Hello,
Two of my family members are extremely inflexible, as in they are unable to stretch their legs out in front of them when sitting straight in a chair without pain. I convinced them both to start doing the yoga on this site, but even the classes for inflexible people are too hard for them. I don’t want them to get discouraged and stop. Are there good classes to start with or challenges they can use to help them?
Thank you so much!
I have the same problem. I’m healthy and fit, but not at all flexible. Today I tried “Yoga for Absolute Beginners: Sukhasana and Dandasana”. The twists made me wince and groan. In staff pose, I couldn’t straighten my legs beyond 90 degrees without rolling back on my sit bones. With straight elbows and interlocked fingers, I couldn’t get my arms more than 45 degrees above horizontal. If this is really the most basic beginner lesson available, I wonder whether I’m just not flexible enough to be attempting yoga. What do you suggest? Is there a different “absolute beginner” series for people who aren’t flexible? Should I move on the next lesson in this series, or would that risk injury? Give up yoga and try something else instead?
I’m only commenting from my experience but have you tried restorative or yin yoga at all? I find props such as pillows and blankets are great to help with sitting poses etc and there’s also the option to modify.
I cannot do yoga like other people can so I bend my knees in forward fold, in chair my arms are in front of me instead of overhead. When my wrists are hurting I do childs pose instead of downward dog.
Yoga can be for everyone with the right props and being kind to yourself and accepting of your personal limitations.
Hi, I thought I saw a challenge for older people on DYWM. These family members may not be older but you can trust that a practice for older folks will be gentle.
Thank you for the suggestion!
It’s called “Back to Health 30-day challenge.”
I’m not inflexible, but I have painful arthritis in some joints. I’ve figured out how to modify poses for myself so they aren’t painful. Just ignore what the person on the screen looks like and do the pose as best you can, take it slowly, and improvement will come.
You’re being too hard on yourself. Remember, the teachers in the videos have been doing this for years and years. It’s also a misconception that flexibility is a requirement to do yoga. Flexibility is actually something you gain, overtime, as a result of practicing yoga. There’s also the fact that different bodies have different amounts of flexibility in different areas because of various physical and lifestyle factors. So, if you can get your arms to 45 degrees above the horizontal, then that’s what you do. If you roll back on your sit bones, sit on a block or blanket (most videos also suggest this). I consider myself somewhere between an intermediate and advanced level student but there are many postures I modify even from beginner and intermediate classes. If you stick with it, you will notice some days the amount of strength and flexibility you have will be different. But most definitely you will notice changes and progress in small increments that will eventually add up to a lot.
I typically practice at the Intermediate II level, however I find great satisfaction in the Restorative classes. I am a Registered Nurse and (currently/COVID-19) working very long shifts, multiple days in a row. After 3-5 days of 12+hr shifts, I find my body to be full of tension/tightness and it just needs to “relax” and find “peace” within it’s muscles and my mind. Restorative Yoga is excellent for (not only) beginners, but for many of us that just needs to find the practice that fits our needs, at a particular time or situation. Encourage your family members, join them in classes and find your own joy!
Thank you so much! Also, thank you for all you are doing for everyone. I am glad that you found yoga to help you find some peace.
Hii
thanks for the suggetion.
I’m pretty inflexible though it is improving greatly with daily practice. When I started a couple of years back I had to modify just about every pose, luckily I had a teacher who could help me through and I have used a lot of modifications and props I have found over time though I no longer need many. I do find Melissa Kriegers class good for modifications. Another presenter Melissa West (not DYWM) was really good for modifications though not really my style, I was able to incorporate her modifications as needed. Blocks, bolsters, rolled up towels, pillows and blankets will be your friend. I really struggled when I first started but am so glad I persisted. Good Luck