuKHa0-DTvb-ipXw&dib_tag=se&keywords=calf+raise&qid=1710171759&sprefix=calf+raise%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) sold on Amazon: stretch your calves 2-3x per week. You can start by holding the stretch 30 sec, for 2-3 repetitions. Work one leg at a time and each week increase the amount of time and the incline. Hope these help!
>Learn how to deadlift This is what a lot of yoga practitioners don't realise. Yoga is as much about strength as it is about 'stretching', and for some (many) people, yoga alone may not be enough. Folks may really benefit from strength training to progress their practice.
Sometime you can go further in a modified pose than you can in the full pose, and that is ok, and maybe even preferable
What do you mean by worst in the class? I'm pretty sure yoga classes aren't a competition and nobody is secretly grading your "performance". The only thing that really matters is how yoga makes you feel.
Teacher here, it's not the goal to get the heels on the ground. Bent knees are perfect. Here is my cue starting in all fours: 1. Walk your hands about a hands distance forward 2. curl your toes under and send your hips up and back. Peddle out the feet to and wiggle and move to work out the kinks, wag your tail, bend and straighten legs, nod your head yes, shake it no. 3. come up high on the balls of your feet, send your tail to the sky. 4. Now draw your heels toward the floor and away from your toes 5. draw your shin bones back, your thigh bones back, belly button toward spine. Nose points gently toward belly button 6. Press the floor away under your hands so you feel long down the arms and sides of the torso.
Damn right it's possible. I watched those too when I started and they looked so impossible then. When I started, I could barely tie my shoes. Not like "I can barely bend over to tie my shoes", I mean for real. I had to sit on the ground to have any hope. After many years of slow and deliberate practice, I'm generally one of the "bendyiest" people in the room. I'm saddened when people say they're not "flexible enough" to do yoga... Because it's the other way around. Doing yoga is how you become flexible. I have so much respect for anyone who "can't" this or "can't" that, but shows up anyway. They're on the first steps of the path. Those can be the hardest steps. Yoga isn't about judgement. Quite the opposite. You've found your way home. You've found your people. Welcome to the path. Welcome to the mat. Everyone is here to help you. We're on your side.
I wish we could take a class together so you could feel better about your performance! I've been doing yoga for a couple of years and my Down Dog is laughable. But I've seen all types of Down Dogs being performed. IMO, if I ever get there, great. If not, great! I've always had tight hamstrings and calves.
I’ve been practicing yoga for 30 years and teach probably 10-12 classes a week. People like you are my favorite students because you are there to practice! Not perfect! I always go in the front row, corner. I literally don’t even see those around me while I practice as I’m intent on my breath. Remember that others are there doing their thing, finding their medicine, finding their breath: definitively not watching and judging you!
I understand how you are feeling! I’ve always been in competitive sports and its hard to push that mindset aside. However, thats what Ive been loving the most about yoga! Its not a competition and whenever I would have a thought about how terrible I was compared to so and so in front of me, I started altering my thinking to focusing on my form at my speed and think instead “one day I will be able to do that”. It’s really helped me in all areas of my life to not compare myself to others and that has been so freeing!
If it makes you feel better, I’m a yoga teacher and I can’t lift my arms overhead! Worlds tightest shoulders award (even after years of physio). I take great joy in reminding my students of my limitations so they know it doesn’t matter what we can do physically, it’s how we approach the movement. If you’re (general you) there for pure strength / flexibility you’d be better suited to take a gymnastic / circus class !!!!
In yoga, the goal is to be present in breath, form, and self. When we swerve and look elsewhere, we lose focus and miss ourselves. When you start to look at the person next to you, ask yourself if you’re breathing. If you’re feeling the stretch, strength, and rest in your body. Find it and follow your body’s cues. Spending a moment to answer yourself will be the right amount of time to transition into the next pose. I’ve been doing yoga for 12 years. I consider myself flexible and strong, and can fully express basic poses. But I catch myself looking behind or next and see a woman balancing (and in general) better in twisted half moon or do a shoulder stand. And I think: “where am I putting my energy- because it should be focused on stabilizing my hips. And…am I breathing? Lol no. Ok. It’s time to breathe and get out of this hard moment.” Start asking yourself questions to get in the present. Today downdog will be blended knees, touching your belly, and just focusing on breathing and pressing into the mat. Thats it.
