Many people believe yoga is about perfect poses. In reality, yoga is about listening to the body. Over time, injuries, pain, or life changes may ask us to modify how we practice. These adjustments are not limitations—they are invitations to practice with greater awareness and compassion.

Modifying a pose isn’t giving up on yoga.
It’s practicing yoga.”

After years of teaching and practicing yoga, and navigating multiple hip surgeries, I’ve had to relearn how to listen to my body. Some poses look different now. Some movements are slower. Some days the practice is simply breathing and noticing.

And surprisingly, that shift has brought me closer to yoga, not further away from it.

Listening to the Body Is Yoga

In yoga philosophy, awareness is more important than performance.

When we push past our body’s signals, we move further away from that awareness. But when we pause, modify, or adjust a pose to support what the body needs today, we begin practicing something deeper.

We begin practicing svadyaya — self-study.

This kind of practice invites curiosity:

• What sensations am I feeling?
• Where is there effort?
• Where is there ease?

Over time, these small observations create a practice that is sustainable, compassionate, and deeply personal.

A Small Change That Made a Big Difference

In this short reel, I share one simple example of how my yoga practice has changed. Instead of forcing the traditional version of a pose, I’ve learned to use props and adjustments that support my body.

Listening to the body isn’t weakness.

It’s wisdom.

Yoga evolves with us.

Our bodies change. Our lives change. Our energy changes.

The practice isn’t about doing yoga the way we used to—it’s about meeting ourselves exactly where we are today.

Sometimes the most powerful pose we can take is the one that says:

I’m listening.

This kind of awareness reflects the yogic practice of svadyaya, or self-study. Read more here!