Yoga for beginners.

Is yoga for you? Do you have a mind? A body? A soul? If answered yes to all of these questions then yes, yoga is for you.

Yoga has a slight misconstrued perception and perhaps seen as only for a small or niche market. I think the way yoga as an exercise has been advertised or shown to us culturally through films, tv shows or even advertisement has lead to this biased view of what yoga truly is and who it is for.

It's not just for "soccer moms", "hippy" enthusiasts or free spirited students looking for direction. If you fall into one of those categories then great but if not...yoga is still for you, it's for everyone. Yoga allows your body, mind and soul to work as one in the most beautiful and tranquil way, it may take a few sessions for you to connect and allow yourself to embody the whole experience.

Like any form of exercise, yoga releases those wonderful endorphins that lift your mood and energise you for the whole day. But unlike an aggressive spin class, yoga brings solidarity to you and allows you to feel lighter, feel the beauty of the mind, body and soul.

Men, women, children...your cat can even do a vinyasa flow. When I was at school yoga was definitely not on the curriculum or something even considered as and overlooked.I think a lot of students behaviours would have potentially been benefited from the beautiful movements of yoga had it been taught in school. Potentially even being a gateway to open conversations of thoughts and feelings from an early age and avoid the awful repressed culture of the 21st century.

If you're worried about trying it for the first time, try an online video before you go to a class to calm your mind. This is something I do regularly as my schedule doesn't often allow time dedicated to go to the classes but sure enough I can do them at home in my own convenient time and get the same sense of peace and joy from the class.

Yoga isn't all sports bras, leggings and insane flexibility. Wear what makes you feel comfortable and allows you to move freely. Coming from someone who can't even reach their toes...don't worry about flexibility, it is about so much more than that which you will soon see. There is always options in yoga, what works for you and your body might not work for someone else and thats the real beauty of it this inclusive sport.

If I can give any advice for someone trying yoga for the first time would be to let go of yourself, really embrace the moment and acknowledge the breathing techniques that come with it. I feel a sense of serenity, clarity and peace after a good yoga session. I also feel stronger and fitter even though it may look like a lot of crossed legged breathing and stretching. Yoga can be very challenging, holding certain poses really challenges your core and your balance, you will probably use muscles you haven't used before...or in a very long time. As your yoga journey progresses you will see improvement in your technique and eventually become brave enough to try more advanced options/poses. holding them for longer with confidence.

Here are some of my favourite online yoga classes for beginners. I also use the nike training app which has lots of amazing free workouts including yoga sessions for all levels.

Namaste.