Can yoga clothes help you heal?

Absolutely! Yoga clothes can help you heal when you pair wearing them with a yoga practice. In my personal journey of recovering from abuse and the PTSD that accompanied it, yoga and meditation have been integral tools for my healing.

As I conducted research for my book (working title “The Inner Peace Prescription”) I was determined to learn if the healing I experienced in yoga was unique to me. I wondered if the healing I found was the norm rather than the exception. You may remember from my interview with Caitlin Lanier that there is a growing body of evidence that supports the healing power of yoga for trauma.

During the 6 years I’ve been practicing yoga I have witnessed incredible healing among my fellow yogis. I’ve watched them heal from divorces, work their way into careers they love, heal from serious injuries and illnesses, overcome depression, and find their true selves.

Did the yoga clothes work? Yes!! I kept wondering why. For her expert advice and insight, I asked Yoga Tree of Boise ERYT 500, RPYT  Yoga instructor, Creator and Owner, Jennifer Knight, talk with me. Jennifer happens to be a dear friend. There is nothing like curling up on the couch for a chat with your friend about what really matters.

The series with Jennifer Knight on the healing power of yoga

Our conversation was so incredible it is going to be divided into three parts:

Part 1 (THIS POST!) – Turning judgment into discernment – This post.

Part 2 (October 24) – How to cultivate self love – Click here to view that post.

Part 3 (October 31) – Meditation as a way to put it all together – Click here to view that post.

Don’t want to miss parts 2 and 3? Sign up for my newsletter and have them delivered right to your inbox. You won’t have to remember to check social media or come back here. They will be waiting for you in your inbox!

Jennifer and I met about 2 1/2 years ago one morning when I walked into Yoga Tree of Boise to try the first of what I planned to be MANY introductory offers of 20 days of unlimited yoga for $20. I planned to studio hop. But instead,  I walked in the door and locked eyes with Jennifer and knew I’d found someone special. No other introductory offers looked appealing after trying Yoga Tree. In fact, I stuck with Yoga Tree even though it’s just about the furthest yoga studio from my house that is still in Boise. And it’s worth every minute I spend in the car.

Jennifer’s start into yoga

Jennifer discovered yoga when she was expecting her oldest daughter. Yoga helped Jennifer feel connected to her body and breath which allowed her to birth with awareness and personal strength. Once her daughter was delivered, she maintained a curiosity about yoga that eventually led her to become a yoga instructor. She started the Yoga Tree in a small studio space and focused on prenatal yoga in 2008. Yoga Tree of Boise was the fifth yoga studio in Boise at that time. As her reputation grew, so did her studio. She expanded to their current location in 2011 and even had to double that space 2 years ago to support the growth.

Jennifer says this all started with a dream. She had a dream that fills the needs of many for an entire community. The unity in the word community speaks to Jen and she has truly built a community within the studio. She says that “sharing our truth builds community”. I LOVE that statement because it is absolutely true.

How judgement can get in our way

When we share our truth, we not only share our truth with others but we admit our personal truths to ourselves. Jennifer says that judgement can be one of the biggest blocks to our own personal truth.

Sometimes we might judge ourselves because we are living in a way that differs from the way we have been raised. Judging ourselves through the lens of trying to meet someone else’s standard (our parents, our spouses, our friends, etc) can be one obstacle that we find with every blink of the eye.

Jennifer says that a great strategy to overcoming the judgement we impose on ourselves is to befriend ourselves. Ask our minds, “Is this discernment or ego?” If we are discerning, we are deciding actively what is best for us. When we are judging ourselves, we are letting someone else’s rules decide what is best for us.

We mirror the same qualities in our daily lives that are within us (our hearts). When we can *feel* beauty here (in our hearts) we can *see* beauty everywhere, including in ourselves. And that leads us to our internal language and self love, which is our topic for next week’s post. I hope you’ll join us as Jennifer talks about how to cultivate a deeper sense of self love through yoga.

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All my love and gratitude,

Brenda