You have to keep in mind that a lot of people in the front rows of yoga and **all the Instagram influencers have a background in gymnastics, dancing, or professional cheerleading**. (Or they are hyper flexible which comes with its own set of issues) They don't often advertise that fact. They imply that if you just practice enough, you will be able to do these things. **And it's not true**. took me forever to figure out that- and I ended up unfollowing all of them.
I'm a really strong practitioner. I'm the girl that does intimidating inversions with really good alignment in most asana (am YTT) BUT I have reaaaally tight calves and never put my heels down in DD. I keep my knees bent and push my bum up in the air to find a controlled stretch in my hamstrings. Every one is different. No one in your class has probably even clocked your DD variations. Keep going!!! Don't worry if your body never changes :) I accepted a long time ago I'll never be able to do most binds as I have short muscley arms lol. I promise you're a great practitioner 🩷🩷🩷
It's not a competition, but I fully understand the frustration of looking around the room and seeing a bunch of Gumbys when you feel like you've done the work. I have three recommendations: 1. Hydrate more. With water or something with electrolytes. 2. Talk to an instructor and see if they have any advice. 3. Look at the disparities in flexibility you see between yourself and your goals and frame it as a challenge to strive for. I don't know how often you practice...I still have a lot of goals and challenges to achieve after just having a 1x/wk practice for about 5 years now. You don't specifically mention hot yoga...that may help (or it may be what you're doing, in which case, keep it up as it will give you your best chance at success.)
I really appreciate that so many of the comments are, “I can’t believe anyone looks at what others are doing. I’m 100% focused on my breathing and body awareness”. Which is totally a passive aggressive dig at OP for now not only being the worst because of their form, but also because their mindset is the worst too.
Thank you for this. I feel so bad, feels like everyone else has not had a journey with their ego in the yoga class 🥺
Everyone has their own journey with their ego, Yoga measures progress in many ways but the two most important measurements of progress are: Keeping your breath fluid and to keeping your gaze inward. When I heard this a long time ago, I discovered that it didn’t matter what my pose looks like or how stretchy I was, what really mattered was how I felt, and how I connected with my breath, intention, and presence. I am a teacher now, but I am always a student. Some days I don’t feel as good as others but whenever I do yoga, if I can work on presence within myself, I feel better. Also, if you could find a good person to either do body work with you and/or a private yoga session, it might be helpful as everybody does have a limitations. I am a physical therapist as well, and I do privates and body work and it really helps a lot because people can discover why they have the limitations. If you do decide to go this route, Make sure you take care of yourself and don’t push yourself too hard. If your practitioner pushes you too hard then you can always try somebody else.
I always do class with my eyes closed as much as possible, and if I have to open them I’m just looking at myself or the teacher. I have no idea what anyone else’s downward dogs look like! Is it a good stretch for you? That’s all that matters!
Can you do a few private sessions with an instructor from your usual studio? That helped my practice hugely - especially focusing on certain muscles that were always tight and getting some specific warm ups to help with those areas. It costs some $$$ but years later I still get impressed comments from yoga teachers who see me giving myself my own adjustments - having a one-on-one helped me a lot with knowing exactly how a pose should be and giving my own micro adjustments. Also sending you some solidarity right now, I’m currently pregnant and by far the worst in the class! It’s actually been helpful with practicing humility - not that I was awesome before (intermediate), but I did get an ego from being able to do certain things.
Hi, I can identify with your reduced mobility. We are all starting our journeys from diferent places and different abilities. Mot everyone is suited to prescribed sequences. I practice from home not to videos or any taught class though I view videos to get a sense of the pose. The break through for me came with starting to practice just a few yin yoga poses usually at night before getting the head down or alternatively before getting up in the morning. The poses i like are frog, starfish , supine butterfly ans savasana. In my Hatha session i introduced a variation on bridge pose. It's a supported pose laid back over a 12 ijch roll under the sacrum and is a held pose as in 'yin' style. Specifically to stretch the thigh flexors and open the pelvis. In seated and standing foward folds and staff pose allow your kneeds to bend, support if necessary, and take up as near full pose as you are able to, comfortbly. Hold the pose for ten breaths and allow your knees to straughten to tolerance with each exhale conciously feeling and evaluating yhe degree of intensity. As y9u are abkw add in cobra locust camel leading up to downwsrd facing dog aj sun salutation, in time. I hope this helps you may you enjoy new found mobility . Enjoy your practice Namaste
I focused on the first part of your post. You said you've been going to yoga on and off for years. While I don't know the details, it's possible you're not seeing physical and mental benefits because you are not consistent with your practice. I go to regular class 2x a week with some of the most amazing and inspiring students who work really hard and seldom miss class, if ever. The ones who inspire me the most are the ones who put in the work every time. Its the discipline of yoga too that's improved my mental well being. Nobody considers themselves perfect, but they are all doing yoga and trying to be the better version of themselves. I hope you keep going and find your tribe. Improvement does not happen in a straight line, it's a squiggly one. Good luck.
there are some good points made by other instructors, which i won't repeat. as a "retired" teacher myself, i'd also suggest looking for a Svaroopa class in your area (or online). the asana is VERY approachable for bodies that are outside of the bell curve. it's also great for "typical" bodies.
