How do I touch my toes?

As soon as I say I’m a yoga teacher I always get the same responses: “I’m not flexible enough for yoga”, “I can’t even touch my toes”, “I should really do some yoga, I have such tight shoulders/legs/hips”. But good news for you - it’s not about being able to touch your toes, do a headstand, or become a pretzel. It’s so much more than that.

It’s about the journey, not the destination.

I know, you didn’t come to my site to be given some Hallmark inspiration lifted from a boomer’s wall quote. But it really is true. There are so many things I can’t do, that I see other people doing and I’m just like: “WOW”. Handstands? Can’t do them. Lotus position? Hurts my knees. The splits? No way. But I probably could, I’m just not able to do them yet. I once had a music teacher who told me that the word “Can’t” was banned in her lessons, so every time I came to a difficult bit and said I couldn’t do it, she responded “no, you just aren’t able to do it yet”. While my music career was a non-starter, that ethos did stick with me: all it takes is a bit of practice and determination and you’d be surprised at what you can do… eventually.

So how does that help you?

Yoga is not just about flexibility. While it is a by-product of regular practice, yoga also improves your mental wellbeing and increases your strength - and importantly your strength in flexibility. It’s all very well being able to flop into a deep prasarita padottanasana (wide leg forward fold), but if you’re overstretching your tendons and don’t have the strength to safely come back up to standing, you are leaving yourself open to injury.

Flexibility is a nervous-system thing, not just muscular. You may be tight from not stretching or sitting still too long, stress, running, weightlifting, but if your muscles don’t have enough strength in their elongated position, your nervous system will kick in to tighten those muscles to protect you from injury.

And that’s where the magic happens: finding the balance between strength and softness, effort and ease, push and release. Yoga isn’t about forcing yourself into shapes, it’s about teaching your body (and your nervous system) that it’s safe to move, safe to stretch, and safe to explore new edges. When you build strength alongside flexibility, your body starts to trust you. And when your body trusts you, it lets you go further. That’s when things start to feel really good.

So in conclusion?

You don’t need to be flexible, bendy, strong, calm, fit, or even coordinated to start yoga. You just need to be willing to show up - exactly as you are - and give your body and mind a chance to grow. Everything else comes with time, consistency, and a little bit of humour when you fall out of a balance pose. Because yoga isn’t about touching your toes; it’s about what you learn on the way down.