If you've known me for a while, you've probably heard me say: move your body in many different ways, explore other things other than yoga.
Bodies are made to move in all directions. Think back to the older ways: carrying children, climbing trees, walking a lot, sitting also a lot, but in different positions - squatting, etc, twisting in all directions to check for predators… the list goes on.
And what does our modern body tend to do? Sitting in one spot, mostly crouching, in front of a screen. Is that inherently bad for you? Of course not. What is, though, not great for your body is to repeat the one thing over and over again.
Your body needs a variety of movement.
Coming back to yoga, does this mean if only yoga is your thing you aren't doing enough? Again, of course not! Yoga is incredibly good for your body, but it also depends. There are many different styles of yoga, and not every body suits every single one (although practising any type is much better than none).
And you can definitely only practice yoga AND get your body strong and mobile.
One simple rule to remember in your practice is to try and strengthen the thing you want to lengthen. In other words, when you are enjoying that stretch, try and engage that muscle that you are stretching. The muscle will still lengthen, but also strengthen at the same time.
And that is what a functional body needs.
You can absolutely get your body strong and mobile with just yoga. So, when you do carry that child, shopping, reverse park, run after your dog, reach for the biscuits in the top cupboard, you will do it without any aches or pains. Your body will naturally know what to do: engage, lengthen, etc all on its own, without you having to think about it.