I'm hypermobile - which classes are best for me?

As a hypermobile person, classes that are more strength-based rather than stretch-based are usually the better option for you. Many people think of yoga as 'just stretching', but many of our classes are much more focused on strength and are excellent if you're hypermobile.

We'd recommend starting with:

• Yin + Yang
• Slow Flow, and
• Vinyasa - if you're not brand new to yoga and have a good level of fitness and mobility.

Yin classes are probably not going to be the first choice for you as they are mostly focused on stretching for the entire hour.

Your body might feel tight as a hypermobile person - it's common for muscles tense up to protect your lax joints. Deep stretching for long periods of time might feel good in the moment, but can put extra pressure on joints that are already too lax and leave you feeling achy later. You're unlikely to injure yourself, but it's still not a great experience to end up in pain.

With that said, many people with hypermobility can still get a lot out of Yin - especially the mental benefits! But there's a couple of things to keep in mind when you're practicing to make it work for you.

If you give Yin a go, we recommend you:

• Use props liberally as suggested by the teacher to prevent yourself going to 'end range' - i.e, as deep as you can possibly go. By supporting your body with props, you can come to a point where you might feel a little bit of stretch, but stop gravity from pushing you into your maximum. If you're hypermobile, your maximum is likely to be a point that is stretching ligaments and tendons rather than just muscles and fascia.
• Err on the side of caution when you're just beginning - if you're not sure, prop yourself MORE and see how you feel afterwards. If you felt ok, next class you could prop slightly less and monitor your body's reaction. If you end up achey, exhausted or just generally feeling crappy, you probably went a bit too far and should take that into account next time.
• Don't ONLY practice Yin. Prioritise the strength-based classes and just add one Yin class per week to compliment them, rather than the other way around.