I strove to be the perfect yoga student until a trauma informed yoga class changed my practice (and my life).

I used to think yoga was to be done a certain way in order to be right, and I’d shame myself for traveling outside the rules of my yoga teacher. I ignored my body’s sensations, mistaking them for the voice of my ego, and told myself that being a good student meant cultivating the ability to listen to my teacher.

As I’ve grown — both as a woman and a yoga practitioner — I’ve discovered for myself the healing that unfolds through listening to the needs of my body. I am learning that an embodied practice, where the student hones into the teachings that stem from within the body — as opposed to an aesthetically correct one — empowers the yogin to trust herself. I now teach this message to my students.

True practice isn’t about always listening to your teacher. While external cues and direction give us the foundations of yoga, it’s important that the practice grows into one where you’re able to listen to yourself.

One of the most transformative moments in my yoga journey came when I was gifted the experience of agency and choice in a trauma-informed yoga class. The teacher offered options for movement, validated every choice, and reminded us that our practice was ours alone. It was the first time I was invited to honor my body’s needs without judgment or comparison. This immediately shifted the way I practice yoga, both as a student and as a teacher. I began to realize the power of giving myself permission to move authentically, to pause when needed, and to make the practice my own.

Yoga teachers are regular people. Even those with great knowledge are, at best, guides. Guides help you practice safely. Guides validate your choice to explore yourself. And guides should inspire you, but not so much that they distract you from yourself.

No teacher can gift you yourself. We can only affirm and guide you to trust yourself again and again.