Namaste y'ALL: Yoga is for EVERYONE :)

So you may have noticed that I quite like yoga. I teach yoga, I write about yoga, I practice yoga (almost) daily, yoga-related pictures can easily be found on my Instagram feed, and I follow more yoga pages on Facebook than I can even begin to count! 

Yoga is seriously awesome and there are many reasons why I love it so much. But I am conscious of the fact that on paper I'm a pretty stereotypical yogini: 20-something, western, middle-class, and female. So who am I to start preaching about yoga being for everyone? Well it's a good question, but I don't much care for it.  I strongly believe in yoga being for everyone, and just because I fit into the yoga "stereotype" doesn't mean that that's how I want it to stay. In my world there would be no yoga stereotype as everyone would feel able to practice if they wanted to, and I'm going to try to dispel a few myths and to articulate why it is for everyone in this little post and why we should all give it a go. No excuses accepted!

MYTH 1: Yoga is for girls

Figures show that nowadays yoga is more widely practiced by women than it is by men. However traditionally in India it was a male-only practice; females weren't allowed anywhere near it. So it could be argued that it's a practice which is actually more suited to the male form. 

Yoga (particularly styles such as Ashtanga, rocket, and Vinyasa) is a practice that requires strength, focus, and commitment; each of these requirements is totally genderless, and we could all do with more of them on and off the mat. Furthermore yoga is scientifically proven to have all sorts of health benefits such as reduced stress levels, improved cognitive function, helping to maintain a healthy weight, lower blood pressure, and increased sexual function. So gents, if you're looking for an activity that boosts brain power and has all sorts of physical benefits then join those ladies in the yoga studio! And if you need any further persuasion, I can promise with my hand-on-heart that a regular yoga practice will boost your athletic performance in any other sport you practice: Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron James, the New Zealand national Rugby team, Tom Brady and Ryan Giggs all practice yoga to support their games - need I say more?

MYTH 2: I'm too young / old for yoga

See above for the mental and physical benefits of yoga. No matter what our age it's never too early or too late to begin to take care of ourselves that little bit more and to invest some self-love into our routines. 

Nowadays many schools are actually incorporating yoga classes into their extra curricular activities, and yoga for children is a sector that's growing rapidly. My four-year old cousin practices alongside my Aunty to their yoga DVD and he can already perform a better tree pose than I can! He genuinely enjoys it and you can tell that it's something which captures his concentration - no mean feat when you're a toddler! 

Equally, at the other end of the spectrum, if you can still breathe then it's never too late to take up yoga. Of course as we reach the latter years of our lives our bodies won't quite be able to do what they could when we were young, however yoga is an eight-limbed practice: the physical practice is only one of these limbs. Look for a yoga class that is designed for the older generation and one where the teacher is accommodating for any modifications that might be required. These practices will tend to focus more on the breathing and meditation side of yoga, two very important aspects for any yoga practitioner at any age. 

MYTH 3: Yoga is too expensive

It's true that many yoga classes are now at least £10+ for just one session, and many of us can't afford this pricey sum each week. But just because cash is tight doesn't mean that you can't practice yoga. You don't even need to invest in a mat if you don't want to (although if you're in the UK they can be found for a fiver at Sports Direct ;)). 

For the first six months of my yoga love affair I didn't spend a single penny on practice, and yet I was practicing 3 times a week. And how did I do that I hear you say? Good old YouTube videos and free apps is the answer to that question! Do be careful when finding online tutorials; as a beginner you'll be unlikely to know what is safe practice. But I can highly recommend the YouTube videos of Esther Ekhart as she is clear, concise, and concerned with correct alignment. When learning I also used a free app called "Simply Yoga FREE" which gives you 6 different yoga practices, over 20 mins, 40 mins and 60 mins. If you are doing the majority of your practice at home I would suggest trying to go to one class every month, just to check in with a teacher to ensure that you are practicing safely, and also to connect with other yogis who may want to come and join you in your living room or in the park to shake up your yoga practice and to keep it fresh. 

My other tip would be to shop around for deals on sites such as Wowcher, as studios will often offer introductory offers that are affordable. 

MYTH 4: Yoga is for fully able-bodied practitioners

One of the reasons I love yoga so much is that you can adapt your practice completely to your ability, your strength, your feelings. This is the same for EVERYONE - able bodied and disabled practitioners alike. Don't let your disability hold you back as there are always modifications and different styles of yoga that you can try. 

It might be the case that you want to specifically find a yoga class that is designed to accommodate for disabilities, in which case they are out there so all you've got to do is a quick Google session to find the ones near you. Or it may even be worth investing in a few sessions with a private teacher who will be able to work with you one-on-one and guide you to find a practice which suits you most. 

MYTH 5: You've got to be flexible to do yoga

You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard the phrase: "Oh but I'm not flexible enough to do yoga". Come on guys. Really? A) Yoga isn't just about flexibility (the only thing that you're required to have is a flexible mind), and B) It's very unusual to be naturally gifted at something straight away without any practice whatsoever. 

How many times did you have to practice reading before you could complete a whole book? How many times did it take you to perfect your cupcake baking skills? How many times did you fall off your bike when you were learning to ride it? You get my gist. Now get on the mat and stop being so silly. 

