Rhythm

This year of the horse… it’s been trampling me.
And I know so many of you can relate.

But one of the things I’m deeply grateful for – and continually return to – is my yoga practice as a way to move through it all.

At the end of last year, I outlined the themes I wanted to teach + explore this year. Nothing rigid. More of an intention. A visualisation of what I thought I might be creating.

The thing with my work is that I can’t separate myself from it. It’s not just content – it’s lived experience. It’s real.

And some of the themes just didn’t match the energy I was actually in.

And just like yoga on the mat teaches us to be flexible, I’ve had to learn to be flexible within my work creatively too.

I found myself at a loss, again – after another loss + more grief – trying to create from a place that no longer felt like an energetic match for where I was.

So I gave myself space. Space to listen. Space to let ideas flow in that actually felt aligned.

And then I was reminded of something.

A dear friend messaged me to say how she was reminding herself of words I often use in my teaching – about riding the waves of life, and learning to soften into both the highs + the lows, and how it was helping her through her own experience.

And that became the intention of this month’s theme.

Because that is life, isn’t it?

Some of us are riding a low wave.
Some of us a beautiful high.
Some of us a dance of both at the same time.

Life is both beauty + pain.
And to be alive is to feel the full spectrum of it.

All of my experience – in life and through yoga – has taught me that nothing is permanent. Everything passes. The highs + the lows.

And I find comfort in that.

It helps me be more present in the beauty when it’s here.
And it reminds me that even the pain will move through.

Even though this year has felt like I’ve been standing in the shadow of what has been a bit of a tsunami… there is still so much beauty + joy that surrounds me at the same time too.

Yoga has been one of the most supportive tools for me through all of this – not because it changes what is happening in life, but because it helps me meet it differently.

We now understand more about how emotional stress + life experiences can show up in the body physically, through tension patterns, nervous system activation, and holding within the tissues. Practices like Yin, breathwork and mindful movement can support the body in creating a sense of safety again – allowing space for release, regulation and softness.

On the mat, movement becomes a way to move with life rather than against it.

Flow + movement can support us through both the highs + lows of life. Research shows movement can help regulate stress hormones, improve mood + support emotional wellbeing. But beyond that, yoga invites us to actually feel what is present rather than disconnect from it. Emotion isn’t only experienced in the mind – it is felt through the body too. Through breath + movement, we can begin to process and move through what we’re carrying physically + emotionally.

Yin works more quietly and deeply. It focuses on the fascia – the connective tissue that surrounds + supports the body – and responds well to slow, sustained holds. Research suggests this can support hydration, adaptability + release within the tissues over time. The slower pace of Yin, combined with longer-held postures, can also support the parasympathetic nervous system – our ‘rest + restore’ state – helping the body shift out of stress mode and into a place of repair + regulation.

Meditation, in its simplicity, doesn’t remove the waves of life – but it can change how we meet them. Research has shown that mindfulness practices can positively impact areas of the brain linked to emotional regulation, stress + self-awareness. Practices like breath awareness can help calm the nervous system, reduce reactivity, and create more space between ourselves and our thoughts + emotions.

Journaling offers a different kind of release. Free writing can be deeply cathartic, with research around expressive writing suggesting it can support emotional processing, reduce mental overwhelm, and create space between ourselves and difficult experiences. When thoughts stay held internally, they can loop and intensify – but when they are given language, they often begin to organise, soften and move through.

Affirmations can offer comfort and perspective, helping us reconnect with strength, trust + steadiness through life’s changing waves. They can support us in the low moments when we feel uncertain or overwhelmed, and also help us stay present in the high moments – encouraging us to notice, appreciate + fully receive them while they’re here.

I would like to think I’ve got no more horses on their way to trample me, at least for a while (how is it only June?!), but when they do arrive, I know I am wildly capable. I know I am strong enough to move through them.

And you are too.