Would you take rest days for a daily “gentle” 20 minute yoga session?

This is Ashtanga Yoga Tech Support. Real questions from the yoga community, answered.

The Question

Added yoga to my daily routine. Been on it for about a week now. I follow this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yetbSrCW1TQ I dance 3x/wk and rock climb 3x/wk. My lower body flexibility is extremely poor, and I find the downward-facing dog sections to be extremely physically challenging. I've found mixed answers about rest days. What do you think? submitted by /u/youngboynevercxagain

— via r/yoga

Our Response

You've been doing this for a week.

Your body is screaming at you because you're dancing, climbing, and now adding a daily yoga practice on top of it.

Downward dog is hard when your hamstrings and calves are tight. Which they are. Because you climb and dance.

Here's what you do: take rest days.

Traditional Ashtanga practice is six days a week with one day off. But that's for people doing just Ashtanga.

You're not doing just Ashtanga.

Start with three or four days a week. Let your body adapt. You can always add more later.

And in downward dog? Bend your knees. Seriously. Bend them as much as you need to. The pose isn't about straight legs. It's about length in your spine and learning to breathe while you work.

Your hamstrings will open over months, not weeks.

If you want more on building a sustainable practice, check out the Getting Started study guide on ashtanga.tech.

One week in, you're not behind. You're right on time.