What Doesn’t Own You Makes You Stronger Yoga isn’t about perfecting a shape, holding your breath just right, or nailing some version of stillness. It’s about practicing without being owned by the practice itself. Aparigraha is a yoga philosophy often translated as non-attachment but it isn’t about having nothing. It’s about nothing having you. The…
When I did my first yoga trainings I clung to everything | was taught for years. ‘Stretching lengthens your hamstrings, twisting detoxifies the body, headstands reverse blood flow.’ (Spoiler: all wrong) The parts of me that needed that sureity, that definite answer, that firm unarguable set of facts clung to these, yet allowed me to…
Although many of us in yoga are onboard with the idea that not all POSES are one size fits all physically, can we look through the same lens for other concepts too? A lot of teaching, cues and ideas are based on everyone being neurotypical when in reality we are all somewhere on a spectrum…
For years, we’ve been told: keep your spine neutral, don’t round your back, lift with your legs—not your back. Sound familiar? But what if most of that advice is more fear-driven than fact-based? Here’s why you can stop stressing about keeping a “perfect” spine position: 1. There’s no solid evidence spinal flexion is dangerous. Research—even…
If you are relatively new on your teaching path, here’s six things I wish I’d implemented earlier. 1. Craft the language of permission. This is the number one reason people will come back and stay 2. Learn your ABCC’s – Agency Boundaries Collaboration Connection 3. Teaching is always WITH not TO or AT 4. Practise…
Is the current structure of yoga education just one more example of demanded obedience? The guru structure of no questions asked, being told and then expected to follow blindly? Updated quality education is executed WITH someone not TO someone – and should be a collaboration and application rather than a parroting of information that’s never…
Smrti: The Power and Weight of Memory in Yoga Smrti (Smrit-tee” or “Smri-thi” ) a Sanskrit word for memory—reminds us that our past is always with us. But here’s the thing: memory isn’t the same as truth. Our minds are master storytellers. Some memories become wisdom, shaping us in powerful ways. Others turn into weight,…
5 Reasons I Don’t Bother With Yoga Challenges—And Why You Don’t Need Them Either Yoga is about presence, patience, and lifelong learning. Yet, the rise of yoga challenges seems to pull in the opposite direction—toward urgency, performance, and short-term results. I get the appeal, I’ve done them. A structured 30-day challenge can feel motivating, like…
Are Fitness Trackers Doing Us More Harm Than Good? Fitness trackers and wearable tech promise to help us stay on top of our health—tracking our steps, monitoring our sleep, measuring our heart rate. It all sounds helpful, even empowering and of course can be essential for health issues. But what if, instead of improving our…
How Does Yoga Teach Us the True Meaning of the Glass Half Full? Now I love being in a good stinking mood every now and again but have you ever caught yourself stuck in a cycle of negative thinking? Pratipaksha Bhavana—a concept from the Yoga Sutras (2.33)—is all about shifting perspective. It’s the ultimate “glass…