Loose and firm, all at once.
Advanced yogis have the ability to twist and pull their bodies in all kinds of incredible, mildly creepy manners. There is, however, a bit of a misconception that the only purpose of yoga is to learn how to do stuff like that, and that just ain’t true. The purpose of yoga is to strengthen your muscles while also increasing your control over them at the same time. Yoga grants you a greater understanding of how your body functions, which is why its a great way to improve your personal balance and control.
Some yoga poses seem very simple, but they actually work very minute parts of your physiology. For example, lower abs leg circles. It’s a very simple pose to perform; just lay down on your back, raise your legs up into the air, and gently rotate them in clockwise circles, trying to move your feet close to the mat without actually touching it on each pass. This pose is great for your hips and legs, helping you to loosen up and get the most possible use out of your joints.
Another great pose is the warrior 3 (named as such because there are two other similar warrior poses). All you gotta do is bend your waist forward so your upper body is perpendicular with the floor, then stand straight on one leg while you extend your other leg horizontally behind you to make a T shape. You wanna talk about balance, this pose basically turns you into a human pair of balancing scales. That’ll teach you a thing or two about being balanced.
Embrace yoga as a means of getting in touch with your physical self. And if that should eventually give way to crazy stretching tricks, hey, all the better!
