There has been quite a lot on my mind about holding space for pain, that I want to share with you. However, it isn’t easy to streamline all of these thoughts, especially because they come from a vulnerable place.

I want to reassure you of something that is my lived experience; that it is okay not to be okay.

With a proliferance of beautifully composed and harmonius pictures in social media of (mainly lean, white) women doing super complicated asanas, with the message mostly being #positivevibesonly and a lot of times comments praising only the strength, the achievement, we may feel at a loss.

Espeially when we are not feeling strong, vibrant, beautiful or cared about.

And I will now speak in the “I” not in general terms, which actually is a great practice to lessen projecting and to see eye to eye with our problems and fears.

Acknowledging that I am not in my full power, that I feel pain and need ways, methods to come back to my center has been at the foreground of my being and practice for some months now.

When I voice this vulnerability on Instagram, often what I get in response is kind lines meant for encouragement, like, you can do it, it will get better, you are amazing and you will get over this.

Still, I find that sometimes what can be more healing is simply offering space for the suffering. Holding the pain, acknowleding it, with hopes that by not pushing it away, it will find its proper place in our existence, which is so much broader than that.

These days, I try to remind myself that I am also the entire ocean, much like I am the waves.

I want to assure you that wherever you are in life, whatever you bring to yoga class, you are welcome.

All sorts of vibes are welcome, you only need to show up. Maybe you will face some of your dark side and also realize that that cannot exist without the light, just like the light needs darkness to shine.