Q. I am not flexible, and I don't regularly work out. Can I practice yoga? Isn't it really hard?
A. Yoga can be really hard, or very restful and gentle. Any pose can be modified to fit your individual abilities. Work with an experienced instructor to tailor your practice to your body and your needs! The less in shape you are the more important it is for you to begin yoga. Yoga will take you to a personally unprecedented level of mind and body fitness.
Q. Isn't yoga really easy and only practiced by women?
A. Actually, yoga was originally ONLY practiced by men, and men of the upper-class at that. No matter how fit you are, an experienced instructor can put together a class to work your muscles in ways you've never dreamed of. By practicing yoga, you will notice a dramatic improvement in your sports and athletic performance, regardless of how fit you were before.
Q. Do I have to become a Hindu vegetarian and quit drinking and wear nothing but a loincloth if I start doing yoga? Oh and talk constantly about my chakras and crystals and auras? Will people think I'm a left-wing tree-hugging-dirt-worshipping-hippie?
A. When you practice yoga on a regular basis (at least five days a week) it becomes more difficult to convince yourself to commit "crimes against wisdom" as my guru calls them. In other words, as you get more in touch with your body and mind, it becomes harder to justify doing things that aren't good for you, whether that be drinking, staying out too late, driving aggresively, whatever. It is still up to you to decide whether or not to make any other personal lifestyle changes. I recently spoke to a man who was concerned that doing yoga would hurt his reputation as a politically conservative army dude. Take comfort in knowing that as yoga becomes increasingly popular, it is being embraced across the Western world by people from all walks of life. You do not have to belong to any particular stereotype to practice yoga (except the stereotype of people who are in excellent shape who look young forever!) And loincloths are optional!
For more FAQs on beginning yoga, go here .
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