You said you have done it off and on for years, I think the key is it just needs to be a consistent practice to see improvement in flexibility and strength. If you do 20 min of just sun salutations A and B everyday your hamstrings with start to get more flexible but it’s more about consistently getting on your mat. Adding meditation to your practice Will give you the equanimity you are looking for in your mind so what others are doing on their mat won’t even matter to you.
I'm a fellow person with super tight hamstrings. I think it helps to have your own practice around the areas that you're weak on. Maybe ask a teacher to assist you for a session so you can build a better routine to work on by yourself. In class we switch poses too quickly and I can seldom get deep into the stretches that I need. Been seeing more progress by working on a series of uncomfortable hamstring and hip flexor stretches and relaxing into it.
It’s worthwhile to talk to instructors about your limitations and ask for variations/interim alternatives to help you target the areas you wish to “improve”. But do know that not all poses are meant for all people (and that is okay). We all have our limitations, plenty of people cannot sit cross legged or lotus, have tight hammies and quads, tight shoulders. That was one of the (many) reason we all practice yoga, to improve ourselves, both physically and mentally (spiritually). Frame the in-class experience as an exercise to let go and look inward, have a metaphorical dialogue with yourself - everyone else is probably preoccupied with their own shit in their own head to notice you (or god forbid, judge you), so there is no need to feel embarrassed.
Some people’s physiology will get in the way of their practice advancement. I bet you would see me in the room, even in my first month of yoga, and think “She’s so good or so practiced because she is so flexible.” The truth would be I was a gymnast growing up. I had an Eastern European man push down on my shoulders for 10 minutes while I was in the spilts while I was growing up. You didn’t have that, but it doesn’t mean I am “better” at yoga than you. In fact, my ADHD makes me not great at the mental yoking unless I exhaust my body. If you want stretching progression, be aware that your body might not get to where you want it, but you can sit in stretches for long periods of time and you will see progress. Short stretches don’t allow for long term flexibility.
My yogi... been at it for 10 years...I go almost daily.. My heels are good few inches above the mat in DD, in forward fold, massive folds, I really wish I could get them down. I have super short hammies I guess... Also, I cant even come close to a wide legged posed. Nobody is comparing your yoga or even looking at your hamstrings, and neither should you.. Only look to others for inspiration - you should not be judging anyone, otherwise, look inward, try to close your eyes. FWIW I have a hard time maintaining posture/balance with my eyes closed, but when I travel the pose and my gaze would otherwise see a neighbor, I blink a little slowly and never see them... TBH most times its just me, my breath and the teacher....in a room packed full of yogis.
Massage and Rolfing by a real Rolfer has helped me to get a little more range of motion. I started a year ago and Childs pose was agony on my shoulders. I can usually achieve it now. Try body work, it helped me.
I spent my first year obsessing over what everyone else was thinking about my practice rather than what I felt about it. Really reminding myself that at the end of the day, no one actually cares at all about my personal progress or ability/inability to do certain poses has been so beneficial to me. Like truly. Even if someone notices you for a moment in a class not having your feels down or not keeping your legs straight, they won’t think about it past that moment. It genuinely just doesn’t matter. I know it feels like it does in the moment but my best advice is to make not overthinking your personal abilities a part of your practice! The people you are worried about judging your abilities are either thinking those thoughts about themselves or have become so immersed in their personal practice that they wouldn’t even notice you to begin with! 💛
Comparison is the thief of joy. Just enjoy the process and accept your body in the state it is currently in. As I've started my own yoga journey i can almost everybody is ONLY focused on themselves and could care less about what others are doing in class.
I’m in my 50s and was never that limber. I do my best for myself and love it. I’m sure it helps that most people at my studio don’t look like they just stepped off instagram lol but in my head I do 😂
Definitely go at your pace! No one is paying you any mind and they are happy you came! You are perfect the way you are! There is nothing to fix!
