Asana: Why So Serious?

Today in class, someone sighed so loudly during pigeon pose that it sounded like a cartoon steam engine. Someone else whispered, “My hip just said absolutely not.” And we all laughed, and that laugh felt like the real release.

There’s this idea that yoga is supposed to be solemn. That as soon as we roll out the mat, we’re meant to be poised, quiet, and dripping in grace. But asana, the physical practice, is also about being real. Real breath. Real movement. Real people in real bodies… with real limitations and real moments of joy.

Left, Right, and the Land of Confusion

I’ve cued a twist to the left and watched half the class turn right. I’ve told people to face the altar and then realized I meant the window. And I’ve definitely used the phrase “outside of the inside leg” more than once.

I teach more than just yoga, and the way I teach shifts depending on the space and the style. Sometimes I mirror you lift your right arm, they lift their left. Sometimes I turn my back to the class and they follow my every move, just like follow-the-leader. Other times, I walk around the room and shift perspective.

And sometimes I do all of these in the same class.

But here’s the thing: no one gets upset. We laugh. We breathe. We reorient. We move on.

Teaching language is its own evolving art form. And when I say “left” but mean “right” while mirror teaching, I usually just laugh and say,

“Stay where you are, I’ll meet you there.”

Or I throw out another line to keep it human and light.

Because that’s what it is, we’re human. We’re moving, adapting, and showing up in real time. My brain doesn’t always sync left from right in the moment, and that’s okay.

It actually helps me stay present. It reminds me to breathe with the class, not ahead of it. And sometimes, in that presence, the words don’t match the movement, and we laugh. We smile. We adapt. We connect. And we carry on.

That being said… I’ve had people not come back to my classes because of it.

But that’s a blog for another day.

Let Your Practice Be Human

I love it when students sigh out loud. I encourage people to be vocal in my classes—to exhale audibly, to let out a laugh, to say what their body is really feeling. It breaks the ice. It invites honesty. It reminds everyone that this isn’t a performance, it's practice.

I love when someone bursts into laughter because their balance pose took a detour into interpretive dance. I love it when someone asks, “Wait… is this supposed to feel like that?” and we all realize: yep, pretty much.

This is a space where you get to be a human being in a human body. Sometimes that means your hamstring says “yes,” and your shoulder says “not today.” And that’s okay.

Honestly? The things students say are often the best part of class:

“My butt will never touch my heels." (in Child’s Pose)

“My heels will never hit the floor.” (in Downward Dog)

“I can’t get my elbows close to my body.” (in Chaturanga)

“This is a very aggressive pigeon.”

“Are you sure this is my right leg?”

“I came for peace, not for this plank.”

“I can do that… in my next life.”

We laugh. We breathe. We realize we’re all just doing our best—and sometimes our best involves shaking, falling, or sighing dramatically into a bolster.

Yoga Means to Yoke, To Unite

The word yoga means “to yoke” or “to unite.” It’s not about picture-perfect poses, it’s about connection.

Union of breath and body.

Union of effort and ease.

Union of laughter and stillness.

When you allow yourself to be sighs, wobbles, giggles, and all, you’re practicing yoga in its truest form.

Yoga Isn’t Performance, It’s Presence

You’re not here to look like a yoga photo. You’re here to be in your body, in your breath, in your moment.

In my classes, I don’t want people to hold their breath trying to match me perfectly. I want them to feel something.

To move, wobble, laugh, sigh, groan, or rest when they need to. That’s the kind of class I want to be in, too.

If You Need a Reminder, Here It Is:

If you laugh mid-pose? You’re doing it right.

If you fall out of balance, and smile? You’re doing it right.

If your body feels weird and you’re trying your best? Still doing it right.

If you’re breathing and present, even for a moment? 100% doing it right.

Be the Sigh, Be the Smile

So the next time you come to class or just roll out your mat at home, don’t be afraid to make noise. Don’t be afraid to mess up. Don’t be afraid to laugh at your left foot when it goes rogue.

Yoga doesn’t ask you to be serious.

It asks you to be here.

That’s enough.

And that’s beautiful.