I teach yoga because it’s a concrete system for learning how to come back to your body — again and again and again.

I really don’t care that much about yoga poses, in and of themselves. As long as your Triangle is safe for you, it’s all good in my opinion. I care about yoga poses because they give us a way to feel what’s happening in our bodies in this moment.

Why This Matters

Research shows that when we’re disconnected from our bodies, we’re at risk for a number of adverse health effects.

Just as importantly, though, we’re also more likely to miss out on our lives — often through the form of forgetting. And in another, yet similar, way, we’re also missing out on a source of inherent wisdom: our body’s own radar and sensitivity systems.

When you don’t have access to information about how you feel, it’s harder to know how to act on your own behalf and make the best decisions for you.

How This Works in Practice

On your yoga mat, learning to connect with your body might look like:

: Tuning in to your teacher’s instructions with extra attention. What does your breath feel like right now?

: Getting curious about a particular pose. What was it like for you yesterday vs. today?

: Experimenting with props. How is a specific pose for you with a block on high / medium / low? What about no block?

: Naming how you feel to yourself when you begin your practice, as well as when you end.

: Placing one hand on your heart, or elsewhere on your body, any time you feel your mind drifting to what came before your practice

: Feeling your feet or bum on the ground / chair seat, anchoring back into your connection with the ground, thus bringing you back into your body

Anyone who is interested in self-acceptance / love, body-acceptance / love, intuitive / mindful eating, discovering the joyful movement you like and more can benefit from practicing yoga with an intention of bodily connection.

With this framework, it couldn’t matter less what pose(s) you can / can’t “do.” All that matters is coming back to this moment with curiosity, greeting yourself wherever you are.

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