On Yoga and Writing

November 17, 2025

I’ve never particularly enjoyed yoga or Pilates classes because I don’t like seeing in stark relief just how inflexible my body is. But, six months ago, I started doing an online yoga program in my basement, a class of one. Something about the way this teacher presents the poses, the words and tone she uses, the way she presents the concepts, and the fact I am not comparing myself to a classful of very bendable women, has made me keep at it.

Nearly every morning, the (already flexible) cat and I do twenty minutes or so of yoga, and I am starting to really notice a difference in my balance, my posture, and even, marginally, my flexibility. I’m so glad I tried again! The tentative results and the fact I went back to try it again are both big wins for me.

Reflecting on my Guided Memoir Writing class currently in progress, I realized that my yoga journey and their writing journeys have many parallels. Part of the reason I’ve never enjoyed yoga before is that I spent a lot of time comparing myself to other members of the class. When I removed the comparison element, I was more open to yoga in general.

When I was no  longer worried about anyone else, I felt comfortable taking 60 days to do what was billed as a 30-day program. I could allow myself time to repeat days so I could master the poses. I also began to note how yesterday I struggled to use my core when I wanted to bring my hands from the floor into a low lunge, but today, I felt my abs contract when I focused on the movement. The cat definitely didn’t notice a difference, but I did.

In Guided Memoir Writing, we don’t compare our stories or writing to anyone else’s work. Everybody’s story deserves to be told, and in every session I’ve taught, all class members really understand the honor it is to bear witness to someone else’s stories. And it is an honor. I’ve learned so much from every participant. Everyone takes it at their own pace. One participant spent a lot of time thinking about that particular week’s theme and had notes, but not a 1,000 word essay, to share. The notes were as much a window into her life as an essay would have been. She needed to take that theme at her own speed, and we all respected that pace. It was her version, I think, of doing a 30-day yoga program in 60 days.

Just as I have started noticing small improvements in my yoga practice, class participants have commented that through Guided Memoir Writing, they think about the arc of their life differently. One said the structure of considering her life in themes rather than one continuous sequence of events allowed her to see her life as separate stories that are very closely connected. It’s similar to how I’ve noticed how balance, posture, flexibility, and even strength are separate systems to be strengthened individually and also intimately intertwined.  It’s a gift to be able to take time to discover this “both…and” in your own life, and I’m grateful I get to do it and help others on the journey.