When I first started practicing yoga in group classes, it took some trial and error to find classes that were welcoming to me. Almost everywhere I looked had some kind of “Level 1” with a line in the description stating “beginners welcome.” But saying someone is welcome and making them feel welcome are two different things.

At one point, a studio owner announced to the class “I don’t offer modifications because you know your body.” This person had a former career in military and emergency medical services, so she was experienced in relying on her body to accomplish tasks. She knew her body quite well, and she assumed that was universal.

But here’s the thing - at that point, I did NOT know my body. I had been living fully in my head for decades. I had a desk job. I rarely exercised. I was self-conscious about exercising in public. My body and I were just getting acquainted. I didn’t know what my body needed or liked, or what it could do.

I also didn’t know enough about yoga to understand how to adapt a pose on my own. What was the point of the pose? What was I supposed to be stretching or strengthening? What if I hurt myself because I didn’t know how to change the pose safely? I was open to the idea that I could take control of changing yoga to suit me, but I didn’t know enough about yoga to do it.

I was lucky to find some amazing mentors to help me get there, though! I learned some same ways to adapt poses to suit me. I also learned how to keep playing with yoga poses to find more comfort or challenge as needed in that particular yoga practice. (This is a big part of why I teach now. I am hoping to pay forward the wonderful help I received.)

Playing with yoga variations is something I am still learning. This is why we call it practicing yoga. Our bodies change day to day and year to year, and yoga is a great way to keep in touch with those changes.