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![I never expected my biggest challenge as a yoga teacher would be my students 👀
I expected that the way I understood yoga would naturally reach others, but that wasn’t the case. And at first that truth was difficult to accept.
The reality is that yoga is not static, and neither are your students.
Just as our consciousness and our world evolve, so too does the way people experience this practice.
Some students connect deeply with philosophy, others with movement, others with breath. Some may embrace your teaching wholeheartedly, while others may resist it.
And that is part of the work.
My own challenge has been learning how to hold space for multiple truths at once.
To not only teach concepts like detachment, humility, and service, but to embody them in real time.
Yoga invites us to keep learning, keep listening, and keep showing up with integrity.
As teachers, our task is to channel our voice while also serving a community that is always changing.
Share if this resonates 📤]()
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2025-09-09 18:25:50
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![Double it and give it to the next person!]()
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2025-09-09 04:03:18
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![“ROOTS & RENEWAL” tix on sale! (link in bio) 🍁🧘🏾♀️
As summer fades and autumn begins, our bodies and minds crave reflection and release. This is the perfect moment to pause and realign with practices that help us transition with clarity✨
On September 20th, I’m returning to outlandish.nyc to host my second 2-hour yogaoffthematpodcast workshop weaving together āsana, prāṇāyāma, meditation, and philosophy.
This practice is designed to ground you, clear out stagnant energy, and prepare you to move into fall with ease and intention.
Space is limited! Reserve your spot via the link in my bio 🧡]()
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2025-09-08 18:22:53
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![The fastest way to burn out as a new yoga teacher? Overcomplicating everything.
When you first graduate from YTT, there is so much pressure to be unique and memorable that many teachers start building complex vinyasa flows.
The problem is that this approach often drifts away from the heart of asana, which is preparing the body and mind for stillness.
A steadier approach will take you much further. Learn to cue postures in ways that are inclusive, sequence with accuracy and clarity, and explore within simple patterns so students can grow confidence and connection in their practice.
As a new teacher, your real impact comes from creating space for people to discover yoga in their own bodies.
Keep it simple and let the practice speak for itself.]()
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2025-09-05 19:00:11
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![Slice of humble pie, anyone? 🥴😅]()
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2025-09-04 18:23:50
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![Fall has a way of reminding us that change is the only constant. 🍂
On the mat, asana becomes a mirror for the transitions we move through off the mat too.
From learning to let go, to resting when our bodies ask for it, to seeing life from a new perspective, these practices prepare us to meet the season with presence.
This is the time to slow down, reflect on what the past months have taught us, and accept that endings are just making space for beginnings. Yoga gives us the tools to move through it all with steadiness.
If you’re interested in how yoga can help you ease into fall, I have an exciting announcement later this week :)]()
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2025-09-03 19:14:30
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![“The power of the sun, in the palm of my hand.” ☀️💥
In Spider-Man 2, Doctor Octopus says this about his invention. But when I hear it, I think of yoga.
Yogic practices like Asana and pranayama do so much more than the surface level benefits we might think of. They awaken prāna, our life force, and connect us to cosmic energy.
Like Doc Ock’s invention, this energy can transform us individually and collectively.
But here’s the twist: just like Doc Ock, we get to decide how we use that power. Yoga reminds us it’s not about the ego—it’s about connection, compassion, and harmony.
⚡️ If yoga gave you unlimited power, how would you use it? 🤔]()
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2025-09-01 20:54:29
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![In yoga, Saucha teaches us that clarity comes when we strip away what weighs us down—physically, mentally, and even in the way we consume.
Through Svadhyaya (self-study), I started reflecting on the clothes I reached for most in my yoga practice and realized how many of them weren’t aligned with the values I was trying to cultivate. Synthetic fabrics, plastics, and fast-fashion habits don’t just cloud the planet—they cloud us, too.
Aparigraha (non-hoarding) helped me let go of pieces that didn’t serve me.
And with Saucha, I began choosing clothing that feels pure and intentional—pieces that support both my practice and the world around me.
That’s why I now reach for clothes like these akisostore sets made with 100% breathable cotton that are gentle on the body and skin. The adjustable fits allow circulation and oxygen to flow. Being free of plastic and metal, they also keep the energy of practice unobstructed.
