This comes from our friend Porsche Fischer, founder of Lifesource Yoga in northern Ohio. We thank her and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
The most common excuses for avoiding yoga are “I’m not flexible”, “I’m too old”, or “I’m out-of-shape”, to which the obvious reply is “Well, that’s exactly WHY you need to come to yoga!”.
The ability to practice yoga is not determined by the size and shape of your body, any more than it is determined by your race, gender, or income. Just as it’s not how much money you have that matters, in the end it’s what you do with that money that counts, it’s not what your body looks like that matters, in the end – it’s what you do with your body that counts.
The journey of yoga starts with a single step and can last a lifetime. The first step is to start taking better care of yourself. Every time you come to yoga you get stronger, calmer, and a little bit more flexible. The true power of yoga is in the realization that these physical accomplishments on your mat do translate to an increase in emotional self-confidence off of your mat. The respect and acceptance you develop for your body during yoga will eventually lead to an increase in the amount of respect and acceptance you have for yourself and others off of your yoga mat. Stop judging yourself and you will stop judging others. Stop judging others and you will become calmer, more relaxed, and happier. You really DO deserve to be happy. No more excuses, take the first step.