There was a time I believed yoga was only for the physically flexible. That it was about mastering the perfect pose, breaking a sweat, and looking good while doing it. I used to think that unless my muscles were sore the next day, my practice wasn’t “successful.” But life has a way of humbling us. And it humbled me in the most tender way.
I no longer step on the mat to chase strength or performance.I step on the mat to return to myself. To breathe. To feel. To be.
Yoga Begins When the Posture Ends
When I first started practising yoga regularly, I noticed something odd. I was less drawn to the “power yoga” flows and more to the slow, grounded, breath-based practices. I felt something shift in me during moments of stillness — something that had nothing to do with how “fit” I was and everything to do with how deeply I was willing to listen.
I realised that yoga wasn’t asking me to move more — it was inviting me to sit still. And in that stillness, I began to meet a tranquil part of myself. One I hadn’t heard in years.The one who wasn’t trying to be good, or strong, or successful. Just whole.
From Hustle to Healing
We live in a culture of overdoing. Overworking. Overgiving. Even our self-care has become performative — a checklist of things to do rather than a genuine feeling. Yoga, when practised in its truest form, is not a performance. It is a pause. It’s a quiet remembering.
I began to stop measuring the worth of my practice by calories burned or how deep I went into Hanumanasana.
Instead, I started asking:
- Did I soften today?
- Did I breathe fully?
- Did I meet myself with kindness?
And slowly, yoga became less of a workout and more of a homecoming.
Yoga is Not Just on the Mat
Yoga is not limited to the mat. It is how you breathe when you’re overwhelmed.
It is how you respond instead of react. It is the grace you give your body on hard days. It is choosing rest when the world says hustle. And most of all, yoga is choosing to stay. To stay with yourself.
Do not abandon your heart when it’s hurting. To not numb your way through discomfort. Because yoga isn’t just asana. Yoga is awareness. Yoga is presence. Yoga is the truth.
A Gentle Invitation For You
If you’re reading this and feeling disconnected, exhausted, or unsure where to begin, start small. Maybe today, just sit and place your hand over your heart. Breathe. Notice. Whisper to yourself: “I’m here. I’m listening.” That’s yoga. That’s healing. That’s enough.
My Healing Story: The Mat That Held Me
There was a chapter in my life where everything looked fine on the outside, but inside, I was fragmented. I had lost my centre. I was constantly busy but deeply hollow. My nervous system was always on alert, my breath was shallow, and joy felt like something that only happened to other people. I stumbled into yoga during that time. Not because I wanted to “get fit,” but because I was drowning. And something about the quiet of a yoga class gave me space to exhale. At first, I cried during savasana and felt embarrassed.
Later, I realised that was the beginning of my healing. That my body was finally releasing what my heart had held in for too long. With time, yoga became more than a practice — it became my companion. It reminded me to come back to myself, not as a project to fix, but as a soul to hold. Today, I teach and write from that space. A space of softness. Of truth. Of devotion. A space I found because I stopped treating yoga as something to “achieve” — and started receiving it as something to surrender to.
Before You Roll Up the Mat
If there’s one thing I hope you take from this post, it’s this: You don’t need to “do yoga” perfectly to belong in it. You don’t need to be calm or spiritual or strong. You just need to be willing to show up. Come exactly as you are — with your overthinking, your grief, your dreams, and your doubts.
Yoga will meet you there. Because yoga is not about changing yourself. It’s about remembering yourself. And in that remembering, you return home.
With love,
Shweta Arya
Founder of Holistic Health With Shweta
Yoga Teacher | Holistic Guide | A Fellow Seeker Like You
