We have some work to do.
Yoga can make us feel good. A thoughtfully sequenced asana practice can release tension in our muscles, soothe our nervous system, and encourage deeper breathing. But if we stop there, we do the discipline a disservice. We start with the body because it is tangible and familiar, but the physical practice is only the beginning.
If we continue the work of yoga, we have no choice but to go deeper. A consistent practice challenges us to pursue an investigation of the self. A willingness to dig through the emotions, the reactive thoughts, the trauma, and the material cravings that we identify with so we can recognize what lies below.
This is why yoga can feel so good AND feel so messy. It’s no fun having to confront parts of ourselves we have cozied up with for decades and acknowledge that these parts no longer serve us. It’s so much easier for us to cling to these identities than to soften our grip and trust that through the mess there might be something better.
And so I ask…
What are you holding onto? What are you holding so tightly to — not because it warms you or heals you, or gives you strength — because you’re too afraid of what might happen if you let it go?
What are WE as a society and a nation holding onto — not because it serves or sustains us — but because we are terrified of what lies beyond? Because it is easier to continue down a well-worn path than build a new one.
Doing the inner work of yoga can be messy. Doing the inner work of unraveling my own privilege as a white woman, especially in my role as a yoga teacher, is beyond messy. AND it’s necessary.
I’m grappling to find the ‘right’ words at this moment. I don’t have them yet, but I am committing, with renewed energy, to doing the real work of yoga.

I open my heart and practice for you to join me in this lifelong work.
xo, Beth
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