21/06/2026
Celebrating International Yoga Day, I wanted to share one of its most valuable teachings.
In our asana practice, we create space in the body through flexion and extension: we feel the spine lengthen, the chest and ribcage open, and our breath become deeper and more expansive.
This month, that physical opening has served as a metaphor for working with non-reactivity.
We perceive the world through the lens of our own experience. Our identity, values and preferences act as filters, creating an interpretation of reality that, many times, does not match what is actually happening.
“They haven’t replied because they don’t care about me”, “the person in front of me in the queue is so annoying”, “I’m sure I won’t be able to do it”… and so many other stories we create in our minds every day.
But when we create space between an experience and our reaction, when we momentarily let go of our preferences or our need to be right, we become able to look with more curiosity and less judgement, with discernment and understanding.
Because understanding does not mean always agreeing. Especially at a time when hateful discourses are becoming normalised in public life, it is important to remember that we can stand against them without losing our ability to observe and understand.
Creating space — the same space that a single breath takes — means being able to look beyond our first reaction and recognise that there may be something we still cannot see or understand.
And from that space, we allow understanding, empathy and compassion to arise.
Happy International Yoga Day ✨