People think I practice the yoga of NO. But I’ve found Ashtanga yoga to be the yoga of YES.

Yes: we believe you can, so we’re holding you here at this pose.

Yes: we’re not holding you back but giving you a chance to find your own way forward.

Yes: instead of saying “pass” we’re gonna say give it a try and let’s see what happens.

Yes: you can be you (and weird, too).

Yes: you can move at your own pace

Yes: breathe, yes please.

Yes: you will hit upon struggle, stuckness and you will face fear and yes you will fall and fall and fall and–

yes: you will grow until you stand up tall from a backbend.

Yes: You’ll get uncomfortable.

Yes, you will look un-instagrammably absurd and horribly inept sometimes and that is how you will say yes to evolving into something new.

Yes: dogmatic intransigent strictness is out, at least the teachers like that are.

Yes: Post-lineage practice is in.

Yes: You get to choose this practice, your teacher(s) and yourself. Yes, Carry your own headlamp.

Yes: you can laugh.

Yes: you’ll want to quit sometimes. Yes, you might. But maybe you won’t.

Yes: You need help sometimes– sometimes just a word, a hand, a smile, enough to help you find you cannot see or bring the present moment back into focus.

Yes: you have the power in you, so we’re going to help remind you that it’s there (and uh, if we don’t, if that teacher doesn’t– run)

Yes: you don’t have to go all in right away, but

Yes: it’s a commitment, and something changes when you practice daily so, well–

Yes: you’re worth it. Oh and….

Yes, okay there is one thing we say no to (at least I do) —

so yes there is a No here:

No bullshit.