Wow, this mannequin is really tiny next to me. Unfortunately, thin bodies are the gold standard when it comes to marketing yoga and yoga gear, and it leaves the rest of us feeling like yoga is not meant for us. This is why I focus on teaching yoga for people with all sizes and shapes of bodies. Everybody can benefit from yoga!

While I have you, the world needs more diversity of yoga teachers. If you have a bigger body and/or are interested in learning to teach yoga for people with bigger bodies, please see the Teacher Training tab. ❤️

When I attended Yoga Teacher Training at the KYM in India, I learned a lot more than just how to teach yoga. One fascinating thing I learned was the concept of Ashrama Dharma, which is a Sanskrit term that refers to our responsibilities related to different stages of life.

The Gṛhasta, or “Housholder,” stage of life spans from when we are young adults until we reach retirement age. During this time, according to Ashrama Dharma, our main focus should be on our duty to family and society. Wait, what?!

This threw me for a loop when I first learned about it in 2017. Until that time, my main focus had been on climbing the corporate ladder in my high tech career and on launching The Yoga Room. At one point, I even wanted to become the CEO of a high tech company. And if I’m being really honest, my kids felt like a distraction from what I thought were my top priorities.

It took me a couple of years to digest this learning about Ashrama Dharma and the Gṛhasta stage of life. It was a difficult lesson, but I slowly began to shift my priorities.

As much as I love teaching yoga, right now my kids are a higher priority. I teach yoga and work while they’re in school, and when they’re home my focus is on parenting. These days I’m not climbing the corporate ladder, but I’m content knowing that I’m adding value to the world by raising my kids as best I can.

I’d love to know what you think about this concept of Ashrama Dharma? What are your current life priorities and measures of success?

- Zelinda