• I’m not flexible enough

In yoga, you start where you are. You start with you. It’s not about competing with your neighbor to get deeper into a stretch. It’s about finding your sweet spot. My classes are and have always been all-level. I actively encourage the use of props. Even those of us who have been practicing for years will still pick up a strap or a bolster to allow us to savor a stretch just a little more. A strap can aid a yogi or yogini in going a little deeper into a stretch, just as it can aid a beginner in providing a little assistance.

Yoga unites us all

  • Yoga doesn’t align with my religious beliefs

Although the first written words about yoga were found in India, cave dwellings thousands of years’ old, depicting yoga poses have been found all across the globe. The teachings in yoga are universal to all religions, all spiritual beliefs. Yoga is about being aware, about being mindful, to oneself and to others, both on and off the mat. It is about letting go of ego and finding the divine, whatever that means to you. Yoga is an individual practice and about finding that place of stillness, a place that resonates with you.

Yoga unites us all

  • Yoga is only for “granolas”

Yoga can be whatever you want it to be. In my classes, I have had runners, Tai Kwon Do studio owners wanting to kick higher in a competition; children wanting to be children and have fun; mothers-to-be wanting to connect with their unborn child; new mothers wanting to find some time just for themselves; people of advanced age interesting in maintaining or gaining flexibility; people with high blood pressure; people who have been sexually assaulted; and people whose doctors have prescribed Yoga. Yoga appeals to all socio-economic ranges; all religions; all body types; all fitness levels; and all mobility levels. Yoga can serve whatever purpose you need it to. If you’re looking for a spiritual awakening, you can find it; if you’re trying to kick a little higher in Tai Kwon Do, you can also find it.

Yoga unites us all.