Hi there.
I used to do some yoga before but not on a very regular basis. I am now practising Hot Yoga since a few months and am also doing regular Vinyasa Yoga in another place, so practice twice a week. I have the impression in the beginning I felt less difficulty when stretching. I thought it should be the other way around; the more you practice the more you can stretch easily. It even hurts a little sometimes (I never overstrectch though) as where in the beginning I could go much deeper in my postures. Is this normal? I am 49 years old and did ballet when I was young, was quite flexible at that time. I know I cannot be as flexible maybe as then but still so strange I feel no evolution, or even going backwards the more I practice?
Thanks for the tips!
Hi @Petras welcome to YogaForums and thank you for your question 
I know personally that once I take a break from physical exercise for a while and get started again the adjustment period to get back in the flow takes some time as the body gets into a new physical routine and rhythm.
However everyone is different and if you feel like something is not 100% right then trust your intuition and perhaps seek some professional advice on the matter.
It would be nice to also get some feedback from other people here too on their experiences.
Best of luck and nice to have you in the YogaForums community!
If I understand your question correctly then you are saying you started facing issue lately in yoga and it was not the case few months before.
In this case you might have injured or created soreness in muscles inadvertently. it should heal itself in few weeks considering your age and background.
I am a man in my forties who has been doing yoga for eighteen months now, for a short time most days with a longer practice once a week. I’ve found that the way I perform the poses and the way my muscles have changed makes some stretches feel as if they meet more resistance than they used to. For instance, when performing a side stretch, I didn’t previously keep my opposing side rooted firmly enough to provide a proper stretch, and the muscles being stretched were untoned; it felt easy and a bit pointless. Now that I’m doing the stretches more efficiently they feel tighter and more beneficial.
Regarding settling deeper into poses, some I can, some I can’t. My hamstrings are stubbornly resisting lengthening and I have to start from scratch every morning. You’d think after a year and a half I should be able to touch my toes at will, but no…
Your muscles are changing. As you stretch more, you develop strength which can resist the stretching. Let your body develop as it wants and just enjoy it. Maybe the difficulty is the evolution.
Hi, thanks to all for the feedback, sounds interesting and plausible.