How long does it take to get good at yoga?

“Getting good” at yoga can mean different things to different people.  The first few classes new students take are always the same no matter where they practice yoga:  they have no idea what they are doing and they have to look around the room half the time just to keep up.  That’s completely normal.  We tell all students that if they are new to Y2 then it will take 3-4 classes before they can expect to no the terminology and will start to recognize the patterns.  When you have reached your 10th practice you will feel like a completely new person.  Between 10-20 classes your progress will be exponential.  After that progress can be seen in months for the first year and after that it will take months and years to notice changes.  Yoga is not meant to be something that is mastered in a period of a couple of years, but over the course of your whole life.  We encourage students to have a playful heart and to have fun.  Proficiency in yoga is not just measured by how your postures look, but by the quality of your breath, how you feel on your mat and how you feel off of your mat. The postures are just a path to finding more peace and connection with your self and with others.  

Here is a fun story…

    There was a story of a man that gave up everything in pursuit of getting “really good” at yoga. He sold everything and moved to India to study with a guru.  After a practice one morning he asked the guru “how long until I get really good at yoga”?  The guru replied, “about 10 years.”  The man told the guru, “I have given up everything and I will practice twice a day.  How long then? The guru replied, “about 10 years.”   The man told the guru, “I don’t think you understand. I will practice 3 and 4 times a day if I have to.  How long will it take me then?” The guru replied, “about 20 years.”

The moral of the story is that your can’t rush your practice and if you try to then it will have the opposite effect of progress and likely lead to injury, so take your time and enjoy the journey.

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