We can intellectually grasp all the yoga philosophy in the world, but if the philosophy sits still in our minds, it stunts our sense of possibility. Bringing the philosophy to life requires knowing it from the standpoint of feeling—with the body and emotions.

Yoga is a practice born from a deep state of feeling, which begins with the breath. Where does your breath allow you to go—or not go? The breath is the means by which to mindfully confront what we try so hard to avoid: staying aware of and present with the moment in front of us.

If we chip away at all the ideas of what yoga is, we come to the essential fact of what it is, which is who we are.

Yoga is who we are at all times, whether we’re sitting in meditation or interacting in our everyday lives. The imperatives can—and do—change. What’s an imperative today may become a nonessential tomorrow.