Yoga really is for everyone!

Have you ever heard someone tell you decisively that they are "not a yoga person"? When I used to hear this I knew something was amiss about that sentiment, but I never knew what to offer in response. Even when I started in the first style I practiced I might have thought them right because the tough, challenging yoga I first fell in love with actually isn't for everyone! Now I know how to help people reassess the "non-yoga-person" thought, especially since it's often from a place of underexposure to ideal yoga experiences that will make them feel better. Sometimes I will meet someone who has never given it a go at all and is deeply committed to their yoga-phobia!  Where to start then?

If you are a person, then you have all the makings of a "yoga person" and it's not as complicated as you may think! Yoga is like food; not everyone needs or likes the same things, but yoga comes in many flavors, from many "cooks" and the goal is to find a well-rounded offering that makes you the healthiest, most satisfied 'you.' A traditional chef's hat, (toque)  has 100 folds, representing the 100 different ways to make an egg, and Yoga has the same versatility. You'll find it in many different forms, and it seems to become more visible every day! Some students are happily surprised to discover Yoga Nidra, which happens while lying comfortably still and following the teacher's voice through a deep relaxation. Distinctly, many of us have heard of rigorous yoga classes and have seen images of super-challenging poses and wondered how people can do things like a one-handed handstand! Yoga work is not only a range, but you'll find everything between these two points in various mixes. Sometimes finding the right mix for our needs takes time, bravery, experience--not all yoga experiences will we love at first, but they all teach us something about ourselves and better steer us to the practice, the teacher, and the setting that really hits the spot.