You Don’t Need to be Flexible To Do Yoga

This one is for everyone out there who believes they are not flexible enough to do yoga.

If you’ve ever thought, “I’m not flexible enough for yoga,” I hear you. And I get it. That was me for 10 or 12 years. I stopped going because I felt like my body wasn’t right for it.

I know there are a lot of people in Madrid who feel exactly the same way. You might be thinking about trying an English yoga class in Madrid, but looking at photos online and wondering whether you’re flexible enough, fit enough, or experienced enough to belong in the room. You are.

“I can’t come to yoga, I’m not flexible enough.”

I hear this all the time: “I can’t come to yoga, I’m not flexible enough.”

That feeling usually comes from somewhere. Maybe you had a teacher who didn’t adapt the practice to your body. Maybe you’ve seen endless images of people twisting themselves into shapes that feel completely out of reach. Maybe you tried yoga once and felt like everyone else knew what they were doing except you.

I know that feeling because I lived it. For years, I felt like my body wasn’t right for yoga and I eventually gave up. So if you’ve been avoiding yoga in Madrid because you think you’re not flexible enough, you are definitely not alone.

Yoga is not only about the postures

One of the things I really want people to understand about yoga is that it isn’t only about how flexible you are. The physical postures are one part of the practice. Yoga is also about breath, meditation, and how we live our lives. There are huge benefits to yoga that have nothing to do with whether you can touch your toes.

Yoga can help calm your nervous system. It can help you manage stress. It can give you space to slow down and pay attention to what is happening in your body. Those are some of the things I love about teaching yoga in Madrid. The physical practice is important, but it is only part of why we come together.

I don’t have a typical “yoga body”

I’m not a size zero and I can’t contort myself into everything you see online. But I understand how different bodies move, including bodies like mine. I am trained in using props to help create space and make postures more accessible. That’s something I bring into every English yoga class in Madrid that I teach.

I want you to be able to come into a class and feel that the practice can work for your body. I want to help you find ways to move that feel good for you. And sometimes, I want to help you find ways to move that might surprise you with how capable you actually are. You might discover that your body can do much more than you thought.

You don’t need to be flexible to start yoga in Madrid (or anywhere!)

This idea that you have to be really flexible to do yoga, I can see where it comes from. But the only way you’re going to get more flexible is by giving it a try. And honestly, there are no prizes for being the most flexible. What you will find are incredible health benefits, both physical and mental, through this practice. You might find that your body becomes stronger. You might become more comfortable with movement. You might start to feel more connected to your body.

And you might find something else too.

Yoga can be a way to find friends in Madrid

For many people, particularly if you’re new to Madrid, yoga can become about much more than the actual class. Joining an English yoga class can be a way to meet people when you’re living abroad. It can give you somewhere to go regularly, where you start recognising faces and getting to know people.

That’s a big part of why I’ve built a yoga community in Madrid. I know that when you move to a new city, finding friends in Madrid isn’t always easy. You can have a busy social life and still feel like you’re missing that sense of community.

For me, yoga is one of the most natural ways to create that. You come together, you move together, you breathe together, and then you might end up having a coffee together afterwards. That’s what I love about teaching expat yoga in Madrid. The practice creates the opportunity for connection, but the connection often goes well beyond the yoga mat.

So if you’ve been searching for yoga in Madrid but telling yourself you need to become more flexible first, please join us. You don’t need to touch your toes. You don’t need to know all the postures. You don’t need to look like the people you see on Instagram. You just need to turn up as yourself.

Whether you’re looking for an English yoga class in Madrid, trying to find an expat yoga community, or simply looking for a way to meet people and find friends in Madrid, there is a place for you here. You really can do yoga, just as you are.