Fit in my 40s: how can I do Insta-friendly yoga poses?
My yoga progress is stuck – can an expert help?
• Fitness tips: three beginner’s Feldenkrais moves
I got to a point on my yoga journey where I realised something: I wasn’t getting any better. In the first few weeks, I made a lot of progress, such as making it through the class without feeling faint. In the subsequent months, I made minor gains in the areas of understanding basic instructions, remembering left from right and holding a plank. But there were moves where my insufficiency remained stark: the hard stuff, the shapes people post on Instagram.
The crow, where you crouch down and tip forwards, balancing on your hands and getting your feet off the ground; the side crow, which is the same thing, sideways; the toe stand balance, where you cross one foot over the other knee, while standing, then somehow manoeuvre yourself to a hovering position, balanced on one set of toes. I thought it would come gradually over time, and it didn’t (believe it or not, I’ve had some help in the image above). I tried practising at home, but outside the yogic environs, I felt less confident than ever.