Removing shame from the yoga practice

// an all levels flow that always feels great

Dear Humans,

Last week I wrote to you about an intention I have to share more about the philosophy and history of yoga, both with you and my students.

As I do this, I’m startled by a sense that I should have been doing this all along. That each and every week I should have been researching and learning more about this big, broad school of thought.

These thoughts, these “shoulds,” are often wrapped up in a lot of emotion. They can actually discourage us. They can prevent us from working on the things that we want to work on, because there’s a small voice in our head that tells us we’re not up to the task.

Whenever a “should” voice creeps into your head, it’s wise to remind yourself that we typically come to what we need as we’re ready for it.

I’ve been trying to remind myself that I have been studying yoga. Almost daily I’ve been committing myself to understanding how to teach. I’ve been trying to understand how to hold the energy that students need in a yoga room to drop into their own deeper connection.

I’m a big believer in removing shame from our self-development. It’s Brené Brown who has done research on shame and how it impacts our lives. She tells us that shame is an internal story. Shame is the small gremlin in our head that tells us, “you aren’t enough.”

When we let the shame voice convince us of something, we are stifled in our ability to grow.

I’ve encountered shame in my yoga teacher journey. I think it’s hard to be a woman in the western world, teaching an ancient Indian practice, and not be confronted by the thought: Well, who am I to teach this?

But here’s the truth: When you revisit so many ancient yoga teachers’ messages, they invite everyone into the yoga practice. They want more people to practice. More people to understand the potential for change and liberation that comes from following the yogic path.

So who am I to do this? Well, I’m part of this world. I’m in union with the consciousness that connects each and every living thing.

Who am I to teach yoga? The exact right person.

Friends, this letter took an interesting turn. Because I started writing with a totally different lesson in mind, and yet this is the message that needed to emerge.

I want you, in this community, to feel seen. To know that being a yoga teacher is a difficult task. There’s a lot to juggle. And there are a lot of emotions and messages that our individual self (or ego) will feed to us along the way. So if you’ve felt any of this, know that you are certainly not alone.

Let’s not forget that we are on the yogic path. And that path is supporting us in quieting those voices in our head, to return back to this state of inner-knowing and peace.

We are seeking to end suffering by letting go of our egoic thoughts and returning to the idea that we are…

That you are. That I am.

We are exactly where we need to be.

Sending you lots and lots and lots of love, dear humans.

Izzy

Izzy Martens

author, yoga teacher, sequence enthusiast

www.yogahumans.com

What I Taught in Yoga This Week | January 15, 2025

This week I’m sharing an all levels vinyasa flow. For my paid subscribers, I’m going to add some thoughts on how you could take this base flow and expand it. What I love about an all levels flow is any body can find interest in it. It can be sped up or slowed down. It can flow breath to movement or the postures can be held. (I slowed the video down a bit so you can see how slow I’m actually moving. Even this video is slightly sped up!) Try it out and make it your own!

the write-up:

• mountain

• extended mountain

• chair plane

• chair

• forward fold

• halfway lift

• standing L

• scorpion tail (bend lift leg)

• scorpion tail pulses

• step back to low lunge

• high crescent lunge

• bring hand to hip

• “slice” across your body with lifted arm X3

• star

• goddess

• *feel it out in goddess!

• star

• warrior II

• reverse warrior

• cartwheel to low lunge

• easy twist

• high plank or vinyasa

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Dearest paid subscribers, today I’m going to do something a little different. I’m going to take the write-up to the sequence above and show you some of the ways you might expand or modify this sequence.

In my classes I like to teach a “base flow” and then build onto it. So here is how I might build onto our sequence! Feel free to offer your ideas in the comments!