On the yoga mat we train a lens on our bodies and this can be uncomfortable. In my years as a yoga studio owner and teacher, and simply a person in the world, I have come to understand how fraught our relationships with our bodies can be.

Meditation occurs in an entirely different domain than the activities of our daily life. Meditation is being, not doing.

We practice being human, our outer and inner fitness improves, and hopefully we take that out into the world with us and live our yoga.

I began yoga teacher training last January with an open mind but clear, pragmatic goals. I wanted to learn to teach so I could confidently be a substitute teacher at our studio, and to provide more knowledgeable, compassionate support for our wonderful teachers.

I got much more than I bargained for. I got something of a brain rewiring. And I’m grateful for it.

Tom Thompson’s life is about waking up from the trance we live.