Saucha isn’t about perfection. It’s about creating clarity by aligning what we consume with what we believe.
When we do that, yoga becomes something we live, not just something we practice.]()
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2025-08-29 20:24:59
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In yoga..
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![Don’t be shy 👀 Ask away!
Practicing yoga on my own for so many years gave me a solid foundation of experience to draw from when I decided to start teaching.
There’s so much pressure on new students to buy, consume and perform their way into their practice, and similarly for new teachers to follow a copy paste formula of what a “good teacher” looks and sounds like.
I always like teaching people who are new to yoga and training new yoga teachers because there’s so much opportunity to prevent the industry from leading them astray.
Think about what would be helpful to you in your practice or in your teaching.
What do you want to know?
I’m here to help ☺️
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#yogateacher #beginneryoga #ytt #yogateachertraining #yogalife]()
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2025-08-28 18:48:27
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![Struggling to step your foot forward from downward dog? ⬇️
Despite what many traditional teachers might say, it doesn’t always come down to strength or flexibility. Body proportions, anatomy and leverage often play the biggest role in this transition.
Here are two ways to make this transition smoother:
1️⃣ Place blocks under your hands to create extra vertical space so the knee has more clearance.
2️⃣ Hug your knee into your chest, shift your weight over your wrists, then set the foot down.
Small adjustments like these remind us that asana isn’t one-size-fits-all. Props and variations aren’t shortcuts—they’re tools to meet your body where it is. Every body moves differently, and practice deepens when we honor that truth.]()
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2025-08-27 19:03:55
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![“The power of the sun, in the palm of your hand.”
Don’t mind me quoting Spider-Man, but it’s true!
Surya Namaskar was my gateway into Yoga. It gave me a profound appreciation of and gratitude for the sun and the natural energy we share with the cosmos.
It’s been called a moving meditation, prayer as asana, and so many other things.
Like many, I used to rush through it was a warm up just to get to the “exciting” postures but with time—I realized how much there is to relish in this seemingly simple practice (which, to be fair, is quite complex).
Surya Namaskar invites us to slow down and embody humility, patience and reverence. There’s a singular focus for the mind and our body is held with gentleness until we are warmed enough—by the sun, by our practice—to carry on.
Drop a ☀️ if you 💛 Surya Namaskar! 🙏🏾]()
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2025-08-26 18:09:12
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![Here’s why there’s no such thing as a perfect yoga teacher👇🏾
Despite being immersed in the yogic practice for 15 years before becoming a teacher, I knew I was going to still have a steep learning curve.
Even with the title of yoga teacher, we are still as much students as the people we lead.
It’s critical to embody humility and stay committed to our svadhyaya, our self-study and learning.
Here are a few of my “failures” along my teaching journey.
1. Pronounced Sanskrit words incorrectly because saying them the right way felt “too ethnic”
2. Taught “conditioning” and “HIIT” style vinyasa classes because that’s what seemed more popular
3. Wore synthetic, uncomfortable, tight clothing that restricted my practice
4. Left out the philosophy from classes to be more palatable and comfortable to western audiences
5. Gave into the capitalistic sense or urgency and hustle which led to anxiety and stress, rather than teaching and producing at a sustainable rate for me
And honestly, the list goes on.
I’m not perfect – I’ve been learning, experimenting, “failing” and “succeeding” for decades and will continue to do so throughout my career.
It’s not about not making mistakes. It’s about having the humility and awareness to learn, grow, and do better.]()
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2025-08-25 20:01:35
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![Why is French expected in ballet, but Sanskrit in yoga makes people uncomfortable? 🤔
Respecting French in ballet but rejecting Sanskrit in yoga is cultural bias, plain and simple.
You’d never walk into a ballet class and expect the teacher to say “squat” instead of plié or “spin” instead of pirouette.
But in yoga? Suddenly Vrikshasana or Virabhadrasana is “too much” and “intimidating.”
Honestly, Sanskrit isn’t used to sound fancy or exclusive. It’s used to preserve the integrity of yoga, to pass down its philosophy, and to invite depth into the practice.
When you seek out teachers who use Sanskrit, you’re choosing presence, intention, and lineage over convenience.
Stop diluting yoga to fit comfort zones and start respecting it the way we respect ballet — with reverence for its roots.
