Mandy Henderly Yoga

Last night was just one of those nights where nothing felt right, and I found myself on the verge of losing it 😵‍💫

The kids were tired and bickering 🙅‍♀️

On our evening walk, the dog wanted to chase every squirrel he saw 🙅‍♀️

My skin felt grimy and hot from walking in the summer heat 🙅‍♀️

As soon as I got in from taking my evening walk with the dog, I closed my door, rolled out my mat, and did this breath practice along with some movement and some long wxhale breathing combined with legs up the wall.

My whole system shifted, and I came back to myself ✌️

Yoga is listening: Gwyneth Paltrow Edition

In case you missed it, Gwyneth Paltrow dropped an ad marketing luxury condos in Israel during an ongoing genocide, and I had to talk about it.

Because wellness culture divorced of ethics is just naval gazing, and I'm not here for it.

I'm here for yoga that is relational. I'm here for yoga that tells the truth. I'm here for yoga that embodies integrity.

If that's what you're here for too, let's be friends ✌️

Walt Whitman wrote: "Do I contradict myself? Ver well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I comtain multitudes.)"

And yoga philosophy agrees.

The layers of self are called the koshas, and they offer a map for understanding ourselves: physically, energeticly, mentally, intuitively, and spiritually.

And when I say “yoga is listening,” this is part of what I mean.

So often, we only pay attention when the physical body starts shouting. But sometimes what we’re experiencing isn’t only physical. Sometimes exhaustion is emotional. Sometimes tension is nervous system overload. Sometimes what we’re craving is deeper connection or meaning.

The koshas invite us to ourselves deeply by asking:

What layer of me needs support right now?

That question alone can change the way we care for ourselves and help us learn to embrace the fullness of who we really are 🌿

selfstudy embodiedliving

Svadhyaya is up next in my yoga is listening series ✨

Svadhayaya means self-study, and it's one of the ethical guidelines of yoga.

When we journal, discuss a sticky life issue with a mentor, or notice a subtle change in our breath, we're engaging with svadhaya.

Sometimes, though, to really take a look at our habits, thoughts, and patterns we need someone to reflect with because they can help to illuminate the places where we can't yet fully see ourselves.

When we can take a look at our blindspots without being afraid of what we'll find, we begin to embody svadhayaya.

says...

"Yoga is an inside job, but we can't do it alone."

Changing patterns, beliefs, and thoughts that hold us back from what we truly want in life is deeply personal. It requires developing a self-awareness muscle, and that's hard work.

And, sometimes, we can't always see ourselves clearly. Working with a trusted practitioner–a yoga therapist, yoga teacher, psychotherapist (maybe all of the above)–can help us come to see ourselves and the patterns that can hold us back in life more clearly.

Drop the word LISTENING below, and I'll DM you a link for a complimentary friendly chat 💗

Yoga is listening, but most of us weren't taught to practice that way, so let's talk about it 💗

Today, I'm focusing on ahimsa, which means lovingkindness or non-harming. And, like all of the ethical guidelines of yoga, it begins as an inside job.

Ahimsa asks us to stop criticizing ourselves and ignoring our own needs and to instead, respond to ourselves as if we were responding to a good friend.

Because so many of us speak to ourselves in ways we would never speak to a good friend.

When we start responding to ourselves with lovingkindness and compassion, we start embodying ahimsa.

Yoga is listening 💗

The ethical guidelines of yoga remind us that the way we show up for others reflects the way we show up for ourselves. Satya–truthfulness–asks us to not only speak to and treat others honestly but to also speak to and treat ourselves honestly.

And sometimes that can mean accepting our own limitations, and that can be really difficult.

But when we stop abandoning ourselves, we start embodying Satya 🌿

Yoga is listening 💗

Yoga is relational 💗

But, that's not the way most of us came to the practice, and those statements might feel confusing, so let's talk about it.

Normally, I do this practice clad in pajamas in the early morning after having a cup of coffee, and while I'm not afraid to make myself vulnerable on the Internet, I will freely admit that I'm not willing to share my bedhead on the Internet 😝

This practice isn't fancy. I don't need to wear leggings or have a whole room set apart for my practice.

It's a practice that I can show up to day after day just as I am. It doesn't ask me to force or push through. It just asks me to soften my edges and stay open to whatever is present.

Starting with a practice like this helps me stay grounded, strong, and connected even in the middle of life's transitions.

Curious about co-creating your own yoga therapy practice? Send me a DM and let's chat about what a practice could look like for you 💗