Yoke Yoga App is Here

I’ve been waiting to share this exciting news for so long, and the day is finally here!

Come join me for an incredible wellness experience on the Yoke Yoga App 🙌

I just uploaded a free class that I created exclusively for Yoke Yoga, all about why the physical practice of yoga is still important even though it’s just one part of living yoga. This class will help you to link your breath with your movements in order to attain a deeper state of awareness.

When you download the app, you can scroll through a beautiful, diverse collection of yoga and wellness content for free. Plus, for your first two weeks, enjoy ALL ACCESS to their premium content absolutely FREE!

Download Here and Take My Class!

Yoke Yoga is

• ALL the fun of social media… without the risk of doom-scrolling

• ALL health and wellness, ALL the time! (as opposed to wealth and hellness 🫠)

• ALL bodies and identities are welcome and celebrated

This app gives you access to a world of yoga and wellness, at your fingertips. You can find practices on-demand, whenever you need a lift. Yoke makes it easy to incorporate yoga into your daily life. And the best part is that this app is built firmly on the belief that all bodies deserve access to wellness – beyond diet culture, beyond impossible beauty standards, beyond watered-down yoga. I’m truly so grateful to be part of this.

I hope to see you inside!

The Yama Everyone Avoids Talking About

The first limb of yoga, the 5 yamas, are yoga ethics. Almost everyone is on board with non-violence (ahimsa), truthfulness (satya), not stealing (asteya) and not being greedy (aparigraha), but a lot of us like to ignore this last one… celibacy? Nobody likes to talk about brahmacharya. Some translations I’ve seen for this yama include abstinence or the reining in of sexual energy, but moderation in “sensual” activities doesn’t have to mean sexual. It’s literally about avoiding succumbing completely to your five senses.

I was taught that it means turning inward instead of having quick, knee jerk reactions to stimulation of your senses which can cause us to depend on certain crutches that aren’t serving us. Practicing brahmacharya helps us to find freedom from these dependencies, or at least practice balance when it comes to them.

I definitely experience overstimulation as a parent and am quick to just put on YouTube or a video game for the kids when that wasn’t my original plan. Don’t get me wrong. We fully use screens as a third parent sometimes, but I’d like to find more balance, do it less often, and keep from having that be my immediate first reaction. I’d also like to be more mindful about the books my kids read and the movies they see and to be more moderate about the screen time so that they don’t get sucked in and disassociate. I want to teach them to be mindful and focused on the important things that truly deserve their attention, like their relationships with friends and family, instead of tuning us out when we try to talk to them when they’re watching something. I want them to save their energy for their true friends instead of worrying about trying to please kids who maybe aren’t the nicest to them or who don’t seem interested in being their friend in a mutually supportive relationship. This mindful spending of our limited amount of energy can create the balance and benefits we find through brahmacharya.

Fundraiser for Relief in Palestine

As a US citizen, I’m disgusted that my tax dollars are continuing to support the genocide of Palestinians. If you’d rather spend your money to help refugees in Palestine, join me for a donation based Zoom yoga class on Thursday, 2/8 from 6-7pm EST. Pay what you can, and all proceeds will be donated to unrwa to send relief to Gaza. You can Venmo me (@Emily-Haight-5), and I’ll be posting receipts so that you know your donations are going to the right place. You can also donate directly here, especially if you can’t make class but still want to help. If you are attending live on 2/8, just send me an email, and I’ll send you the Zoom link for the class – a gentle vinyasa flow.

Yama (yoga ethics) include ahimsa (non-harm), and (asteya) non-stealing. As of February 2nd, over 27,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli and United States governments since October 7th. Over 66,000 have been injured, and according to The World Health Organization, there are NO FUNCTIONING HOSPITALS left in Northern Gaza. C-sections and amputations are being performed without anesthetics. Lives that could’ve been saved with proper medical resources have been lost. Right now, 500,000 refugees in Gaza directly face starvation.  Everyone on this planet has a right to life. Free Palestine. Ceasefire now.

I’m Launching Live Vinyasa Yoga Classes over Zoom!

I’ve been thinking about teaching online yoga classes for years now, and I’m finally offering biweekly classes starting 3/4! Live classes will take place Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6-7pm EST, but recordings of classes will be available for 3 days if you can’t make it live.

In class you’ll build strength, flexibility and awareness. Experience a moving meditation as you link your movements to your conscious breath to set aside thoughts that aren’t serving you and work towards a clear, more discerning mind. Your practice is YOURS. I’ll offer suggestions, but I encourage you to take movements and breaks as YOU need them and to take what serves you and leave what doesn’t.

Your first class is free, and then single classes are $12 each. A 10 class pass (also available as a gift card) is $100. Equity pricing is also available, half price for BIPOC. Email me to sign up.

I truly can’t wait to practice with you!

Beyond Instagram: Discovering the Deeper Philosophy of Yoga in 2024

We all know that yoga has been around much much longer than social media, but I didn’t always know (along with many others I’m sure) that yoga is not about physical hypermobility and amazing abs. It’s not about competition or performance. Yoga is a science that gives us the tools to work towards freedom and happiness for ourselves and for EVERY. ONE. Yoga is not exclusive to any body type, gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, physical or mental capability, etc.

Yoga is a way of life. It’s an ancient practice from the Indus Valley cultures that informs how we move through the world from how we interact with others to how we honor our authentic selves. "Yoga" comes from the Sanskrit verb, "yuj," meaning to yoke or unite. Through yoga, we learn to unite our minds and bodies and spirits, to unite with our true selves, and to unite with others in the spirit of diversity and inclusion.

The study of yoga is not about learning proper alignment in poses. Yes, a safe movement practice keeps us limber and physically and emotionally healthy, but yoga philosophy offers so much more than just āsana (the physical practice). Ancient texts like The Yoga Sutras and The Bhagavad Gita offer guidance for how to change our lives in positive ways by evaluating our ethics, using breathwork, learning how to focus and be discerning about how and where we spend our energy, and more. The goal of yoga is to create personal and collective change for the better. If you’re starting a yoga practice this year, great!! I encourage you to take it further than an exercise class and see what kind of positive changes you can make for your mental health, your community, and even the world.