Is yoga all about stretching?

The most common reason I hear for people not doing yoga is that they feel they aren't flexible enough - "I can't touch my toes...!"

So do you have to be flexible to do yoga, and is yoga all about flexibility? Well, I'd say flexibility is a by-product of doing yoga, and bendiness is by no means a pre-requisite.

What is the point of doing yoga then?

To me, yoga is about awareness, it's about re-connecting the mind and body, and tuning in to how we are in each moment.

The thing is, most of us are quite inflexible. Too much sitting, not enough exercise, a dodgy diet, all causes the body to stiffen and to lock in tension. We also spend so much of our time in our thoughts, not feeling but thinking, not being but doing - we literally think ourselves stiff! Our culture doesn't help either – we're encouraged to ignore those knots in the shoulders, that little niggle in the lower back, and keep on working.

The less aware we become of our bodies, the less we notice how tight and tense we get. The tighter we get, the more it gets locked in to the body and the harder it is to feel anything beyond that tension. Our sensitivity to the body becomes more and more limited.

Massage can bring temporary relief and is highly recommended! A trained masseur skilfully guides our muscles to relax - and it feels fantastic. Ah the relief! But it's only temporary... whatever habits and patterns that caused the tightness in the first place haven't changed.

You see, the flexibility we learn in yoga isn't just about he muscles. Fascia – the tissue between the muscles, bones, organs – can also tighten up and hold stress. And since many of our nerves are embedded in fascia, this tension and stress gets felt by our nervous system and ultimately our brain.

Yoga works on many levels to stretch, lengthen, and release. It also teaches flexibility in the way we think. Thoughts like "I'm not someone who does yoga" become "let's try it and see what I feel". Developing a sense of curiosity, interest, and playfulness can work wonders to free up the mind!

So in a sense, yoga is all about stretching, but not just in the obvious way. A flexible, strong, grounded, aware, and adventurous body and mind means a healthy, content, productive and happy one!