The most regular argument Emery Bryant, instructor of yoga in the kinesiology department at Missouri State University, hears against practicing yoga is a simple one: “I’m just not flexible enough.”

“The people who think they aren’t flexible enough for yoga are exactly the people that need to do it,” said Bryant. “Our bodies are built to go through such a wide range of motion, but we tend to go through the same motion patterns every day.”

Improving range of motion

For many people, washing their hair or mowing the lawn is the greatest range of motion they do during their daily activities. Many simple poses in yoga can increase this range of motion without straining tight muscles.

“Even for those people who are tight and can’t even touch their toes, a simple sweep of the arms up and little twist in either direction is a vast improvement from their daily motion,” said Bryant. “Though it may not feel like they are doing much, over the course of just weeks they will start to see changes.”