Why, as a yoga teacher, I welcome mansplaining (well, sort of)
I haven’t told anyone this. I’m documenting my daily yoga practice on Threads (the new social media platform that’s a bit like Twitter). I don’t expect anyone to read it, but part of me thinks that maybe it will be the skeleton of a future book. The other reason I’m documenting my yoga practice is to show that yoga is way more than just the physical poses and that people who are over 50 and not thin, or particularly bendy also do yoga. (If you Googled yoga you might not know that older, larger people do it too!)
This week I was reminded by a stranger on Threads that I am far from being a perfect yogi. Well, if I’m honest, I was mansplained that. The frst time I added a photo of me practicing (the one below), a man told me that I was doing an “admirable” job, “however”, this is how he’d do it. * Insert eye roll *
Although I didn’t want or need this man’s feedback, it did remind me that we are all different. My yoga will never look exactly like your yoga, and yours is different to his. And that’s the beauty of the practice. Its a wonderful tool for self-discovery, self-acceptance and eventually, if you’re really lucky, self-love.
I don’t really welcome mansplaining, even if I did say that in the title of this blog. In fact, I wish a lot of men would STFU. Especially with the state of men’s violence against women in this country. But yoga can be that little oasis from the horrors of the world around us, even if it’s just for a few minutes at a time.
If you have a yoga practice, tell me in the comments what you love about it. I’d really like to know.
Yoga Pose of the Week
This is Sukhasana with a forward fold. Sit crossed legged on the floor (sit on a folded blanket or cushion if that makes it easier), and hinge from the hips with a fairly straight back and put your hands on the ground, (or a cushion, or blocks or a fat book) and take 5 deep breaths. Repeat with your legs folded with the other leg in front. Great for tight hips and lower back.
Yoga Philosophy of the Week
This week I’d love to share with you a talk about ahimsa that I created for a 30-day online yoga challenge that I hosted last year. Ahimsa is one of the foundational philosophies of yoga. It means non-harming. It’s about being kind to yourself and others. Click here to listen.
Mindful Moment of the Week
I treated myself to some pink Merry People boots this week. If you’d told me 10 years ago that I would choose to buy pink wellies and that I’d have the time to go to the beach wearing them multiple times a week I wouldn’t have believed you. But this is the life I have created for myself. So I stood on the empty beach, and took a moment to say thank you. Try it (or something like it) soon. It feels great.
