If you’ve ever felt like a loser in a yoga class, you’re not alone. When you wobble, can’t touch your toes or pretzel your body into that shape, when you lift the wrong leg or twist the other way… it can be awkward.

When I took my yoga teacher training three years ago, I had a similar feeling during a headstand class. Around me, the other trainees explored the impressive inversion, flipping themselves upside-down and popping back up with delight and determination. Unable to do a headstand, I felt myself shrinking. 

“What am I doing here?” my imposter syndrome chimed in. 

Not wanting to be a coward, I gave it a go but felt intimidated and embarrassed because I wasn’t as ‘good at yoga’ as the others. So, I retreated into a child’s pose. 

It was at that point that  that one of the two wonderful trainers of the course, Elín Jensen, said something that clicked for me: “Whether you’re feeling frustrated with yourself or like a total badass right now, know that neither of those judgments are real.”

As that sunk in, I realised that letting go of self-judgment might be the greatest gift yoga could offer me. Holding myself in a comforting child’s pose wasn’t cowardly – it was honouring my own needs. 

“It’s unsurprising that people feel intimidated by yoga,” says Lisa Andersson Rhodiner, yoga teacher and facilitator at True North Vinyasa. “The online world is saturated with images of so-called perfection in yoga, but for most of us – myself included – this level of expectation is not realistic,” she says.

With more than 98 million yoga posts on Instagram and new yoga accounts springing up daily, most of what we see online is curated, bikini-clad snapshots of a pose. So when we get into a class setting, it can be confusing when our bodies don’t move in the same ways. 

Buying into that ‘perfect’ idea of yoga is only going to stop you from engaging more fully.

As Andersson Rhodiner explains: “If you only focus on the aesthetics of yoga, you’ll never be satisfied. Once you’ve nailed the headstand, you’ll likely find some other goal to fixate on. If you allow it, perfectionism can steal all the joy from your practice.”

She says that for her, yoga is about sensation – not physical position. “Sure, a headstand can be a rush but I personally find hip-opening poses and strong, flowing sequences more rewarding. I believe yoga should feel good, so I focus my practice around what brings me joy,” she explains. 

Headstands, among other inversions, have been taught as part of traditional yoga practises for centuries. So, am I missing out on anything by not including it in my practice?

It’s believed that poses in which your heart is above your head can improve circulation, increase strength and flexibility and provide emotional resilience. However, some practitioners, such as yoga therapist and author Jon Burras, question the necessity to master inversions in order to reap these rewards in yoga.

In his article The Eight Myths Of Inversions, Burras writes: “Inversions are very seductive. They drive our ego. They often help to create an exhilarating feeling… [but] nobody is better or worse for doing a headstand. Students who practise inversions are not necessarily smarter, more relaxed or more enlightened.” 

He concluded that some people do report a change in mental state after going upside down, but that can be explained by a number of different reasons.

Pressure on the top of the head, for example, is thought to alleviate tension and could be what causes a relaxed state. But, as Burras explains, “the same effect can be achieved by sitting down and placing your hands on top of your head with a medium amount of pressure”. You don’t need to headstand to get those effects.

What’s more, the heart-above-your-head rule of inversions isn’t limited to gravity-defying poses. Three of my personal favourite poses in yoga, downward-facing dog (adho mukha svanasana), legs-up-the-wall (supported viparita karani) and the simple forward fold (uttanasana) can all offer the same yogic benefits as the headstand. 

We live in a time when our sense of worth is tied with perceivable success; yoga should offer us a retreat from these pressures of life. If you’ve felt intimidated to return to a class or talked yourself out of your dream of becoming a yoga teacher for fear of not being ‘good enough’, this is your sign to give yourself permission.

“Every time we run our teacher training, each person comes with some doubt about their ability,” says Andersson Rhodiner. “Perhaps it’s the age-old ‘I’m not flexible enough’ or ‘I don’t practise for two hours every day; can I still become a yoga teacher?’”

Her advice to anyone worrying about their yogic ability? “Experiment with different classes, meet different teachers. If you love running, find a yoga for runners class. Whether you want to become a teacher or not, finding joy in the practice will make yoga sustainable for you.”

Three years on from that training course, I still can’t do a headstand. I can’t remember the last time I tried to do one, yet my love-affair with yoga thrives. 

I’ve learned that flexibility isn’t a prerequisite; it’s a side effect. You can leave your goals at work. Come with openness and curiosity and invite your body to move, stretch, unfurl, be. Your practice doesn’t need to look like mine or the person next to you: it’s yours. Play in the realm of your own expression and you’ll never feel like a loser again. 

Images: Getty