{"id":494933,"date":"2026-02-23T21:57:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T21:57:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/494933\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T21:57:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T21:57:07","slug":"truly-accessible-to-everyone-how-to-start-yoga-well-actually","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/494933\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Truly accessible to everyone\u2019: how to start yoga | Well actually"},"content":{"rendered":"

Countless<\/a> articles<\/a> and studies<\/a> tout the benefits of yoga. It can improve balance, strength, flexibility, digestion and sleep. It can also reduce stress and support mental wellbeing. And yet many people feel like yoga<\/a> isn\u2019t for them because their bodies don\u2019t look or move a certain way.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is how I felt before I started practicing yoga,\u201d says Jessamyn Stanley<\/a>, who has written two books about yoga and co-founded the yoga app The Underbelly<\/a>. \u201cI always thought yoga was just for thin, white women,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Social media posts about yoga often show thin, white influencers<\/a> in expensive matching workout sets performing acrobatic poses. But experts say this narrow, image-based idea of yoga can obscure the practice\u2019s deep, philosophical underpinnings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI define yoga as a tool to come in touch with yourself,\u201d says Rodrigo Souza, an adaptive and accessible yoga teacher with paraplegia who specializes in teaching individuals with disabilities.<\/p>\n

Below, what you need to know about how to start yoga.<\/p>\n

What is yoga?<\/p>\n

Yoga originated<\/a> in northern India more than 5,000 years ago. The root<\/a> of the word is the Sanskrit term \u201cyuj\u201d, which means to yoke or to unify \u2013 the idea being that yoga was a way of unifying the body and mind, as well as unifying the individual\u2019s soul with the universal soul<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By contrast, the modern wellness industry<\/a> often treats yoga predominantly as a type of exercise \u2013 a way to tone your abs and butt. Some scholars argue that the yoga we see now only originated about a century ago, during the British colonization of India, when westerners stripped the tradition<\/a> of its spiritual and mental aspects and presented it as a purely physical practice.<\/p>\n

Some of the most popular styles of yoga<\/a> practiced today include: vinyasa yoga, which tends to be more fast-paced and fluid; hatha yoga, with longer-held poses; ashtanga yoga, which flows through a specific sequence of postures; and yin yoga, which is slower and more restorative.<\/p>\n

Yoga can be a way of strengthening one\u2019s body, but it also offers much more, says Kassandra Reinhardt, owner of Yoga<\/a> with Kassandra.<\/p>\n

Graphic with three lines of text that say, in bold, \u2018Well Actually\u2019, then \u2018Read more on living a good life in a complex world,\u2019 then a pinkish-lavender pill-shaped button with white letters that say \u2018More from this section\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI like to think of yoga as a practice of transformation that can include yoga poses, meditation<\/a>, breathwork<\/a>, chanting, philosophy and more,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Souza argues that anything that regulates your nervous system, calms you down, and brings you back to your body can be considered yoga.<\/p>\n

\u201cSay that you are driving your car and you get very anxious and stressed in traffic,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you roll your window down and gaze at the sky, and clear that stress and clutter, that\u2019s yoga. If you start deeply inhaling and exhaling to regulate your system, that\u2019s also yoga.\u201d<\/p>\n

Who can practice yoga?<\/p>\n

Anyone can do yoga, experts say. But each person will have to explore what feels good to them, what excites them, and which teachers and classes are best for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYoga is truly accessible to everyone,\u201d says Souza. \u201cWhat\u2019s not accessible to everyone is the movement. Not everybody has the same type of body, the same type of ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

If your first yoga experiences aren\u2019t pleasant \u2013 maybe you attempt a style that doesn\u2019t feel right for you, or attend a class with a minimal instruction \u2013 don\u2019t give up right away. \u201cTry another class or a different experience, because not all yoga classes are created equal,\u201d says Stanley. \u201cThere\u2019s something for everybody, and what didn\u2019t work for you will work for someone else and vice versa.\u201d<\/p>\n

More from How to start:<\/p>\n

Look for spaces and teachers that adapt poses that work for your body, and not the other way around, says Reinhardt.<\/p>\n

Your struggles may not be purely physical. Souza notes that for many people who have experienced severe physical or emotional trauma, connecting to their bodies doesn\u2019t always feel safe.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people cannot be in their bodies because it\u2019s not a comfortable place to be. It reminds you of what you can no longer do,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Trauma-informed teachers can assist these students. \u201cWe guide people gently back to their bodies, but they have the autonomy and agency to come out of the pose anytime,\u201d says Souza. \u201cYou know what is good for you. As a yoga teacher, my work is to give you a safe space and the right tools according to what you need in that particular moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

How does one start practicing yoga?<\/p>\n

\u201cI would start by not spending any money,\u201d says Stanley. \u201cYou don\u2019t know if you like it yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Equipment: Despite what influencers and sponsored social media posts may suggest, there\u2019s not much you need to start practicing yoga. Wear clothes that feel comfortable and will allow movement. If you don\u2019t have a yoga mat<\/a>, substitute a towel or blanket \u2013 you just need a surface that will provide some softness and grip.<\/p>\n

Instruction: YouTube is full of free yoga videos<\/a>. So before you drop $35 on a boutique class, try a few free videos at home and see what kinds of practices you find fun and enjoyable.<\/p>\n

Reinhardt suggests starting with short videos \u2013 10 to 20 minutes. \u201cI have a \u2018less is more\u2019 philosophy when it comes to this practice, especially when first starting out,\u201d says Reinhardt, arguing that a few minutes of yoga every day is more beneficial than one long practice once a week.<\/p>\n

How should yoga feel?<\/p>\n

Physically, different styles of yoga<\/a> will feel different. Yin yoga<\/a> is gentle and relaxing, for instance, while vinyasa flows may be more energizing and elevate the heart rate more.<\/p>\n

Beginners can expect a range of physical sensations. But experts say part of growing in yoga is learning to identify what is a healthy challenge and what is pushing your body too far.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is a difference between discomfort and pain. At no point should a yoga pose feel painful or prevent you from being able to take full, deep breaths,\u201d says Reinhardt. While some soreness or muscle fatigue can be expected in more strenuous classes, Reinhardt says that overall, yoga should leave people feeling \u201cexpansive and comfortable in their bodies\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mentally, if yoga doesn\u2019t leave you feeling calm and serene, you haven\u2019t done anything wrong. Indeed, crying on your mat is not unheard of.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings will come up when you switch down the volume of distractions,\u201d says Souza. These could be painful memories or emotions. The key is not to push these away, but to be able to sit with these difficult feelings and treat yourself with compassion. \u201cWhen you enter that space, you can become a better person,\u201d Souza says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Countless articles and studies tout the benefits of yoga. It can improve balance, strength, flexibility, digestion and sleep.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494934,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[49,48,407,84],"class_list":["post-494933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-fitness","tag-health"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=494933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/494934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=494933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=494933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=494933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}