Why You're Not Doing Yoga and How to Get Started Today ft. Sarah Nelsen, C-IAYT
I work with many people who are pretty sure yoga could improve their quality of life but they’re stopped by one of three reasons. Today I’ll share solutions to those three reasons and hopefully let you see that if you WANT to practice yoga, you CAN practice yoga.
You don’t have time for yoga
I know you think you don’t have time for yoga, but that’s because you are assuming you need 45, 60 or 90 minutes of practice at a time. In reality, a short, regular yoga practice is better than a weekly long yoga practice. Here are some ways to work a little yoga into your day:
Take a moment, here and there throughout your day, to feel the connection of your feet to the earth, (even with shoes on!) You can do this seated, standing or lying down with legs bent. Spread your toes wide then rest them down, balance your weight between both feet, between heels and toes. Imagine you could breathe in and out through the souls of your feet. That’s it!
If you have a favorite yoga pose or movement, take 5 minutes and do it (most) every day. Maybe it’s cat/cow, down dog, or a simple side bend. Any little bit of purposeful movement and breath can have a calming effect on your nervous system. Watch how the pose or movement changes over time. Notice how you feel before you practice it and after you practice it.
You think yoga is too hard/you aren’t flexible enough
If most of what you know about yoga comes from looking at magazine covers and instagram posts, you wouldn’t be wrong to assume that you need to be super flexible and strong to do yoga. In reality, yoga bends to accommodate you, not the other way around. Here are some accessible ways to practice yoga:
Guided relaxation and Yoga nidra practices can be deeply relaxing and can be done from your bed or the couch. Insight Timer and SoundCloud are both great, free sources of guided relaxation recordings. (Check out my SoundCloud account.)
Practice yoga in bed! The softness of the bed makes the practice more gentle on your body and more soothing for your nervous system. I started practicing yoga in bed with gentle leg stretches. If you could use some extra guidance, check out my Yoga in Bed on-demand course. (And a gift for Kecia’s readers: use this coupon code to get $10 off the course!) The code is: Yoga&Acupuncture
You have no idea how to get started, especially if you aren’t comfortable going to a group yoga class
Pre-covid, there were SO MANY yoga studios and classes and lot’s of options for beginners. Classes and yoga studios are still out there, but many people aren’t ready, (or able,) to go to an unmasked, in-person group class. The good news is that there are many, many online options from free on YouTube, to online memberships, to 1:1 personalized instruction. The bad news is that there are many, many options. If you feel overwhelmed when you search for yoga online, you’re not alone. Here are my tips:
Search for “gentle yoga” or “yoga for beginners”
Watch the video before you try practicing it to make sure it’s a good fit for you
Choose one (short) video that you like and then only practice that video for a few weeks or months. There is no need to constantly find new practice videos.
If you find a teacher you like, subscribe to their channel.
I have a handful of short yoga practices on my YouTube channel to get you started!
What’s stopping YOU from a regular yoga practice? If I didn’t address it here, I’d love to hear from you and brainstorm some solutions. Sign up for my newsletter to receive weekly tips and treats and a free guided meditation to download, Overcoming Overwhelm.
Sarah Nelsen is a certified yoga therapist, (and podcaster,) specializing in short, gentle mindful movement and breath practices to alleviate pain, anxiety & overwhelm. She loves working with people who think they are too old, inflexible, or ill to do yoga!