Not all exercises are for all people.

Now I didn’t say yoga was bad. Please hear me correctly. I do yoga from time to time. My clients do yoga. But what bugs me more than anything is that some people think it’s MAGIC- it’s not. No more than any other form of physical activity.

What yoga provides for some that other exercises don’t is QUIET. How many of you run around all day and multi-task your life away? How many of us stop to BREATHE? Most of us don’t. Yoga can provide a sanctuary where the mind can slow down or shut off and the body is still working hard. There is an emotional component in yoga that mystify some.

But like all exercises, some poses were not made for you. Forward Fold is a position where you are bent over at the hips. For very tall people, their legs and hamstrings may not allow them to bend at the hips so they end up bending from the spine. This puts more pressure on the back and often feels very uncomfortable or unusually hard. That’s because tall people may need to bend their knees to allow the forward fold to come from the hip and not the back.

When taking yoga, I would advise you listen very very carefully to your own body. Unless you look exactly like the instructor in terms of limb lengths and size of all bones and placement of all joints, your ability to match them in each pose may mean you compromise your safety to get there.

I have heard as many people getting hurt as I have people having great success with Yoga. Just remember that your body is unique and you should treat it that way!

For more about stretching, I have posted the short segment from the 90 Day DVD about Stretching. It’s such a complex issue. There will be more to come!