Self Acceptance through Yoga

Reflecting on my own yoga journey and all the incredible places it has taken me, the people I’ve met because of it, and my personal path of self-awareness and growth.

I started practising around 10 years ago, and I actually began with Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, not Hatha and the physical practice as most people. I was drawn to it for its spiritual side, yet the material became important too with time.

In all these years of practising and studying Yoga, there have been ups and downs. The journey is not always linear. One might think you only get better and better in practice, but that’s not my reality, especially after dealing with injuries and mental health conditions. Yet yoga isn’t just about physical practice; in other senses, my practice has only deepened.

Self-acceptance, confidence, and body awareness have grown tremendously. As a shy, clumsy, awkward teenager who often skipped gym classes out of shame and pretended to be sick to avoid physical activities in school, seeing myself now doing all these fun things fills my heart with joy. Only I know how much it took to get here and, even more, how much it took to stand in front of a full class and teach all this. Becoming the centre of attention, being seen and heard.

It has never been about performing perfect poses. It’s always about the journey of self-acceptance and the compassion toward yourself and others that this practice teaches. That is the foundation of my teaching. Perfect poses and peak performance are for athletes and gymnasts; this is something else, this is a spiritual practice—this is yoga! Happy Yoga Day!

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