So hopefully I've demystified some of the myths around yoga and you'll feel more encouraged to get on the mat and give it a go. Ultimately yoga is about connecting with yourself and loving yourself, and in turn you'll connect more meaningfully with others and with the world around you. If you ask yourself honestly, who doesn't want that? So go on, give it a go, you might just change your life ;)

Namaste y'all! <3

Love Lucy x

Celebrating women & you

On Sunday my Facebook feed was wonderfully full of friends and media celebrating inspirational women. The 8th March has been International Women's Day since 1913 and is a day which is set aside to celebrate women's achievements and to promote gender equality. This year more ever it seemed that the general public, the media, and campaigns such as He For She were all focused on celebrating women and proclaiming the need for closing the gender gap. Now although I believe in equal rights for all, I'm not about to write a post on gender equality as there are many others who know much more about the subject and who can do a much better job of laying down the facts, but what I do want to do is encourage you to be confident as a woman and to let you know that you're perfect as you are, as well as to encourage women worldwide to support one another and to build one another up. 

Image source: Pinterest

I am a big believer in focusing on people's good points, and often find myself thinking thoughts such as "she's so pretty", "I love her coat", "that's a great thing you're doing" etc., and I always used to internalise these thoughts, being almost embarrassed to complement my fellow females. Instead I'd often turn these thoughts into a negative, comparing myself thinking things such as "she's so pretty, why am I not as pretty?", "I love her coat, why are my clothes no good?" and "that's a great thing you're doing, why can't I do something like that?". 

It was my own silly fault that I had these negative thoughts, and they only served to deepen my insecurities. Going to an all-girls school from the age of 8-18 also didn't help much. On the whole I had some really lovely friends there, but during the awkward young teenage years I was bullied by a few of my peers, and some of their comments have stuck with me to this day. One particular incident that has stuck with me happened when I was 13-years-old; one of my classmates was going around the class pointing out the girls she deemed pretty enough to "be a model". On reaching me she pointed and laughed in front of the whole class: "you definitely couldn't be a model". And she was right, as things have turned out I could never have been a model, but for an insecure 13-year-old girl it was a crushing comment that dented my already-low confidence hugely. The comment was delivered either through negligence or through a genuine desire to cause pain, either way was it really necessary? And what did it achieve? The answer is no. It achieved absolutely bugger-all. 

Life isn't a competition. We are each perfect in our uniqueness. We ladies are not here to compete with one another, we would get nothing done if this were the case. There is no reason whatsoever for us to put each other down, it doesn't make us stronger, it doesn't produce positive results, it only causes pain and exposes our own insecurities. And so by my experience, by internalising positive thoughts about our fellow women and also by expressing negative ones, these are surefire ways to keep confidence low. So why not try vocalising positive thoughts about your lady friends? (And your man friends too for that matter!). I also believe that "your vibe attracts your tribe" (so the saying goes ;)), so if you are an openly positive person then I am sure you will attract other openly positive people who will help to make you feel even more positive, and the positivity circle will continue! 

Since being more open about my positive thoughts on other women I have most definitely noticed a change in my own thought pattern. The more you vocalise positivity the more it is affirmed, and by saying out loud "I like this about you", you immediately create an environment of positivity and there is little room for any negative voices in your head. Furthermore I find that if a complement is genuine the person who has been complemented will a) be unavoidably pleased and b) will often offer a genuine complement back. When people are complemented it breaks down that barrier of embarrassment which I previously mentioned, and they're much more open to expressing their positive thoughts. 

So ladies (and gentlemen), I urge you to open up. Celebrate the positive. Complement your friends. Complement your family. Complement your colleagues. Complement strangers. But only if you really mean it. And this will foster an environment around you where women build one another up, where we feel genuinely happy for one another when good things happen, and where we are genuinely proud of each other's achievements. 

I've been extremely blessed growing up with a mother, aunties, sister and grandmothers who have all supported me and inspired me. I have amazing friends from all walks of life who have each helped me in their own ways. I have had some really strong female role models who have helped me to realise that there are no limitations to what I can achieve. And I have been extremely blessed with the opportunities that have been provided to me in terms of education and experiences. Thank you to all the amazing ladies who have inspired me and supported me; there are too many of you to name but you are all amazing and I'll let you know in my own way over time how grateful I am. 

To finish, I know I said this post wasn't going to be about gender equality, but despite us being in the 21st century it is still an issue, and so I do urge you to look into projects which champion girls rights to see how you can get involved. Check out campaigns such as the Street Child United girls programmes, He For She, This Girl Can - and see what you can do to help celebrate and support some wonderful women, as well as bringing your own voice to the table. 

And guys, we love you too, without you we would not be able to do what we do, and without us you would not be able to do what you do. Let's work together on this for a just world in which gender is not an issue. Let's celebrate all humankind. Guys build up your fellow guys. Guys build up girls. Girls build up guys. And of course, girls build up girls. Let's all support each other. 

This post has been a little random, but I just wanted to share with you all my experience of how being positive towards our fellow women can really make a huge difference. This is of course true for all our fellow human beings, but there is an unhealthy tendency amongst us ladies to feel like we're in competition with one another, when in fact the opposite is true. We're a team and if we work as one then we really will be unstoppable!

So practice telling yourself that you are perfect as you are, practice being openly positive, and I am sure that your world will become a much more supportive and happy place. 

Namaste y'all!

Love Lucy x