Oh, my... where to start?
Let's start with "doing yoga". Yoga is a way of being - not an act of doing.Yoga is a path of self-study. A yogic lifestyle strives for peace and forgiveness and it begins within ourselves.
The poses that we use in yoga are tools to connect with ourself, to gain awareness of our physical, spiritual and mental bodies, to deepen our knowledge and sense of self. Because changing the world around us must always begin from within.
The distance between one's fingertips and toes does not reflect a level of enlightenment. It is not a means to measure the connection that we have achieved between the breath and the body. Yoga is more about breathing and less about flexibility, although, over time, a lovely benefit to yoga is often greater flexibility.
So, we commit to a yoga practice to learn more about ourselves and to improve our relations with the world around us. The side effects of sticking to a regular yoga practice include better muscle tone and strength, greater flexibility, a calmer mind, better balance and stability, an improved relationship with physical pain, and the desire to make healthier choices.
No flexibility required.