It Was Never About the Pose
Apr 18, 2025In 2014, I thought reaching the perfect yoga poses was the goal.
I had just completed my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, believing the Certificate would make me a Teacher. That somehow, documenting 200 hours of practice would transform me into someone wiser, stronger, and more capable.
During that training, I first heard the words:
Yoga isn’t about the pose.
I nodded along. I understood it...intellectually.
But knowing something and living it are two very different things.
In truth, I still believed the outer shapes mattered.
I thought if I could hold the perfect handstand, or master the most complicated binds, it would prove something, to myself, maybe even to others.
It would take nearly a decade for that lesson to truly land.
When the Shapes Fell Away
Today, I don’t practice poses anymore.
I can’t get into the Mermaid pose you see in the picture below.
I can’t hold a forearm stand the way I once could.
And yet, I am more of a yogi now than I ever was.
Because yoga was never about the shapes.
It was about the showing up. The quiet discipline. The way practice, over time, humbles you, and in doing so, strengthens you in ways no pose ever could.
The Hours That Actually Make You
I wasn’t a Teacher because I practiced for 200 hours.
I’m a Teacher now, because I practiced for 2,000.
Because I taught when I didn’t feel ready. Because I stayed curious when it would have been easier to cling to what I already knew.
You aren’t a Teacher because you earn a certificate. You become a Teacher because you actually teach.
The same is true of Leadership.
You don’t become a Leader when you land the title.
You become a Leader when you lead.
Not once. Not loudly. Not perfectly.
But over time, consistently, through small, unseen moments of presence, patience, and practice.
Leadership, Like Yoga, Is Not a Performance
It isn’t about holding the posture for others to admire. It’s about all the moments when you practice how to lead:
-
Listening longer than feels comfortable.
-
Holding space without rushing to fill it.
-
Supporting others without trying to control their path.
-
Returning to presence, and choosing kindness, even when it’s messy, inconvenient, or hard.
These are the practices that build trust, not overnight, but over years.
These are the quiet disciplines that create real influence, not just authority. It's in the hours spent returning to the basics, the humility learned in moments of frustration, and the resilience built in seasons of invisibility.
Because in the end, becoming isn’t granted at Certification. It’s built, hour by hour, by actually practicing, teaching, and leading, not by holding a title.
Where Are You Practicing?
So I’ll leave you with this:
Where in your life are you still chasing shapes?
And where might you choose to return to the practice instead?
Because growth isn’t about the perfect form.
It’s about who you become when you practice, imperfectly, persistently, and with presence ... every single day.
Stay connected with news and updates!
JOIN the mailing list to receive the latest news and updates.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
Unsubscribe any time.
