5 Things to Avoid if You Struggle in a Yoga Class
Yoga is an invigorating exercise that was invented primarily for meditation. It has now gained popularity worldwide, and it’s not uncommon to scroll through your Instagram feed and find someone demonstrating a pose.
The spread of yoga is attributed more to the fortunes of fitness rather than meditation. People nowadays are scrambling for any yoga class to stretch their muscles and exercise without truly focusing on the exercise’s soul aspect.
All of that being said, it is not uncommon that many people in a yoga class might not be able to do the poses as expected.
You may find it intriguing to know that you’re not the only one struggling in the yoga class. Several other attendees probably have the same problem! There is no cause of alarm actually; it is the nature of learning that students learn at different rates.
So what should you never do if you find yourself struggling in a yoga class?
5 Things Not to Do if You Struggle in a Yoga Class
1. Compare Yourself to Others in the Yoga Class
Yoga poses can be difficult to do, and not all bones and muscles are made the same.
Everyone learns at a different pace. Fast learners exist among us and so do average learners. Comparing yourself to the others in your class is the last thing you should do. It’s going to mutilate your enthusiasm and break your morale. Instead, focus on the positives, such as the yoga class benefits.
Focus on what you can actually do and do it to perfection.
The breathing techniques cannot override you even if the poses elude you. Make sure you do what you can do to your best ability, and work on caring less about what the others can do. You will always find yourself achieving your yoga class goals by that principle.
If you are currently doing virtual yoga classes (where you might not see others in the class), this is a great time to really focus on yourself and your own practice.
2. Quit
There is a popular motivational quote that quitters are winners with a “can’t do” attitude. This phrase rings a lot of bells to most of us.
The last thing you should ever think about is quitting on something that you started knowing very well its benefits. Yoga, and the different rules around a yoga class, can be tough to follow for most of us, but we go there for personal fulfillment. If you ever think of quitting as an option, remember the benefits that you stand to lose.
First of all, the inner peace you are probably craving is found within the yoga class. Secondly, moving your body in any way is good for your mental and physical health. So park it and do yourself as you may, champion!
3. Blame Your Body
Failing to make the expected poses in a yoga class can feel humiliating. You may feel frustrated that you could not twist and stretch your body the way you expected to.
The last mistake you would want to make is to blame it on your body. That move alone is equivalent to quitting, and it won’t do you any good.
Alternatively, you’re better off focusing on proving yourself wrong. Blaming it on your body will not make you get the results you intended, but focusing on the yoga poses will do you good. Like anything, yoga takes a lot of practice and focus. You will be able to do certain poses eventually if you stick to it, and yoga teachers and online resources can offer up lots of different modifications!
All bodies are built differently, and that is completely okay and normal. So why assign blame when you can make fame? Like Nike, just do it!
Read this one next for more inspiration: These Yoga Types Will Help You Reach Your Goals
4. Force Your Body to Extremes
Injuries in a yoga class can happen if muscles are forced.
A yoga class is supposed to be a safe exercising environment. However, injuries still occur among yogis. These are precipitated by overstretching of muscles as some yoga class attendees attempt to force poses.
The question remains; why force your body into poses it isn’t ready for?
Your frustration in a yoga class may be real but going to the extreme of forcing an injury is not the wisest thing you can do for yourself. Do what your body can take. Stick to the physiological limits of your skeletal system.
The injury is not worth the short-lived happiness you get when you do the yoga pose.
5. Feel Demotivated
As much as a yoga class and a yoga instructor might push you, the many setbacks you might experience can be demotivating.
Many have succumbed to dejection and dropped out of yoga class because of those setbacks. But that is one of the places where we miss the whole point of yoga.
Yoga is not a competition and never was.
It is a meditation exercise for you to connect with your body, soul, and spirit. Therefore, it is self-fulfilling if you achieve that inner peace, irrespective of the pose you strike. The whole point of the exercise is to make turn inwards and reflect. Conversely, you can only be a better person to yourself and the world if you are a better person to yourself first.
Keep going, and remember that perfecting your pose right away is not the goal.
Give Yoga Another Try
Take comfort in knowing that you are not the only one struggling with yoga.
The poses can be intimidating if you cannot correctly do them. But focusing on them takes away all the meaning of yoga. Instead, focus on the deeper meaning of yoga. The meditation exercise, breathing techniques, and peace are far better when achieved than the poses.
The next time you feel you are struggling in your yoga class, master some courage to face your fears, and go for it.
Related article: Your Ultimate Guide to Different Yoga Types
