Who Really Belongs at Yoga?
Everyone who owns a body.
Hello friends,
Have you ever wanted to try yoga, but didn’t think you fit in with “that” crowd? That you aren’t bendy enough, and you’re afraid you’ll feel as awkward as a fish on a bicycle?
I used to feel that way. Fortunately, I got over it, and found that it wasn’t a problem.
Why was I desperate enough to try yoga? Because I was darn near crippled with back pain and sore muscles from accidents and hard work in the trades.
But these days, I feel great. Barely a twinge of suffering.
Living with pain was one thing. It sucked, no lie.
The worst part was the energy it stole from me, and who it kept me from being. I was miserable and negative. Over time, yoga fixed all of that. Without the aches, I’m more free to be myself.
So that’s the physical side. As
pointed out, with it came all of the emotional and mental benefits. Side effects. My whole life has been transformed.
I want to encourage you to get out there and try it! Maybe it’s not for you, maybe it is. But I know it’s helped me and countless others get more mobility and live better.
This guest post was written by my yoga instructor and friend Kyla Dagenais. She’s my co-author of The 90 Day Meditation Challenge, which we published in 2019.
Who Really Belongs at Yoga?
The most meaningful compliment I ever received in class was from a student who looked at me and said, “Your yoga class is full of people who look like they don’t belong at yoga.” This sentiment has stayed with me for years.
The truth is that I have never felt like I ‘belong’ at yoga, and belonging has never been what has brought me to my mat. I don't know if I have ever felt like I belong anywhere, to be completely honest. It was sadness and despair that brought me to the mat in the first place - feeling like a stranger within myself - the feeling of loneliness and unworthiness that got me to my first yoga class.
I remember the first time I sat on my mat as if it were yesterday. I was 40 pounds (c.18kgs) overweight, at the beginning of a divorce, and in the darkest space. I didn’t attend out of boredom or the want to join a tribe. I joined because I had read the words of the Dalai Lama, and he spoke of the yogi who sought peace within themselves and how the yogi was able to achieve a resilient mind in the suffering of life.
It had absolutely nothing to do with looking good.
I sat on my mat to find peace within myself, hoping to let go of my beliefs about my worth on this planet.
I have never really felt like I belonged anywhere, which led me through a life of continuously changing shape for those around me to feel the validation I longed for in myself. Accepting my quirks and flaws as others had seen them, a part of me wanted to think that I had a purpose and reason to be here, as strange as I am.
At the time, I’m sure I was like everyone else. I was trying to get away from myself, and I believe that’s what yoga offered me. But not in the sense I assumed it would.
I thought I would ‘fix’ myself.
Instead, I started to understand myself, and it was here that yoga planted the seeds of acceptance.
In some circles, yoga has been reduced to a shell of its glory. It could unlock understanding and purpose. Or it could be the yoga show we see today - just another challenge to complete.
At its roots, yoga has the potential to offer a presence in all moments of our lives, a richness far beyond the offerings of money, looks, and glory.
We can find our true selves in the poses. Beautiful as we are.
Yoga is for everyone and does not judge the person practicing. It’s the mindset we can cultivate while we move within our bodies. Our mats can become a space for genuine expression, where our minds may find rest and hearts can be heard without judgment.
Where or when have you felt the most expressive, at peace or content, free from all judgment?
With love,
Kyla.
If you want to give yoga a try but still don’t want to risk looking like a fool in person, heck out a few videos on YouTube and follow along at home. Totally free, available 24-7. Or, take a look at this post:
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There’s a chat for paid subscribers to support you in goal setting and accountability. We can get down to your specific issues and answer questions. I can even help get you doing yoga!
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Yoga is not just the asana (physical) piece of yoga- it’s only 1 of yoga’s 8 limbs. How we live our life, how we treat others, how we calm ourselves and tune into our inner self are all benefits of practicing yoga in the best way. I find a sense of calm on my mat. A place where I can ‘exhale’ stress or anxiety even if I’m not ‘making’ a yoga shape. It’s a gift everyone should try for themselves. And yes- not once- it’s a practice! Namaste.
Okay, first of all....those MEMES! 😆
But getting serious for a minute (and I'm hardly ever serious), I have had yoga moments that have brought me to tears. Before my knee injury in 2023, I was a part-time yoga lover at best. Not super disciplined about it. But after my knee injury (and gaining 20+ pounds and losing a shit ton of mobility in my knee) I had to do something that was low impact. When I couldn't walk I looked up "chair yoga" on Youtube just to feel some sense of doing something for my health. As I recovered, I'll never forget how triumphant I felt the first time I could bring myself out of a lunge and into a warrior 2 without using a table or chair to lift myself. I cried.
I'm still not 100% with this knee but I'll be damned if I'm not alllllllmost able to do a yogi squat without a block under my bum 🧡
Yoga can be life changing. I think most people are missing that point. Thanks for sharing this Tim and Kyla! I loved it!