Misconception About Yoga: "You Need To Be Flexible."

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🦋With everything going on and the need for stress management we want to address the access barriers to yoga and mindfulness practices. We will spend the rest of the month debunking misconceptions and myths around yoga and mindfulness in hopes to educate and empower our community in their personal wellness.
🌿GIVEAWAY: Share, repost, tag or post your own perspective and process to the debunking by following with our weekly hashtags and tagging @thejenn_barlow @alignwithariel @melmarieyoga.
🌀Each week a winner will be announced. Week One winner receive a Meditate Daily shirt, a Chakra Alignment meditation oil blend created by The Divine Crown @the_divine_crown , and an intention bracelet stack with howlite and tigers eye stones. To be eligible to win, you must be following!

#exposetoinform
WEEK ONE
THURSDAY
MISCONCEPTION ABOUT YOGA - " You need to be flexible to do yoga."

As someone who was new to yoga, I did have that thought in my head. But, teachers taught me that I do not need to be flexible in order to get the benefits of yoga. Doing my own research has shown me that. Yoga is not about whether or not you can touch your toes, although, eventually, you will be able to the more you practice, but that's not the point.

Let me break it down for you:
Yoga is an ancient system with it's roots stemming from India. The ancient system teaches you asanas (postures) that help you become more balanced, aligned, healthier, and to deepen your meditative state. When practicing these asanas, you do eventually become more flexible, but that's not the point, like I said in one of my last posts. The asanas help you to gain clarity, relaxation, release tension, and not burn fat, but burn karma. Yoga has nothing to do with making major flexible positions and seeing how long you can stay there to burn fat. This is about burning karmic debt, for the purpose of awakening your soul, and also uncovering your souls purpose. It's actually a spiritual practice, not an exercise or religious practice. Yoga includes breathing techniques, meditation, practicing nonviolence, body and mind management, stress management, practicing authenticity, and non-attachment, among others.

Notice how in none of that, I mention it is about shedding pounds and having the need for flexibility.... because, again, that's not the point. focusing on your breathing and practicing being truthful to you self and others is yoga. Going into meditation and using mudras (a symbolic or ritual gesture performed by the hands, used in conjunction with pranayama (yogic breathing exercises) is yoga.

If you have any questions and want to add to this post, please head over to INSTAGRAM and interact with me. Remember, when you do, you automatically enter yourself into a GIVEAWAY which will include tools you can use in your own yoga practice. However that looks like to you.

Please share this post if you know anyone who can benefit!

How to enter:
- Follow @thejenn_barlow @alignwithariel @melmarieyoga on INSTAGRAM
- Interact in the comment area and use hashtag #exposetoinform

Hope to see you there!

With so much gratitude,
Namaste,
Jennifer J. Barlow