Laura Gilmore Yoga

31/03/2026

I want to be honest and admit this took me a long time to realise!

Sharing options that suit each student is wonderful.

BUT it often still comes across as a hierarchy of poses- if you can’t do this do this!!!

Whereas when we think of the PERFECT POSTURE as being the posture that works for each person, then the hierarchy collapses!

For me the big shift came when I stopped thinking of asana as the centre of the practice, and started thinking about it as one way to deepen our awareness and train our minds.

The switch means our whole approach shifts and we genuinely celebrate all the variations and options equally!

Stay tuned if you’d like more on playful inclusive teaching (that also good for the strong bendy lot who might find settling the hardest thing!)

➡️ ONLINE OPEN EVE this evening - link in bio or comment open for the link. 💜

Thank you to my fantastic trainees for these wonderful days together!

Thank you to for the kit! (Use GILMORE10 for discount)

19/03/2026

Sometimes we feel like we always have to improve our teaching, our sequences our offerings.

But i genuinely think sometimes we need to learn to trust in the yoga. There’s SO much you know and you offer already!

We can get better at offering ourselves kindness in our practice so we get better at holding a compassionate space.

We can share yoga concepts that inspire and nurture and heal.

I’ve been rewriting the restorative manual & updating the online Restorative Somatics training and I found myself writing about this- creating space for the experience of yoga to arise!

Follow for more on restorative & Somatics and the rest!

Sending love 💜 (still in middle of teen mayhem here but it’s getting easier thank you all who asked. Appreciate you all so much.

PS thank you those who came to the live intensive and no the online is not zoom recordings from the live event. It’s all specifically filmed anew.

PPS IN CASE ITS NOT clear this is a child pose variation especially great for sore knees/ hips and also it just feels so good!

10/03/2026

Yoga practice was the first time I felt like I landed in my body & learnt to notice sensations. It was (and still is) amazing!!!

But the strict forms of yoga I started with also reinforced some nervous system habits inherited from a childhood where I never felt safe.

I am not claiming there is a problem with yoga- what an extraordinary tradition, so sophisticated in its ability to train the body first, and establish an easeful breath to steady the mind. The philosophy has also always been such a source wonder and liberation.

But in seeking out some of the best teachers- from the UK to India to the US and beyond! I also re-inforced the tendency to strive, to believe I had to work hard. To focus on form over feeling.

The shift for me came largely with pregnancy- the needing to listen to my own body and finding that inner wisdom.

Now I see the playfulness and creativity as a way to reshape the nervous system, to move on from needing to prove something to realising I was actually OK all along. This is

This is of course the story yoga also tells us! And the story I love to focus on when I teach.

Thanks for being here & sharing in these yoga stories! 🙃

Comment hub for 5 days of free somatics and restorative classes (+ creative movement) inside the hub.

Or “Day” for a taster of the 300hr training- we start in May.

Follow along for more yoga life and ideas.

05/03/2026

I do love sharing yoga & life in instaland. The chats, the sense of community with you wonderful people near and far.

But there has been so much mayhem recently it can feel hard to show up authentically.

My teaching & trainings are all about the yoga being vast enough for all of us. But insta is not really a place for depth often!

But my practice and my teaching nurture me so much even in the days when the world feels dark & family life is hard.

So big love to you in whatever you are also going through.

Follow along if you love yoga which is playful and nurturing and sometimes reflective.

Laura x

25/02/2026

I’ve put all this into a FREE guide: “6 Models of the Nervous System” it includes the Window of Tolerance, co-regulation & more! Plus practical ways to work with your students’ nervous systems in a safe, grounded, way. Comment “yes” for the Guide.

I like the window of tolerance model because it's simple and encourages us to support adaptability over just calming down.

When the world is as horrifying as it has been recently this feels more helpful.

Would you like more on the yogic models of the nervous system? Because thats where it gets really interesting!!!

Sending love. L x

20/02/2026

Here is the substack article with references to the papers:

Why the "Polyvagal Theory is Untenable"

19/02/2026

Follow for more evidence based approaches to yoga. Yogic wisdom doesn’t need Western science to validate it.
The practices have worked for thousands of years. The body-mind connection was understood long before we had neuroscience papers to prove it.

But I love exploring the science alongside the ancient wisdom - not to prove yoga “works” but because understanding how helps us teach with more clarity and confidence.
Which is why this new paper matters.

39 leading scientists just published a consensus saying Polyvagal Theory is “scientifically untenable.” Some are calling it pseudoscience.

I have described more of the debate and linked to the papers in my NEW substack account! https://substack.com/

Linked in stories/ comment vagus and I’ll try get the manychat automation working!

Love to hear what you think. So interesting to hear how many found PVT random all along! I think often it is the yogis/ body worker/ therapists who dived in deeper because it seemed to validate our work.

But of course the yoga doesn’t need validating!!! 💜

19/02/2026

I am often asked about insurance and I use insure 4 sport, they have given me a 65% off link for you to use :)

Protect yourself and your gear on one policy

18/02/2026

Did Polyvagal Theory get it all wrong? Comment “vagus” for the full blog. Those of you on my online Yoga for Anxiety & Trauma Training & the 300hr, the updates are coming!

A new paper from 38 leading neuroscientists says the foundations are “untenable.”

If you’ve been trained in PVT - the ladder of responses, dorsal vagal shutdown, vagal toning - this matters.
Swipe for what yoga teachers need to know. 👉

The good news: our work still stands. The body-mind connection is real. The practices help.

What’s wrong is the specific mechanism PVT claimed - and the fact that it pathologizes normal nervous system responses instead of empowering people.

Full breakdown on my Substack (link in bio) including what frameworks DO hold up and how to teach this more honestly.
Comment “vagus” for the link 🌿

evidencebasedyoga traumasensitiveyoga

18/02/2026

Come and join me on substack - my first article is now live!

Click to read Laura Gilmore, a Substack publication. Launched 13 hours ago.

11/02/2026

Open evening- come and hear more about the INCREDIBLE evidence based 300hr training starting in MAY + ask your questions x

Online open evenings are a very relaxed chance for us to chat and see if our courses are right for you. Sign up today to attend our next open evening.