That’s all! 🫶🏾✌🏾]()
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2025-08-22 21:40:53
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![Before it was the “Marie Kondo” method, it was Yoga.
Aparigraha is one of the Yamas, or ethical disciplines, in yoga philosophy. It gives us guidelines on how to release the tendency to attach to people, places, ideas and things.
The concept of renouncing external attachments and possessions in favor of internal contentment is present in nearly every spiritual path out there.
I’ve personally experienced what it feels like to let myself be weighed down and stagnated by holding onto physical clutter and emotional anchors.
We do it because it gives us a false sense of security and grounding—but at the very real cost of living a small, contained existence.
Hoarding inhibits our ability to experience the true, limitless self. One capable of boundless joy and compassion.
There are so many ways to practice Aparigraha both on and off the yoga mat, including some that I’ve described here.
How do you practice non-attachment?]()
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2025-08-21 19:34:41
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![There’s not one area of my life which yoga hasn’t touched—
that’s how powerful it is.
It’s funny how my goals with integrating yoga into my routine have changed so drastically and without my conscious awareness of it.
The deeper I sank into the practice, the more the path just became the way I live. Less about the destination and more about the method.
Yoga brought me closer to God, introduced me to myself, increased my tolerance for discomfort and my capacity for love.
Yoga introduced me to my breath, facilitated my entry into adjacent disciplines like the martial arts I’m practicing in this video, and grew my global community — making it possible that anywhere I go in the world, people stop me on the street and tell me how my work has changed their life. This means everything to me.
I am so deeply indebted and in gratitude to this lineage for how much it’s guided me over the years. I truly can’t imagine my life without it.
I hope I find yoga in every lifetime.
What lessons has yoga taught you?]()
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2025-08-20 19:06:46
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![All you need is 5 minutes to reset your body
If you work a desk job, you’re likely spending a quarter of your day (give or take) hunched over a computer.
The spine and hips might feel compressed and tight after all that time — especially if you’re not regularly getting up to take breaks and even more so if you don’t have an ergonomic desk setup.
This is a quick flow to stretch the sides of the body and open up the hips—no mat needed!
- Start in a wide standing stance with feet facing forward
- Inhale to Viparita trikonasana on the right (reverse triangle) - breathe into the ribs
- Exhale to trikonasana on the right (triangle pose) - focus pressing the chest open
- Inhale to Utthita parsvakonasana on the right (extended side angle) - stretch from the toes to the fingertips
- Exhale to shift to your left side
- Inhale to Utthita parsvakonasana on the left
- Exhale to Trikonasana on the left
- Inhale to Viparita trikonasana on the left
- Exhale back to a wide standing stance
You can also skip the breath to movement and hold each posture in this sequence for as long as needed, breathing slowly to deepen the stretch.
Do you work a desk job?
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#wfhstretches #yogaforwfh #deskyoga #yogaflow #yogateacher #beginneryoga]()
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2025-08-18 20:46:19
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![cutie patootie reporting 4 duty 🍓✨🥂🌺🌅🍒🌻🥭🌇]()
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2025-08-16 21:04:26
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![Yoga in India just hits different.
Don’t get me wrong—yoga is yoga anywhere in the world.
But over the past month I experienced yoga in a way I haven’t before while traveling through India.
I grew up practicing yoga before I even knew what it was. It was just woven into the fabric of my culture and daily rituals — and what a blessing that was.
But every time I go back to India I’m reminded of how differently community operates there. It’s a living breathing thing that ebbs and flows in perfect harmony.
It’s not without conflict and problems of its own but there is a special way about this land. The natural balancing act that occurs within the walls of my ancestral home. The sharing, caring, devotion, and disciplines that are built into our way of living.
This type of love and unity is something I’ll always be in awe of and forever grateful for.
Thank you India, and happy Independence Day - may you be free forever.
🇮🇳🫶🏾
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#indianindependenceday #yogainindia #indianyogateacher #tamilnadu #chennai #yoga #India]()
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2025-08-15 21:28:17
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![Wellness is both a personal journey and a shared one👇🏾
Yoga reminds us that self-awareness and collective connection go hand in hand.
From how we relate to others to how we breathe and move, the practice offers a path both inward and outward.
