When is the best time to start yoga?

When is the best time to begin a yoga practice?

I know a woman, now in her forties, who started practicing yoga when she was eleven years old. Although it wasn’t nearly as prevalent in our western culture back then, her mother studied the postures and philosophy, then taught her daughter. There was nothing fancy about it - no studio space, no designer clothing, not even yoga mats as we know them. It was just my friend and her mother in their sweat pants practicing the ancient yogic tradition in their own living room.

I didn’t discover yoga until I was well into my thirties. Even then there was only one hot yoga studio in town. And by “hot” I mean they turned up the regular heater really high until everyone was sweating profusely. I’ve often wondered how different my experience and my practice would have been - could have been, if I’d been studying yoga since I was a pre-teen.

These days I meet folks all the time who have just begun their yoga practice in their forties, fifties, sixties, and beyond. I’m always wildly impressed how quickly their strength, balance, and focus develops.

So, when is the very best time to begin practicing yoga you might wonder?

It’s simple, really. I believe it’s whenever yoga finds you. If you discovered yoga in your younger years, then you’re very fortunate. If you were introduced to yoga later in life, you’re also extremely fortunate. One of the most beautiful things about this practice is that it will meet you exactly where you happen to be in your life. However you arrive, whenever you show up, that’s the perfect time - for you.