A colleague of mine is spending the weekend on a training day for her yoga teacher course. During a break at work, we got chatting about how she’s finding it. She mentioned that they’re about to dive into the Yamas and Niyamas.

I had to admit, in that moment, I couldn’t quite remember the details or the deeper meaning behind that part of yoga philosophy. Back when I trained, I remember the sinking realisation that learning to teach yoga was so much more than just asana—or in layman’s terms, striking a pose. It was about the heritage, the philosophy, and the way of life that underpins the practice for so many. For others, of course, it’s simply a good stretch …and nowt wrong with that either.

Still, the conversation gave me a little nudge to explore (if only briefly) those yoga concepts again. To be fair, it did give me a helpful shove as I announced I’d be practising for two hours this weekend and immediately talked my colleague into keeping me accountable.

Sure, I’ll read up on the Yamas and Niyamas, but what’s really calling me right now is the tightness running through my body after getting back into running and karate. So my current philosophy? Bring balance to the force I’ve been putting my body through—with some much-needed stretchy yoga practice for more holistic wellbeing.