I Walked Into a Yoga Class... & Felt Like I Didn't Belong

In this episode, I share a personal experience from a Yoga class I took while visiting Curaçao that completely caught me by surprise. Although the class was beautiful, the teacher was wonderful & the location was breathtaking, I walked away reflecting on something I never expected to feel as a Yoga teacher: the feeling that I didn't quite belong. That experience made me think about the invisible pressure that can exist in Yoga, not because anyone creates it intentionally, but because of the stories we sometimes tell ourselves. Whether it's feeling like we don't have the right clothes, the right flexibility, enough experience or that we simply don't look like "a Yoga person," many of us carry quiet doubts before we even step onto the mat. In this episode, I explore why that feeling exists, how Yoga can help us notice it without judging ourselves & why belonging has much less to do with fitting in than we often think. Highlights include: ● Why I unexpectedly felt out of place in a Yoga class despite teaching & practicing Yoga every week. ● How the pressure to fit in often comes from ourselves rather than from the people around us. ● Why the invisible pressure in Yoga goes far beyond clothing & can show up as worries about flexibility, experience, age or confidence. ● How becoming aware of these thoughts is already part of the Yoga practice. ● Why I am so grateful for the welcoming Yoga community we've built on Bonaire & what we can all do to help others feel that they belong. SHOW LINKS: ● Join the Yoga Life Lab with 7 days for free in June: Life Lab Membership ● Connect with Gwen on Instagram If you've ever wondered whether you were flexible enough, experienced enough or simply "the kind of person who does Yoga," this episode is for you.