going to yoga when it feels like the world is burning...

I know—I feel it too. The past few weeks (months? years?) have been brutal.

Grief is settling into my body, and I imagine many of you are feeling it too.

Since the pandemic, it’s been a relentless wave of devastation—rising costs , wars unfolding on our screens, extreme political divisions taking root worldwide. And I can’t help but wonder: with everything we understand about trauma, about how division serves those in power, about corporate greed—can't we do better? why haven't we learnt by now?

As someone who runs a business largely built around people traveling to practice yoga, I’ve been asking myself—what’s the point of that in the midst of all this? *gestures broadly*

Like many of you, some days I feel hopeless and defeated.

And then I remember: if we stop doing what we love, they win. If we stop living our lives, expressing our freedoms, and finding joy, they win. A better world isn’t just something to believe in—it’s something we create, in small, everyday interactions with our neighbors, with nature, and in how we care for ourselves.

In this political and social climate, we need weekly non-negotiables—rituals that remind us joy is possible. That peace is possible. (Mine are; daily morning walks, going to ceramics class, and swimming in the sea at least once a week)

These things aren’t about bypassing or ignoring what’s happening around us. In fact, they’re essential. It heals the spirit to be reminded of hope, love, and connection. It heals the body to hold and express anger, joy, disappointment, peace, sadness, and love all at once.

We were born into this exact moment in time for a reason. Active participation in life isn’t just a choice—it’s our birthright.

Expressing this birthright requires us to practice presence, to stay aware, to keep choosing how we respond. It’s through this practice that we begin to heal the fractures within ourselves and within society.

So go to yoga, even though the world is burning, and because the world is burning. Take care of yourself, not for your mental health, or emotional wellbeing, but because the world needs you strong, loved, and feeling resourced.