What's Limiting Your Practice?

Hey there, Yogi!

It’s the first days of 2026, a perfect time for a body check-in. And like we shared with you last week. The Mobility Reset series starts today.

You might feel "tight" everywhere, but tightness isn't the same as restriction.

The area that feels tight? Often compensating for an area that's restricted somewhere else.

Your hamstrings feel tight, but your hips won't move. Your lower back aches, but your mid-back is frozen. One shoulder's stuck, so the other side overworks.

Your body has been adapting all year. Compensating for old injuries. Working around tight spots, finding ways to move even when certain areas don't cooperate.

That's the problem with random stretching; it chases symptoms, not causes.

This series helps you find the actual restrictions. Not what feels tight. What's actually limited?

Then we'll build a simple plan to support it.

Not forcing flexibility you don't have. Not comparing yourself to how you moved five years ago.

Just an honest assessment. Your body. Your roadmap.

Let's begin.

MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

This series is educational, not medical advice. If you've had surgery, joint replacements, spinal fusions, diagnosed conditions, or chronic pain, please check with your healthcare provider before trying these assessments. When in doubt, modify or skip. Your safety matters more than any movement.

How This Works

This isn't about testing how flexible you are. It's about understanding where you're restricted and why.

We'll use a simple 3-level system:

• Mobile: Movement feels easy, no restriction

• Restricted: Movement is limited, feels tight or blocked

• Very Restricted: Movement is very limited or uncomfortable

No good or bad. No pass or fail. Just information.

Your restrictions become your roadmap. They tell you where to focus your 5-7 minutes each day.

What To Expect

The Reality:

Mobility decreases gradually. Sitting, stress, compensation patterns, aging, life, they all add up.

You don't notice until you're frustrated in a pose or your back hurts getting out of bed.

Your body has been sending signals. This check-in helps you hear them.

What You're Might Be Experiencing:

• Hip flexors feel tight every time you lunge.

• Ankles won't let you squat deep or keep heels down in downward dog.

• Shoulders feel stuck reaching overhead.

• Mid-back feels frozen in twists.

• One side is always tighter than the other.

• Poses that used to feel easy now feel... hard.

This Reset Isn't About Flexibility:

It's about functional movement, your body doing what you ask it to do.

• Flexibility = Someone else (or gravity) moves your body for you.
  Like when you use a strap to pull your leg up, or when you relax into a stretch.

• Mobility = YOU move your body with control and strength.
  Like lifting your leg by yourself, or smoothly lowering into a squat without wobbling.

It’s being able to use your range of motion in real movement, with control.

When you lack it, other areas compensate, but eventually strain and hurt.

The good news? Mobility is trainable at any age.

Let’s start 2026 with a body that moves better.
Our goal is to help you know where to begin.

By The End Of This Series, You'll Know:

• Where your body is actually restricted (not guessing, knowing)

• Why certain poses feel impossible (spoiler: often not the area you think)

• Which areas need daily attention vs. which are fine

• A 5-7 minute routine tailored to your restrictions

• How to work with your body instead of against it

Quick Question

Thank you for the incredible response to the last poll; many of you shared your biggest challenges.

That feedback is already shaping this series: which areas we'll prioritize, what modifications we'll include, and how we'll approach each assessment. Your voices matter.

We want to tailor this series to your needs even further, so we appreciate your response to the following question:

Next Up

In the next issue, we'll start with our first body area assessment.
All you'll need is a wall and 5 minutes. Get ready.

This series isn't about achieving perfect mobility.

It's about understanding your body as it is right now. Knowing where it needs support. And giving it that support in 5-7 minutes a day.

That's enough.

See you in a few days.

With care,
The Yoga Daily Team

P.S. If you have medical restrictions that prevent certain movements, that's okay. We'll provide modifications in every issue. Your safety comes first.