Yoga is Holistic.

As a yoga teacher, I’m constantly reminded that I am, and always will be, both a teacher and a student. Recently, I decided to deepen my own yoga education. Partly to grow in my own practice, and partly because this fall, I’ll be supporting others in becoming certified yoga teachers. As I revisit the roots of yoga philosophy, there’s one reminder that keeps rising to the surface.

Yoga is holistic.

We hear that word a lot, but in yoga, it means something specific. It means we don’t just focus on the body, or the breath, or the mind. It means that we care for all layers of who we are. True health doesn’t live in just one part of us. It lives in the integration of all parts.

Yoga has the potential to support our physical body, our emotional landscape, our energy, our intuition, and our sense of spiritual purpose. It’s not just a movement practice or mindfulness trend. It’s a way of being that brings the entire self back into balance.

Two frameworks from yoga philosophy really help explain this: the 8-Limb Path and the 5 Koshas.

The 8 Limbs of Yoga: A Way to Live

The eight limbs of yoga come from the Yoga Sutras, and they lay out a pathway for personal transformation. A lot of people think of yoga as just stretching or flexibility, but the postures are actually only one small part of a much bigger picture.

The eight limbs include:

1. Yamas – how we treat others

2. Niyamas – how we treat ourselves

3. Asana – movement and physical postures

4. Pranayama – breath control and life force

5. Pratyahara – turning inward from external distractions

6. Dharana – focused attention

7. Dhyana – meditation

8. Samadhi – union, bliss, the state of being fully connected

When I started practicing yoga over a decade ago, my focus was purely physical. I wanted strength. I wanted core stability. I wanted abs, to be honest. It was about how I looked and how my body performed. But over time, especially after struggling with my mental health, yoga became something much deeper.

I started practicing for my mind. I needed a space where I could just breathe. I remember thinking, if I can make it through this 5 minute meditation or 60 minute class, if I can stay with my breath, then I can make it through this day. Yoga became my anchor.

Now, it’s all of it. It’s physical, mental, and spiritual. It’s what brings meaning to my life. It’s what excites me to teach, even when there’s only one person in the room. It’s what fuels my purpose. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit root “Yuj,” which means to yoke or to unite. And that’s exactly what it feels like. A deep connection to self — mind, body, and spirit.

This practice has shaped everything I’ve created. Group Events. Humankind. SEA Coaching. All of it exists because of yoga, and because of the belief that we can care for the whole person, not just one part.

The 5 Koshas: Layers of the Self

Another teaching that really brings this full-circle for me is the concept of the Koshas. These are the five layers of the self, almost like sheaths or levels of awareness that yoga helps us explore and integrate.

1. Annamaya kosha – the physical body, how we nourish and move

2. Pranamaya kosha – the energy body, our breath and vitality

3. Manomaya kosha – the mental and emotional body

4. Vijnanamaya kosha – the wisdom body, our intuition and inner knowing

5. Anandamaya kosha – the bliss body, our connection to peace and spirit

When I reflect on my own journey, I can clearly see these layers at play. First it was the physical [the Annamaya Kosha] when I focused on strength and structure. Then the energetic and emotional layers started to come alive, especially when I needed tools to calm my nervous system and manage stress. Eventually, I began connecting more to intuition, to the part of me that guides from within. And now, more and more often, I experience moments of deep presence, of bliss, of something bigger than me. That’s what keeps me coming back.

This is why yoga isn’t something I do, it’s something I live. It’s why I teach. Why I keep showing up. And why I believe so deeply in sharing this path with others.

Yoga Is the Thread

If you’re just getting started, or if you’ve been away from the mat for a while, know that it’s okay to start with whatever layer feels most accessible. For some people that’s movement. For others, it’s breath. For others still, it’s meditation or journaling or simply lying still with one hand on the heart.

There’s no right way in. There’s just the way that meets you where you are.

The practice will take you where you’re meant to go. And when it does, it won’t just change your flexibility, it’ll change your life.

If you’re feeling called to deepen your own practice or even become a teacher, stay tuned. There’s more coming this fall. And I’d love to walk that path with you.