The most popular belief I hear is what I call the “Flexibility Myth”.  I would have to have as many arms as Ganesha to count the number of times in a week that individuals ask me about what I do, and respond with “Yes, I’ve heard how good yoga would be for me, but I’m just not flexible. I can’t even touch my toes!”

Good News, I say!  That doesn’t matter.  In fact, the core purpose of yoga is not about flexibility at all.

Flexibility is merely a by-product, a positive benefit that many people experience as a result of the practice of yoga.  Many people come to the practice with an intention to become stronger or more flexible, and in the end, these results manifest on not just a physical, but a mental level as well.

The real purpose of yoga is to create stillness of the mind, first through the movement of the body and control of the breath.  The physical practices of yoga were designed to prepare the practitioner for seated meditation.  And even if you have real physical limitations, yoga poses can be modified to support people of all abilities.

The science of Yoga is designed like a tree with 8 limbs, each limb representing one of the main aspects of yoga. The 8 limbs represent practices or observances that lead to this place of inner peace and stillness.  Asana, or the yoga postures, represent just one of the 8 limbs.  Pranayama, or the breath control exercises, represent another limb.  It is the postures and breathwork combined together that bring about flexibility and the combination of all of these tools that give us mental clarity.

Remember, yoga is a science that has proven time and time again, over thousands of years.  There are various paths and many tools that can be used to help you, with your individual needs or challenges, to get to that end goal.  Not everyone will require the same tools.  I assist you in selecting the proper tools and put them together is a practice that can help you to achieve greater physical and mental flexibility, inner and outer strength and peace of mind.

I was excited when I received the gift of private lessons with Gianna from my wife, who had seen me struggle many times with several poses due to my lack of flexibility. Even though practicing yoga felt good, this often created a negative experience for me. My desire was to not have that feeling rule my practice and hopefully create some freedom in movement, especially in my hip area as that has been a problem for me.

During our time together Gianna was very supportive of my specific concerns as well as motivating to create more flexibility. On a recent trip back home to the Netherlands I woke up early one day and just had to do my yoga practice. It helped me feel less stuck from the long 10 hour flight and create a mental focus and clarity which empowered me to stay true to myself.  It has really helped me create a strong foundation, learned to practice fun while doing yoga and taught me the importance of attitude for freedom, success and mental clarity.

-Paul ter Brugge