Yoga is super-accessible these days, we all know it can benefit people
of various ages and body types, but if you’ve never done it before, it
can be extremely intimidating. To lessen the fear factor, we caught up
with
Jess Gronholm—an expert yogi and co-founder of
Dirty Yoga Co., an online yoga workout program you can do anywhere—who offers 5 ways yoga newbies can be less intimidated.
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| Photo: Getty | |
1. Think of yoga as a tool.
Even if you don’t want to devote your life to becoming an accomplished
yogi, you should know that yoga—even beginner level yoga—can enhance
your life. For example, it’s a great source of flexibility for most men
and a great way to gain strength for most women.
It restores flexibility for runners, cyclists, and anyone who
performs a repetitive form of exercise that constantly contracts their
muscles. It can also help virtually every athlete, from basketball
players to skiers to perform better and longer.
2. Don’t stay a beginner any longer than you have to.
When I used to teach a beginner’s yoga class, there were people who
attended it for years. Where else in your life would you be prepared to
stay a beginner that long? If you’re fit, active and physically
competent, you should be able to practice at an open or intermediate
level once you’re confident you know the basic poses.
For example, Dirty Yoga Co. has a Beginner Yoga program called “Prep”
which people have completed in as little as two weeks, before they’re
ready to tackle our open DirtyYoga program.
3. Don’t let what you can’t do get in the way of what you can do.
Respect your body’s limits, but don’t give up and sit out a bunch of
poses just because you find one pose difficult. There are some poses you
may never be able to do, but there are plenty you will be able to do,
and even more that you will be able to do with more practice.
4. If something’s worth doing, it’s worth doing any way you can.
You
don’t have to do yoga in Lululemon, in a sun-drenched studio, scented
with soy candles, and filled with people who only eat raw, organic
vegetables that were hugged to death. The only thing that matters is
that you do yoga, and keep doing it, even if you just stretch for 5
minutes a day (research shows 5 minutes a day is better for you than an
hour a week anyway). If anyone tries to tell you have to practice yoga a
certain way for it to be “real yoga,” ignore them.
5. Remember, yoga is just about the only physical activity that you can get better at as you age.
Which
is rather miraculous when you think about it—yoga must be good for you.
It certainly beats a hip replacement when you’re 60. But the point of
doing yoga is to practice it and to keep practicing it, and if you do
that, the benefits are endless.