Matless reflections

Living your yoga...

Let’s be honest—how many times have you walked out of a yoga class feeling like an enlightened being, only to get irritated five minutes later in traffic? Or scrolled through Instagram mindlessly right after meditating? We’ve all been there. The problem? We often treat yoga like a Netflix episode—something we watch (or in this case, do) for an hour and then forget about until next time.

But here’s the real tea: yoga isn’t just a thing you ‘do’—it’s a way of living, breathing, and showing up in the world. In my book The Daily Decrease: A Conscious Embrace of Less, I talk about this exact dilemma. We’re all guilty of rolling up our mats and rolling right back into our old ways. But what if we didn’t? What if we let yoga spill over into the messy, beautiful chaos of real life?

Yoga Beyond the Mat (Because Life is the Real Yoga Class)

1. Breathe Like You Mean It Forget waiting for a special ‘pranayama moment.’ Your breath is your built-in zen button. Stuck in a grocery line? Breathe. Email inbox overwhelming you? Breathe. Accidentally sent a text to the wrong person? Breathe (and maybe turn your phone off for a while). I once found myself in a high-stress situation at an airport—flight delayed, people complaining, chaos everywhere. Instead of spiraling, I closed my eyes, took a deep belly breath, and let it go. The guy next to me asked if I was a monk. Nope, just someone trying not to lose it at Gate 24.

2. Move Like You’re in a Flow Class (Even When You’re Not) Yoga doesn’t have to be reserved for the mat. Stretch when you wake up, walk like you own the sidewalk, and find grace even when you’re bending to pick up your dropped AirPods for the tenth time. I once saw a barista at my favorite café balancing a tray of oat milk lattes with the focus of a warrior in Virabhadrasana II. That’s yoga. It’s the way we move through life, literally and figuratively.

3. Practice the Yamas and Niyamas Without Sounding Like a Yoga Snob The ethical principles of yoga aren’t just ancient texts—they’re everyday game changers. Ahimsa? Be kind (to yourself, too). Satya? Speak your truth, but maybe not in a “let me be brutally honest” way. Santosha? Find contentment even when your oat milk latte isn’t as frothy as you’d like. Once, I was in a heated debate with a friend over something silly (who gets to pick the playlist on a road trip). Instead of proving my point, I paused, channeled my inner yogi, and let it go. Result? A more peaceful drive and an unexpected shared moment of laughter over our collective stubbornness.

4. Declutter Like a Minimalist Monk Yoga teaches us to let go—on and off the mat. In The Daily Decrease, I talk about ditching excess (mental, physical, and emotional). Because let’s face it, less drama, less clutter, and fewer unnecessary Amazon purchases = more inner peace. A friend once told me she couldn’t find peace in her home until she decluttered her closet. Turns out, letting go of those “someday” outfits was her real lesson in non-attachment. Yoga isn’t just about bending; it’s about releasing what doesn’t serve you.

5. Meditate in the Middle of the Madness Who says you need a Himalayan retreat to meditate? Try mindfulness in weird places: while sipping coffee, brushing your teeth, or even when you’re stuck in an awkward conversation (just don’t zone out completely). I once turned waiting for my turn at the DMV into a silent meditation session. While everyone else fidgeted and huffed in frustration, I closed my eyes and just breathed. By the time my number was called, I was so zen I nearly floated to the counter.

The Bottom Line? Yoga Doesn’t End When Your Class Does

The thing is simple—but who likes simple things, lol? Your yoga practice doesn’t stop when you roll up your mat—it begins when you step off it. The real test isn’t whether you can hold crow pose for five breaths; it’s whether you can stay calm when someone cuts you off in traffic. It’s about whether you can breathe through discomfort, smile at a stranger, and move through life with a little more ease and grace.

So go ahead—live your yoga. Let it sneak into your daily routine, surprise you in ordinary moments, and transform your life one mindful breath at a time.

And remember, as The Daily Decrease reminds us, sometimes the biggest gains come from letting go. So, breathe in, breathe out, and let the magic unfold. And maybe—just maybe—smile at the next person who steals your parking spot. Now that’s yoga.