Almost every time I tell someone I am a yoga instructor they respond with “I could never do yoga. I’m not flexible enough”.
Honestly. I hear it so much.
It’s a bit disheartening to think that people think about yoga as revolving solely around flexibility. It’s even more disheartening to think that people don’t think they can practice because of their lack of flexibility. I am always quick to tell people that yoga is much more than flexibility. Particularly in the Western world, people have this idea that yoga is about being flexible in the physical sense.
While being physically flexible is one of the perks of practicing yoga, being mentally flexible also comes along with the practice. And this mindset of “I can’t do it because I’m not flexible enough” is a prime example of why people need to practice yoga — to help them with their mental flexibility, be more open minded, take more (safe) risks and allow themselves to explore their inner being.
But this isn’t about the workings of mental flexibility. It’s about being cautious in your physical flexibility. Because, sometimes, being physically flexible isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
A while ago, I hurt my hip. I was at a hot yoga studio, cleaning my yoga mat, when my foot slipped in what I hope was water (and not someone else’s sweat — yuck). My body fell straight down to the ground. I landed on my bum but my right leg went straight out to the side. Basically, my body made a weird “L” shape. I fell hard. And fast. Too fast to catch myself.
It hurt. A lot.
For a few weeks my hip and leg hurt. I expected that. That fall was a shock to my body, so I attributed that pain to normal muscle pain from falling. It was only after my leg and foot began to go numb at certain points in the day that I began to worry. So I went to see an osteopath.
She gave me some exercises to do to help my hip. I did them (for a while). They helped a lot. But then I stopped doing those exercises. (I’m going to pause here for a quick word of advice: Don’t stop doing the exercises the osteopath gives you. Just incorporate them into your exercise/yoga routine. Seriously. Just do them.)
She gave me some exercises to do to help my hip. I did them (for a while). They helped a lot. But then I stopped doing those exercises. (I’m going to pause here for a quick word of advice: Don’t stop doing the exercises the osteopath gives you. Just incorporate them into your exercise/yoga routine. Seriously. Just do them.)
The pain in my hip, along with the numbness in my leg and foot, came back. There were times that I felt as though my leg were dangling out of my hip socket. Complete numbness from my hip to my toes. And it was obvious that my hip bone on my right side was higher than the one on the left. It also protruded.
But before the pain and numbness came back, I was super impressed with my yoga practice. I was suddenly more flexible, practicing poses that I never had before with surprising ease. I loved it.
After the pain and numbness came back, I went to see another osteopath. She was seriously worried about the state of my hip, particularly the tendons and ligaments. What I took for flexibility in my practice was actually over-stretched ligaments and tendons from not doing my exercises and letting my hip injury go for so long.
She did a lot of work with my hip to put it back in place. I was in a lot of pain after I saw her but the good kind of pain. The kind of pain that comes with setting your body up the way it should be.
I also had an X-ray and a MRI. Luckily, the results came back okay. My injury did not include torn ligaments and tendons, only over-stretched ones.
The bottom line: I should have been more cautious of my sudden flexibility. I’m sure in the back of my mind there was a part of me saying that this wasn’t right. But I chose not to listen to that part.
I was lucky in that my injury wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But others may not be so lucky.
Here are some things you need to keep in mind about your flexibility:
1. One side of your body is different than the other side.
This means that, when you are practicing yoga, one side of your body will feel different from the other side.
Maybe your left side is more flexible than the right side, so you get more of a stretch on the right than the left. This might also mean that you have to try variations of the pose to get the stretch you need on the left side.
To help keep your flexibility as even as you can on both sides of your body, when coming into a pose, start with the side of the body that is tighter. When you start with the tighter side, you are using more breath and energy to help stretch out that side a bit more. Remember not to push your body past its limits though. No matter how much you want that stretch.
Be mindful of how your body is feeling. Are you feeling any pain? Numbness or tingling? If so, use your breath to gently come out of the pose and counter the pose to help ease the pain/numbness/tingling in your body. Also make sure to rest in Savasana for a longer time.
2. Your body is different every day.
Maybe one day you are rocking one-legged pigeon pose but the next day, when you practice, the pose is more difficult. This is completely normal. Your body is different every day. So your practice will be different every day (or how ever often you practice).
Don’t force your body to do the thing today that you could do yesterday. Try using your breath, blocks and straps to help you ease into the pose. If this doesn’t work, then this position isn’t for you today. Move on to another and try again another day.
Forcing your body into a yoga pose is extremely dangerous. You could tear a ligament, overstretch your muscles or even fall and break a bone.
3. Don’t panic.
I don’t mean for my story to scar you for life and scare you away from practicing yoga. Keep in mind that I did not fall while practicing and it was my own fault that I did not keep up with my hip exercises or take more caution with my sudden flexibility.
If you find yourself in a position where you are more flexible than you used to be, don’t panic.
Notice how your body is feeling — pain, numbness, tingling. If any of those things are occurring, use your breath to gently come out of the pose and counter the pose to release the tension you are feeling.
Notice how your body is feeling — pain, numbness, tingling. If any of those things are occurring, use your breath to gently come out of the pose and counter the pose to release the tension you are feeling.
Watch your alignment. Is your spine straight? Hips in line with your knees? Shoulders in line with your wrists? If not, correct your alignment to ensure that you are practicing the pose safely and properly. Ask your yoga instructor to help you with this!
If there is no pain, numbness or tingling, and your alignment is on point, think back to your past yoga practices. Have you been practicing other poses that would have helped you become more flexible in this pose? Most often, our newfound flexibility comes from past practice — working toward a certain pose. And sometimes, you might find flexibility in a pose you weren’t working toward.
Yoga is great like that. Everything we do in our practice has so many benefits. Some of which we don’t even realize.
Being curious about our flexibility is normal. During a yoga practice we all think: “I wonder if I can do [this]? Let’s see”. By all means, try that pose. Try the next one and the next one. Just be careful. Don’t push or pull your body too hard. Be gentle. Be cautious. Ask questions. Ask your yoga instructor, your osteopath or physiotherapist, your doctor.
Listen to that voice in the back of your mind. Take care of your body.
You owe that to yourself.
Megan Johnson