Yoga is often pictured as a room full of ultra-bendable people, but that image hides the simple truth: you don’t need to be flexible — or “ready” — to start. Yoga is first and foremost a practice of slowing down, linking breath with movement, and building awareness and resilience over time. It meets you where you are: the stiff, the sore, the stressed, and yes, the flexible too. What yoga actually does At its heart, yoga is three things working together: breath regulation (pr