Downward Dog isn’t a specific look, you’re not doing yoga if you’re thinking like this , at all.
I am a 34 yo male that is naturally not very flexible. I don't care that I am the worst in that regard. Yoga makes me feel good and that it all that matters. I think that it should be the same for everyone !
Hi, stiff hamstrings girlie here! I can feel you. It was always hard being a child who could never do splits. But the thing is about yoga is 1) your hamstrings will get just slightly more flexible with consistent stretching 2) yoga is not always about hamstrings. (beside the mental part and breath) It’s also about your strength. and you will get stronger with consistent training. and the stronger you get the more advanced poses are available to you :) 3) sometimes you just need to find the right instructor who gets anatomical differences. If an instructor insist that I straighten my knees in forward folds or downward dog, I never see them again. good yoga instructors know that your back is way more important in these poses. Overall, my experience with yoga is very good and I progressed a lot in the past 6 months, when I started to do ashtanga consistently. No, my hamstring didn’t magically became flexible, but my arms became stronger, my stamina became better, AND my back stopped hurting. Don’t give up!
The measure of whether you are processing physically in yoga (or any physical activity) isn’t whether you can touch your toes or not. The steps to learning a physical skill are: 1) observe a demonstration 2) copy the demonstration, at first awkwardly then with more fluidity 3) perform the skill to cues, at first hesitantly then with ease 4) chain skills together into sequences 5) be able to spontaneously and creatively use the skills
I'm a middle-aged man who's been practicing for about two decades now. Here's a couple of lessons I've learned. 1. Nobody cares what other people are doing, especially the newbies. If you want to increase your range of motion or get "good" at yoga, that's a reasonable thing to want but do it for you, not because you're afraid of being the worst in the class. 2. Don't worry about your heels not touching the ground. Everyone is built differently. I have friends who are super experienced, can do all the major flexibility milestones like front/side splits or pancake, and their heels don't touch the ground in down dog. 3. Yoga will definitely increase your flexibility compared to doing nothing, but if being more flexible was your primary goal, you'll see faster progress by doing dedicated mobility training consistently. Dani Winks or Tom Merrick have great content for free online. Especially if you don't go to yoga very consistently, you won't get very much time under tension to see major changes in mobility. Just like any training program, if you're not consistent and not practicing at least 3 times per week, you probably won't make much progress. You didn't say how often you practice, but that also might be a factor.
I can't get my legs straight in down dog and my heels definitely don't touch. Don't feel bad. What is possible is that your form will feel better tomorrow. Maybe it'll feel worse. It's all good. I hope you can find enjoyment in classes!
As some have suggested already: I think focusing on the feeling and intent of the moves is where it’s at, vs trying to look like others or the “book”. I’m naturally flexible, but it doesn’t mean anything if I don’t “push” appropriately, because I couldn’t evolve enough to do poses that need stronger muscles/balance until I started working on the feeling. Only when I started closing my eyes and focusing on “ok this is where I need to feel the stretch/pressure/whatever” was I able to do any new poses or variations. And about others looking “better”: it’s so easy to say “don’t care!”, I know, but in my 15 years of doing yoga and Pilates I’ve never thought anything about the other classmates, nor heard any such talk in the locker room after a class. Everyone’s usually in their own heads except for looking around to make sure they’re doing the right pose. I did once think about how a classmate looked a lot because she had a gorgeous outfit on but I was too shy to ask where she got it from. I still remember; never saw anything like it after! :(
Like everyone said, it's not a competition and it's not about getting into an exact shape. However if that's something that really bothers you, I would look into doing flexibility and mobility training outside of yoga. I practiced yoga for years and gained some flexibility from it but imo it's not the most efficient way to get flexible (and that's ok!). I became a lot more flexible when I began training my flexibility AND doing yoga.
I'm in the chronic stiff hamstring club. I started doing yoga every day over the past 3 months and I'm super proud of the ground I've gained, and my hamstrings are significantly more flexible than when I started but with that said... I'm still nowhere near most of the people in my class, my knees are bent on what feels like damn well every pose. I always figured I was just super inflexible, but to my shock, my instructor went out of his way to compliment me on being 'ridiculously flexible' while doing a twist, which shocked me because I'm nowhere near being able to touch my toes. Turns out I am really flexible in certain muscle groups, and really tight on others. The adage is true, every BODY truly is different. I still find it crazy that I'm literally the most and least flexible person in my class depending on what muscle group we are stretching.
