Get ready to LOVE YOGA

Anyone can become a master of the mat - no flexibility required!

- AMBER BRAMBLE

No matter your fitness level, yoga is one of the best things that you can do if you’re trying to improve your health. It’s perfect for people of all ages, makes you feel great, and there are absolutely no headstands needed.

Paul von Bergen, founder of Sydney’s Billabong Retreat, says many people are put off by yoga because they start by trying the wrong kind. “One of the best things about yoga is that it is suitable for everyone,” he explains. “The problem is many yoga classes are not suitable for everyone, so you really need to realise that there is such a wide variety of classes.”

You can start yoga at any time of life, and there’s a style to suit everyone. “Ultimately, everyone only needs their own daily personal practice, where you can do your yoga in your way,” Bergen says.

YOGA IS FOR EVERYONE

Yoga has been practised for thousands of years, but a lot of the misconceptions that we have stem from the West, where it’s been popularised by influencers and celebrities.

“Yoga is often misunderstood to be something that mainly women do in lycra to become bendy and flexible. How wrong that is,” Bergen explains. “Yoga could involve sitting on a chair and moving your little finger with focus and attention. Yoga could involve sitting in silent meditation.”

If you’re looking to improve your fitness levels, there are plenty of options for all ages and abilities. “Physical yoga should meet you where you are and this is one of the challenges of the group yoga class that the West invented,” says Bergen. “It assumes one size fits all and it doesn’t.”