9 Excuses For Not Trying Yoga You Should Give Up On

We all make excuses for ourselves when it comes to trying new things. Most of those excuses stem from us being scared or misinformed on the new thing we are thinking of trying. If yoga falls into that category of new things you want to try and you have some apprehensions this list should convince you otherwise. I have to admit, I used to have some of these thoughts before I tried yoga too, however, I love it now! I find it so relaxing and calming! I’ve even been looking at yoga schools on websites like mariannewells.com to see what’s involved in becoming a yoga teacher. If you had told me when I first started yoga that I would want to become a teacher I would have laughed! But yoga has truly changed my life!!

1. “But I’m not flexible enough.”

That is why you do yoga! I’ve practiced yoga with people that couldn’t touch their toes the first class they tried and within a few weeks could get the tips of their fingers to the ground. I have been practicing yoga for 8 years and there are poses I have mastered that I couldn’t do a year ago, two years ago, five years ago. And there are still many poses I struggle with. It’s about the journey not the destination.

2. “Yoga is for girls.”

People think that attending yoga classes or following the practice is just for women. But just like many things, doing yoga is for everyone. Modern yoga was founded by a dude, so there.

3. “It’s against my religion.”

Yoga is about bringing stillness to the activity of the mind. It is that simple. You do not have to be Buddhist or Hindu to practice yoga and you aren’t practicing either of those faiths while you practice yoga. That would be like saying only Christians can read the Bible or if you read the Quran you are now Muslim. So unless your religion is against quieting your mind, letting go of worldly problems, or having an open and grateful heart, then yea, it is against your religion.

4. “But I’m not in good shape/athletic/coordinated.”

You don’t have to be! There are many forms of yoga that meet you where you are physically. If you are worried about the above check out a Yin Yoga class. This class is slow paced and most poses are completed sitting or laying on your mat. And if you are really worried about something talk to the instructor before class. The instructor will be able to give you modifications to help you build your balance and confidence with the poses.

5. “I don’t think it will be a good enough workout.”

That’s how I got into yoga because I wanted to try a new work out. Even though I am not an advocate for doing yoga just as a work out, there is a style for yoga for what you want to achieve physically. Find a Bikram or Ashtanga yoga class if you want to challenge yourself physically but give the yourself a chance at letting some issues go while you’re practicing.

6. “Everyone will be looking at me during class…”

Even though you are beautiful and I’m sure attract attention wherever you go, the only person that will be looking at you regularly will be the instructor who is making sure you are safely doing poses. Everyone else in the class is too caught up in what they are doing to be staring at you and judging you, because that is of course what you are afraid of here is being judged in some way.

7. “I just can’t clear my head, I have too much going on up there.”

… umm who doesn’t? I’m sorry but this doesn’t make you special, so stop bragging about it and using it as an excuse. There are very, very few people on the earth, if any, that can just plop down into a full lotus and clear their mind and be in that blissed out state of enlightenment. Yoga is a continuous practice, you don’t just do it once then you’re good the rest of your life. It’s continuous because it takes practice and patience.

8. “Yea, I’m just not into the whole hippie/Kumbya thing.”

Good, you don’t have to be. People from all walks of life participate in yoga because who doesn’t need some time to decompress and let go of the shit we face in everyday life?

9. “I don’t have the right body for yoga.”

If you have a body, you have the right body for yoga.

So before you go talking yourself out of trying a yoga class, don’t. Open your mind, open your heart and let it change your life.

Like Madalyn’s article? Check out more of her articles on The Odyssey Online Self Love Beauty community.

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