Why practice yoga, and why we don’t.

We all know that yoga is good for us. Our friends, health care providers, magazines and kids tell us regularly.  We know it builds strength and balance. It increases our mobility, and improves our breathing. Not only all this, but yoga just make us feel good: calm, grounded, happy.

Yet we come up with lots of reasons not to: not to go to yoga class and not to roll out our mat and get on it at home. The 3 most common objections are time, money, and ability.

 “I’d love to do yoga but I don’t have time.”  Ask yourself : Are you a morning or evening person?  Do you live in the city? Can you walk or drive? Yoga centres offer classes from 6 am to evening to suit any time preferences. If you are up early in the morning or late in the evening you can make time for yoga. It can be a full 90 minute class or as little as a 10 minute home practice.

 “I just can’t afford it”. Ask yourself: Can you afford coffee, wine, clothing, gas, music . . . Yoga classes are available online, videos can be borrowed from the library, classes are held at community centres (free or low cost) at Yoga centres (class packages available), small groups or personalized one to one.  In other words, from free to costly. What is the cost of chiropractic,  physiotherapy, prescription drugs, medical procedures and recovery? Can you afford not to become and stay healthy with no added costs or side effects?

 “It’s not for me. I’m not flexible.” Or I’m too old, too heavy, too out of shape. Or it’s too slow and boring.Or I have a bad knee, hip, shoulder, or back.  Ask yourself : What are your yoga models? Do you picture the young, slim, flexible, spandex wearing gals from the media? They are just the poster people for the yoga industry. The fact is – Yoga is for everyone –

Choose the right teacher and class, start at the right level, modify to meet your personal needs and yoga can help you be comfortable in your own body and move you into a healthier state of being.

 In the words Judith Hanson Lasater (Ph.D., Physical Therapist, yoga teacher and one of the founders of Yoga Journal magazine):

“People often ask me, is it necessary to practice yoga every day? I tell them, 'No, not at all. Just practice on the days you want to feel good!”