The Point of A Yoga Class Was Never the Pose
We live most of our days a few inches ahead of ourselves, bracing for the next email, the next errand, the next thing to do. A yoga class gives us space to come into the body, the breath, and ultimately into the richness of the present moment.
Many yoga students in the West are first drawn to class for the physical element. They think of yoga as a workout or stretch, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's often the doorway in. But the longer you practice, the more you discover that the physical postures are just one piece of the practice.
I remember a student who came to my class having never practiced yoga before. He had been told to try it for his back pain. He walked out afterward and said something along the lines of: "Wow. I don't think I've ever actually breathed fully in my life. So much of my back pain disappeared once I was present with it. I'd always pushed it away, thinking yoga would be another way of forcing the pain out. But it actually forced me in, and that's what supported me."
Yoga is more than the poses
Here are some of the other elements that make up a yoga practice, which trace back to Patanjali’s "eight limbs" (there are many more texts and interpretations of yoga that go farrr beyond this, but it’s a good start when you’re first grasping the practice practically):
Asana: the physical postures. This is the part most people picture: the poses that build strength, flexibility, and body awareness. It's a great entry point, but it was never meant to be the whole journey. Your body is just one of many tools for accessing different levels of consciousness.
Pranayama: the breath. Working with the breath is one of the fastest ways to connect with the nervous system. The breath is the bridge between body and mind; when it slows, everything else tends to follow.
Dhyana: meditation and presence. Yoga is training your attention to come back to the present moment. You are cultivating a steadier mind, where the thoughts don’t run you, and you can observe them without attachment.
Pratyahara: turning the senses inward. So much of the day is spent reacting to what's outside us. This is the practice of drawing your senses away from the constant pull of noise and notifications.
The Yamas and Niyamas: yoga's ethics. Yoga also offers guidance for how we live: how we treat others and ourselves, through principles like non-harming, honesty, and contentment. The practice doesn't end when you roll up your mat.
Why this changes how I teach, and how I'll train teachers
The longer I teach, the more convinced I am that the most important skill a yoga teacher can have isn't a flawless sequence. It's the ability to meet a person exactly where they are and hold space for a room full of people navigating different experiences.
This is the heart of what I want my teacher training to be about. Anyone can learn the sequence of a sun salutation. What I most want to pass on is the why underneath it — how to hold space, adapt in real time, and teach the human in front of you rather than the pose in the book. Alignment and anatomy matter, and we'll cover all of that thoroughly. But if my trainees walk away able to make a beginner feel welcome, and a tired body feel cared for, I'll have done my job.
If you're beginning
If you've been holding back from yoga because you think you're not flexible enough, not calm enough, not "yoga enough,” I'd like to remind you that there is nothing to be good at. The practice is a way back to yourself, available to you exactly as you are today.
Curious about practicing together — in person in San Francisco, online from anywhere, or training to teach yourself? I'd love to help you find your way back to your true nature.