Solo practice is powerful, but community can be transformational.
🗽ATTN NYC friends: I’m teaching a yoga class this Saturday, August 16th, with mcmworldwide at their SoHo store from 10–11am.
Come move, breathe, and connect with us 🌞🧘♀️✨
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#MCMpartner #nycyoga #sohoyoga #wellness]()
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2025-08-14 03:19:13
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![Do you talk to yourself? 🤔
I don’t mean the “muttering-under-your-breath-as-you-sulk-around-the-house” kind of self talk.
I mean, do you dialogue with your mind? Pick apart old conversations, analyze your thoughts, try to peer into the depths of your soul to understand who you are?
I do.
I’ve always done this.
And this, too, is yoga.
Svadhyaya is a yogic practice of reflecting on the Self, either through internal inquiry or by studying spiritual texts for guidance.
Tools like journaling, therapy and meditation are in regular rotation for me. But lately I’ve been finding other people to be the greatest mirrors for me.
I like noticing how and why certain people stir up different emotions within me and use it as an opportunity to refine my self and world views.
It’s important to balance reflection with detachment and not let yourself get too weighed down in your internal world.
How do you reflect?
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#yoga #selfstudy #wellness]()
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2025-08-11 19:05:53
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![Braving the jungles of Kerala was not on my bingo card for 2025 😂
I’m still processing and integrating everything I experienced and learned while in Kerala. And starting to accept that it doesn’t need to happen in chronological order. I’m digesting while ingesting and will probably continue to hardwire the memories whilst I’m currently en route back to America after a few weeks in Tamil Nadu.
One of my favorite authors Pico Iyer wrote “…the very notion of home is foreign to me, as the state of foreignness is the closest thing I know to home.” and I’ve honestly never resonated with something more.
Yoga teaches me a lot about detachment and surrendering to life, myself and the process of growth. Travel does the same.
Each new adventure enriches me, keeps a little piece of me, and sends me off on my way a little wiser.
Thank you Kerala for a beautiful stay and the learnings 🌴🥥🙏🏾
#kerala #travelinspo #yogateacher]()
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2025-08-08 20:43:28
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![Our breath is so powerful and deserves the deepest of reverence from us.
It is a signal, a conduit, a connector, and so much more.
We hardly notice it day to day but it does more for us than any gimmicky wellness fad ever could.
Get to know your breath, get to know yourself.
#pranayama #breathwork #yogateacher]()
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2025-08-06 18:00:00
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![Most people never think about the last one 😂
1. Still the mind and the gaze: use your drishti (gaze) to stay calm and centered, never letting it stray away.
2. Lift from the center: Draw the navel in, pull the shoulders together and activate the inner thighs to create lightness and control from the core.
3. Learn how to fall safely! This is probably the most important skill I had to work on. Standing on your head is not a natural state (for me, at least), so I had to learn how to roll out of a shaky headstand while my core learned how to flip its control mechanisms.
Which is your favorite trick to get into a headstand?]()
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2025-08-01 22:32:06
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![Think you’re too busy for yoga? Try this 3-in-1 practice.
Pranayama, or energy control through the breath, body and mind, is a yogic powerhouse.
While it is its own reverent, standalone practice, in its own unique way it also incorporates asana, meditation, and pratyahara.
By aligning your spine, focusing your mind, and withdrawing your senses, you’re practicing three limbs of yoga at once.
Next time you’re short on time (or energy), sit down, breathe with intention, and watch how quickly you shift into stillness.]()
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2025-07-30 18:58:49
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![If I could travel 22 years into the past, I’d tell my younger self to sooner embrace yoga as an immersive lifestyle, rather than as a standalone practice.
There are many other things I’d change if I had the chance, and it’s never too late. Here’s what I’m working on now:
- I don’t consider my yoga a success only if I sweat or burn a certain number of calories.
- I don’t contort my body into uncomfortable clothes optimized for the male gaze only for them to restrict my breath and movement.
- I don’t tell people how a posture should look but rather how they might feel as they experience it (and even that is a variable)
What are you learning or unlearning about yoga?]()
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2025-07-25 18:40:34
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On average, Divya NYC Yoga Teacher Trainer gets 4.2K likes and 87 comments per post. (Historical)
