Why Yoga Feels Different After 35 – And Why That's a Good Thing

When women come to me for yoga classes, one of the first things they say is, "I am not flexible enough to do yoga." Some even apologise before the class begins because they can't touch their toes or sit comfortably on the floor. I always smile when I hear that because I know they're looking at yoga from the wrong perspective. Somewhere over the years, we have started believing that yoga is only for people who are flexible, slim or physically fit. The truth is that yoga becomes even more valuable when your body starts changing, and for most women, those changes become more noticeable after the age of 35.

I often think about how differently I approached yoga when I was younger. Like many people, I was excited by the physical aspect of the practice. Learning a new pose, holding a balance for a little longer or becoming more flexible felt like progress. There is nothing wrong with that because every phase of life teaches us something different. But as I grew older and continued practising regularly, I realised that yoga had quietly changed its role in my life. It was no longer just a form of exercise. It had become something that helped me understand my body better.

After the age of 35, our body naturally begins to change. Hormones fluctuate, recovery takes a little longer, muscle mass gradually starts reducing and stress begins affecting us in ways we may not have noticed earlier. Many women suddenly experience stiffness in their back, neck or hips, gain a few kilos without changing much in their routine or feel tired even after getting enough sleep. These changes often leave them wondering whether something is wrong with their body.

In my experience, nothing is wrong. The body is simply asking for a different kind of care than it did ten or fifteen years ago.

One of the reasons I believe yoga is so beautiful is because it teaches us to respond to those changes instead of resisting them. Unlike many forms of exercise where the focus is often on burning calories or pushing harder, yoga encourages us to pay attention. It asks us to notice how we are breathing, how our joints are feeling, where we are holding tension and what our body needs on that particular day.

I have also noticed this while teaching women over the years. Very few of them join my classes because they dream of doing an advanced yoga pose. Most women come because they are struggling with back pain, weight gain, thyroid issues, stress, poor sleep, hormonal imbalance or simply because they no longer feel like themselves. What they are looking for is not greater flexibility. They are looking for relief, strength and a way to reconnect with their body.

That is why I often tell my students that yoga should not be about comparing yourself with the person on the next mat. Every woman brings a different story to her practice. Some have gone through pregnancy, some are managing thyroid disorders, some are entering perimenopause and others are balancing demanding careers along with family responsibilities. Expecting every-body to move in the same way simply doesn't make sense.

One thing that has changed in my own practice is that I no longer judge a yoga session by how difficult it was. There are days when my body enjoys a strong, energising practice, and there are days when slowing down feels like the wiser choice. Earlier, I would have felt guilty on those slower days because I associated intensity with progress. Today, I know that listening to my body is also part of the practice. Some days your body needs movement, and some days it needs gentleness. Learning to recognise that difference is one of the greatest lessons yoga teaches us.

I also feel that after 35, yoga becomes less about changing how we look and more about improving how we live. Being able to bend down without discomfort, climb stairs comfortably, sleep well, manage stress better and move through the day without aches are far more meaningful achievements than mastering an advanced posture. These are the things that improve the quality of our everyday life, and they often go unnoticed because they are not the kind of transformations people post about on social media.

If you are in your late thirties or forties and feel that your body is different from what it used to be, I hope you don't see that as a limitation. Our bodies are meant to change with time, and our approach to fitness should change with them. Yoga gives us the space to accept those changes without fear. It teaches us that health is not about forcing the body to behave like it did ten years ago but about supporting it through every stage of life.

Perhaps that is why I enjoy yoga today much more than I did when I first started practising. I may not approach every class with the same energy I had in my twenties, but I step onto the mat with much more awareness. And if there is one thing these years of practice have taught me, it is that awareness will always take us much further than flexibility ever can.