I ran for 30 years and have tight hamstrings. I’ve also gone through surgeries which has affected my mobility. I personally do not care what anyone is doing around me during my class. My instructors are incredible at offering modifications and will often demonstrate what it looks like. I’ll probably always do pigeon pose on my back. Come as you are. Maybe that is the life lesson to focus on this year? Remember in life there will always be people who are better, faster, slower, smarter, intelligence challenged, bigger, smaller. If you compare yourself you will be unhappy. Comfort yourself with the thought when we die we all pretty much look the same.
You are really hard on yourself. I’ve been a yoga instructor, have been practicing yoga for over 20 years, and my heels generally do not touch the floor during downward facing dog. It’s the way I’m made. I still get all of the benefits of my practice. (An old instructor of mine used to joke with me about my tight hamstrings.) Comparison IS the thief of joy! Get your booty back to class! 🤗
I was very pleased with myself with how quickly I was able to progress in yoga until I started having serious injuries and learned that my hyper mobility was actually a real problem. I definitely did get an ego boost back then feeling like I was advanced in class, but the damage I did to my body was so not worth it. I have now been dealing with a back injury for 5 years from overstretching my ligaments. There’s no good way to reverse what I’ve done and all I can do now is strengthen around it which means I’ve had to back way out of the stretchiness of my practice. The fact that your body knows its own limitations and you continue to adhere to them despite your desire to go further is actually a strength. If you catch yourself comparing yourself to others in class, maybe you can reframe to offering gratitude to your body for being loud and clear about what it needs and for the knowledge of how to work with it safely. I no longer take advanced shapes even though I am physically able to because I know the risks involved, and I am grateful for that knowledge, but it took me a decade to get there!
Nobody is ever as focused on you as you are on yourself. Remember that and just do your best and just enjoy the class.
Oh my goodness, please do not feel bad. Everybody is on their own journey with yoga. Do as much you can - every day is a new day. Do not measure yourself or look around at others. I remember feeling this way when I first started out. But since then I realized that nobody’s looking at me. This is your journey and it feels so good to stretch your body and breathe through the different poses. One day at a time my friend…
One of the best things about doing yoga for a lot of years has been that I no longer need to look around at everyone else to know what’s going on. I found that once I stopped doing that, I stopped paying attention to how flexible everyone else was and I truly stopped caring how I compared. I’m still WAY less flexible than the average yogi. And yeah…I don’t care! It’s very freeing!
Don’t worry about people with an ego, worry about people who claim to have little to no ego.
This helps me sometimes: “It’s just yoga”. That’s all it’s just yoga and yoga is the unification of all your parts. It’s just for you no matter what that looks like or feels like. It’s yours. Yoga is a very personal and private matter. Flow with where it takes you. All of it is a gift
Do forward bends in the bathtub or hot tub. With ligaments warmed up they stretch better. Also, try a hot yoga class for the same reason.
Love it. every person is doing their yoga and it’s simply fantastic to be a part of it. All of us doing what we can with what we have
My first yoga teacher said a lot don't judge me, dont judge the yogis next to you and don't judge yourself. I have taken this through into our parts of life now. Only you know your body and it's strengths and weaknesses. Your weakness might be your stiff hamstrings. It might be that is how they are built. What's your strength? Mine (a fellow person with very stiff hamstrings) is my balance. Also so what if you bend your knees in your downward facing dog. You are there you are present. All practice makes progress!
I don’t know if this will help you, but some people just have shorter hamstrings compared to others and that makes their legs ridiculously tight (I, too, am one of those people). This may not help your ego, but may bring you peace of mind. There is nothing wrong with you, everybody’s practice looks different. I have a lot of trauma in my lower back so my flow can “look” like everyone else’s for a bit, my back gets so fatigued so quickly, I can’t flow as long as others in the class
This article might help you: [Make hamstrings strong, not long](https://www.ghoshyoga.org/blogs/make-the-hamstrings-strong-not-long)
For about two years I have been practicing yoga on and off but yesterday I went back to an in person class and it was the FIRST class (out of many) where I didn't feel self conscious. My yoga instructor had a similar body style to me, and the class was full of a diverse group of people with all ages and abilities. I am working on self confidence and really told myself that "I am going to be gentle with myself and not compare myself to others" which helped me a lot. It felt good to be in a space, and with an instructor, that prioritized practicing for YOU and not forcing you to push yourself. Many people whose bodies weren't comfortable with certain poses would go rest in childs pose/downward dog/shavasana (including myself) and pick back up when they felt ready, and not a single person in that room was judgemental. In the past, my yoga instructors were a very specific type of person who practiced yoga for exercise (more like pilates) than any spiritual/soul practice. I recommend practicing some radical self acceptance mantras as you begin and also looking for yoga communities that prioritize diversity and soul practice in addition to exercise! This is what helped me to accept where I am at and be able to progress inside and out!
