As a Bikram hot yoga instructor, I often hear comments from students and onlookers who assume that yoga is easy for me because I’m naturally flexible. While flexibility is a key component in executing yoga postures, there’s another side to the equation that many overlook—strength. Flexibility may be more visible, but strength is the unsung hero that allows for safe, sustainable, and deeper practice.

The Balance Between Flexibility and Strength

Flexibility and strength go hand in hand in yoga. Flexibility allows your body to move through a wide range of motion, but it’s the strength that stabilizes these movements, prevents injuries, and supports prolonged holds in postures. Without sufficient strength, the most flexible bodies can struggle to hold a posture or may even risk overextending, leading to injury.

Contrary to popular belief, building strength in yoga is often more challenging than increasing flexibility. Strength is what allows us to maintain alignment, hold postures longer, and move with control. For those who are already flexible, this often means putting in extra effort to build the muscle endurance necessary to stabilize their joints and protect their bodies.

Strengthening Through Bikram Yoga

In Bikram Yoga, we emphasize a series of 26 postures, each practiced in a room heated to 40°C (105°F). The heat helps to increase flexibility, but more importantly, the consistent practice strengthens muscles, improves balance, and promotes mental focus. Every posture in Bikram Yoga requires both flexibility and strength to be executed correctly.

For example, the Standing Bow-Pulling Pose (Dandayamana-Dhanurasana) requires a blend of flexibility in the spine and shoulders, and strength in the standing leg, core, and back muscles. Without strength, the body might collapse under its own flexibility, making it difficult to maintain balance and proper alignment.

Why Strength is Harder to Improve

Many of us are born with a natural range of flexibility, but strength is something that has to be consciously developed over time. Building strength, especially in areas like the core, legs, and back, requires consistent effort and patience. Unlike flexibility, which can sometimes be enhanced with passive stretching, strength training in yoga involves active engagement and mindful movement.

This is where the practice becomes truly transformative. The process of building strength through yoga isn’t just about physical gains; it also cultivates mental resilience and discipline. Every time you hold a pose longer than you thought you could, you’re training not just your muscles, but your mind as well.

A Message to the Inflexible and Stiff: Yoga is For You Too!

If you feel stiff and inflexible, you might think that yoga isn’t for you. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Yoga is about finding balance in the body, which means working on both flexibility and strength. In fact, those who are less flexible often have a stronger foundation, as they are less likely to overextend or rely too much on their flexibility.

Starting a yoga practice, especially Bikram Yoga, can be intimidating if you feel inflexible. However, yoga is a journey where flexibility will develop over time. More importantly, you’ll build the strength and endurance needed for a sustainable and fulfilling practice.

Don’t let a lack of flexibility hold you back. Yoga is for everyone, regardless of how stiff or inflexible you may feel. Those who think they are inflexible often have the most to gain from the practice. Instead of being intimidated, embrace yoga as an opportunity to discover your body’s potential. Remember, yoga isn’t about being flexible—it’s about finding balance, strength, and inner peace. Every journey starts with a single step, so why not take yours today?