“ (I’m looking at you, Entire Yoga Community)”

I’m sorry the yoga community has let you down. Yoga, or a yoga practice, is intended to be a place to meet yourself exactly as you are without judgement. As a yoga teacher I can tell you it is common to see people during class and particularly during savasana with tears running down their faces; and I am glad when I see it. For someone to find and perhaps release that pain means that perhaps the class “worked” for them today.

There is a growing movement towards trauma-sensitive yoga where students are not asked to smile, but are encouraged to let their feelings “be”. Anger, frustration, sadness, joy — all of them. We store “un-processed” emotions all over our body and a yoga practice can/should bring these up for you to look at, acknowledge and decide what to do with; even if there is nothing to do today.

Yoga is about being “real” with ourselves and, with time and patience, coming to recognize that we are really quite amazing.