Michelle Finlay Yoga

05/05/2026

Mini rant.

I wouldn't normally share something like this but I get asked about it by new yoga teachers a lot. Earlier this week I saw a post by .tribe.yoga on this conversation and left a comment that I then shared in my stories.

All of you who commented are yoga teachers who are no longer or who have never been registered with Yoga Alliance.

In the past I've butted heads with teachers who think I'm wrong. And that's OK, each to their own opinion.

But as I say in the video, if you're a new teacher considering registering please ask yourself what you get from it.

I can't say it any more clearly, they are not a governing body for yoga, they are not a regulator, they don't check up on schools registered with them and your students don't know or care whether or not you pay your annual fee to an organisation that let's you have a shiny badge in return.

But don't take my word for it, as they say... do your own research.

05/05/2026

If Asana is a big part of your yoga practice I just want to remind you that it doesn't matter what you do.

The shapes that you make with your body are not that important

What's important are the choices that you make as you move And where these choices are coming from

Are they from an awareness of today's body?

Or are they coming from a place of feeling obliged - like you should be doing something a certain way?

Examining this can be a beautiful part of your yoga practice and can lead you to deeper insights about yourself, your patterns and what influences you.

For example, do you feel pressure to conform to the group status quo when in a group class?

Is it uncomfortable to not do what you’ve always done?

Yoga invites us to lean into discomfort on these levels, way beyond the physical.

01/05/2026

If yoga is something you’ve only ever done on a mat in yoga pants, you could be missing out.

Sure, yoga can be practiced on a mat. There’s also a lot that happens on the mat that has nothing to do with yoga.

The yoga sutras say that yoga is the restricting of the movements of the mind. And the Gita says that yoga is an even state of mind, whether succeeding or failing.

Neither of these mention making shapes with your body. Can making shapes with your body be yoga? Yes, of course. But not necessarily.

Picture this: you’re at your usual class, going through a sequence of asana. You know the poses, follow the flow. But mentally, you’re writing a shopping list, re-living an argument, and thinking about what you should’ve said to that di****ad who cut you up in traffic on the way to class. All of a sudden, everyone’s lying down—it’s time for Savasana.

Vs.

You’re somewhere else—sat in a chair, in your garden, on a bus, or in a waiting room for an appointment. You choose something to pay attention to - a movement of your body and subtle shift in sensation, a sound, or your breath. You realise your mind has wandered, re-living that traffic incident, but now you notice and gently return to the thing you chose to focus on.

The first scenario may look more like yoga from the outside, based on what you’ve been conditioned to think. But is it really?

Let me know what you think in the comments. Does your yoga practice consist of just asana? Or are you exploring other possibilities?

01/05/2026

After a short break, this class is back on Tuesday 5th May! Excited to see you all again. Please share.

25/04/2026

Lou's Pranayama classes are 💚🥰🙏🧘‍♀️

A Breathing Space

It would be great to see you at my next pranayama class at Yoga Blend on 3rd May 😊 My classes there are still free but as some people have expressed that they would like to make a donation, going forward there will be a little box at reception if you would like to contribute to the running costs. BUT there is absolutely no pressure to do so - it is an honour and a privilege to share the practices irrespective of whether you make a donation or not 🙏

22/04/2026

Have you ever thought that fancy poses equates to an "advanced" yoga practice?

Maybe you've seen people pop up into a forearm stand effortlessly or achieve the splits with a serene expression on their face? You may have put these people on a pedestal or thought to yourself that they are somehow superior because of these physical abilities?

They're not.

Mastering a physical position with your body has nothing to do with yoga per se.

Maybe you're someone that can do these things. You may have worked hard to get the pose, only to realise that once it's achieved, nothing really changes on the inside bar a sense of having done it.

This is because the yoga runs deeper than what you do with your body.

Let's stay with a mat-based practice example to demonstrate what I mean.

You're in class and there's a lot of down-dog to plank movement happening. You notice a pain in your wrists. It wasn't there yesterday. It's here today. It's begging you to pay attention.

Do you ignore it and continue and end up in more pain?
Or do you honour the reality of what you're experiencing and do something different?

What's more "advanced" here? Ignoring a signal from your body that there could be a problem or responding to the moment as it is and choosing not to do the thing causing pain and potential harm?

This is the Yoga - being faced with options and considering which is the most well-informed choice you can make.

What's more valuable when you leave your mat? Knowing you've mastered a party trick or knowing you can trust yourself to make wise choices?

This is yoga beyond poses.

From behind the lens of the pose and physical practice, there's a deeper story occurring in your mind, habits and patterns.

An advanced yoga practice helps you see your patterns and refine your habits to work for you rather than against you.