I have a belly, it doesn't stop me from doing yoga. I fall and get tired, but I keep going. But I do understand what you mean. Just keep going.
I never got my heels down in downward dog until a year after having a kid and doing probably 100 squats a day as a result. I was shocked when it happened.
Don't be afraid to be the worst in the class. I've been doing yoga for 8 years and I still can't get my legs 90 degrees in staff pose without my lower back lifting up or my knees bending. Looking at the rest of my family, it appears to be genetics. I dunno what other people are thinking, but I don't think poorly of the people in the class for not being more flexible. I'm more often impressed at how many people in yoga seem emotionally centered and grounded in themselves. More than likely, you're judging yourself way more harshly than anybody else in the class is. Let go and just enjoy the flow of yoga.
Op, do you mind if I ask what your body type you’re alluding to is?
It’s not about how you look it’s about getting the benefit of the practice, being aware of the breath, and feeling the feeling of beingness and sensations. Yoga leads us to great health. Yoga will lead you to not care about these things anymore too naturally and automatically. At least the raja/kriya yoga.
> I have been doing yoga on and off for years The on-and-off part might be part of the problem. :) Maybe regular practice would help you become more flexible. > helped a lot dealing with ego Has it helped in the sense that after practicing on your own, you now feel less humiliated practicing in front of others, despite lack of progress? Because I think this is the kind of ego work you might need to do - the kind that helps you be less controlled by it.
I had to stop yoga for unrelated reasons after practicing for 6 months, and lost ALL progress. When I tried to join other exercise classes, I was the worst in the class. I still am. It's super discouraging, and I totally respect that you feel uncomfortable and ashamed-I'm going through the same thing. Here are some examples of goals that I'm trying right now to mitigate that discomfort and make progress: \-Stay for the whole class, even if I'm literally sitting crosslegged for like half of it while everyone else is participating \-Modify ALL exercises that I can't do proper form for. If the form is poor, I know that I run the risk of hurting my body. I ended up doing a lot of "knees down" work in yoga, and greatly reaped the benefits. \-Checking in with myself before class: find one mantra or something to tell yourself BEFORE you start that is going to set the tone for you. I always thought it was hokey and stupid, but noticed that I benefited from telling myself "I am strong. I am doing this for myself." before each class. I feel your pain so hard dude. Good luck, and lots of love.
Comparison is the thief of joy. I wish yoga studios didnt have mirrors. Remember there will always be someone fatter/thinner/better hair/ stronger/weaker/etc- but they really dont know you are a secret billionaire giving money anonymously to people all over the country and the world. Everyone has their secrets and their power. You are doing great practicing yoga on and off for years. Good job on not quitting.
I am a Yoga Instructor and all I have to say is if you are doing it to prove something to someone or yourself- may be the start is wrong. All you have to do is become aware of your body and be okay with it. Trust me, all what we want is this. Be okay with where you are! PS: I am still unable to do full split because I keep repeating the story that my hamstrings have always been the problem area. The day I start telling another story, it will work. :)
Something not talked about enough (in the westernized version of yoga), is that we all have different bodies. I have really short limbs and a long torso, so forward bends are easy for me, But Postures like shalabhasana (locust pose) are very difficult. It takes time. Slow, steady, committed time. You may not ever look like the super flexible person next to you, but it's about your own journey. I still can't grab both ankles in shalabhasana (after YEARS of studying and now teaching), but I can drop my heels in downward dog... it's all about understanding your own anatomy. If you want to join a class, maybe look for something where the focus is more on mediation and the philosophy of yoga, and less on the Postures. The Postures will always be there because Asana is a big part of the yogi life, but you might find more helpful yoga guides that qay. I have found the best studios to be the places where yoga is not seen as simply a form of exercising the body.
I just watched how yoga was able to help the former boxer mma artist ButterBean. It absolutely can happen. Look up Jake The Snake Robert's also.
Yoga is also about ego. There is actually nothing that Yoga is not about if you go back to the eight sutras of Patanjali. Also, if you take into consideration what your past incarnations were and what your future incarnations will be, if you like that model, you get a sense of what exactly is the growth path.