 Ahimsa: The First Step Toward Living Yoga When most people think of yoga, they think of poses. But the postures are only one small part of an eight-limbed path that guides us toward living with purpose and awareness. The journey begins with the Yamas—ethical principles for how we relate to the world. And the very first Yama is Ahimsa, often translated as non-violence or non-harming. What Ahimsa Really Means At its core, Ahimsa asks us to live with compassion. Not just by avoiding physical harm, but by noticing the subtler ways we may create harm—through harsh words, judgmental thoughts, or even neglecting our own needs. Practicing Ahimsa doesn’t mean avoiding conflict or silencing ourselves. It means learning to pair truth (Satya) with care—speaking honestly in a way that builds connection instead of tearing it down. Everyday Practice of Ahimsa
Reflection for You Take a moment today to notice: where does subtle harm sneak into your life? Through self-criticism? Overworking? A sharp word at home? Choose one place to soften. Why This Matters When you live Ahimsa, even in small ways, you begin to shift the energy around you. Peace becomes something you create moment by moment—not in theory, but in how you live, breathe, and relate.  ✨ Ready to go deeper?
If you’re curious about how these ancient teachings can transform your modern life, I created a self-guided program: 40 Days of the Yamas & Niyamas. Each day gives you a short video and reflection to bring these principles into your life in a practical way. 👉 Learn more about the 40 Days program 📖 Read the Book: Dancing with Our Selves: A Practical Guide to Harness the Ego and Live on Purpose — my book blends yoga philosophy with modern psychology to help you move beyond reactive patterns and live with intention. 👉 Explore my Yoga Teacher Training: If you’re ready to take the full journey of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, my Yoga Teacher Training offers an in-depth, life-changing experience that prepares you to share yoga with others and embody it more fully yourself.
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Post 1 of 18: The 8 Limbs of Yoga: More Than Poses on the MatWhen most people think of yoga, they picture postures: downward dog, warrior, handstands. But the truth is, the physical practice is just one small part of an ancient, holistic path. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali outline eight interconnected limbs—a roadmap for living with awareness, balance, and purpose. These limbs guide us from the outer world of action toward the inner world of wisdom and union. The eight limbs are:
Yoga isn’t just about touching your toes. It’s about touching your heart, your community, and the deeper meaning of your life. Reflection PromptWhich of these eight limbs do you already practice, knowingly or not? Which one feels most intriguing to you right now? Further Resources
If this post on the 8 limbs of yoga sparked something for you, here are a few ways to go deeper: Read the Book Dancing with Our Selves: A Practical Guide to Harness the Ego and Live on Purpose — my book blends yoga philosophy with modern psychology to help you move beyond reactive patterns and live with intention. Practice the Principles Join my self-guided program, 40 Days of the Yamas & Niyamas, and receive short daily videos + reflections to bring these teachings into your everyday life. Train & Transform If you’re ready to take the full journey of the Eight Limbs of Yoga, my Yoga Teacher Training offers an in-depth, life-changing experience that prepares you to share yoga with others and embody it more fully yourself. 👉 Start Here
Last night was one of those nights. Both kids were up several times, and by morning my body felt wrung out. Instead of muscling through, I gave myself 30 minutes for a Yoga Nidra practice I had recorded during a recent teacher training weekend.
As I was guided through the five koshas—the layers from the physical body inward to the place of oneness—I felt myself merge with all that is. For a little while, I wasn’t “mom” or "wife" or “business owner.” I wasn’t even tired. I was spacious, connected--not separate. And then I opened my eyes. Suddenly, separation was back: the toys scattered across the floor, the pile of laundry, the mental tug-of-war between cleaning the house or working on my business. My roles came rushing back in—mom in charge of kids, entrepreneur hustling to trade my services for resources. That sense of oneness felt like it evaporated. But here’s the thing I keep reminding myself: the koshas don’t disappear when I roll up the mat. The same wholeness is still here—even when I’m folding laundry, running ads, or trying to decide what’s more important today, marketing the book or cleaning out the junk drawer. The Reframe
Instead of grasping at how to keep that Yoga Nidra feeling, the real practice is remembering it in the middle of daily life. The question isn’t, “How do I hold onto this state?” It’s, “How can I recall this oneness in the middle of dishes, emails, and sibling squabbles?”
When Roles Pull Us Apart
It’s easy to believe the separation: that parenting isolates us, that entrepreneurship is a hustle, that clutter is proof of failure. But these are just roles and stories. Beneath them, the same oneness hums.
What helps me is pausing to ask:
From Forcing to Offering
My business coach recently reminded me (as my ego was moaning about having to learn how to run ads on Amazon) the purpose of my book isn’t to make a fortune—it’s an anchor for the rest of my work as a training facilitator and speaker. When I get grounded and centered through my yoga practices I tap into my higher self where I know I don’t have to force expansion or chase leads; they’ll come through relationship and resonance.
That reminder felt like a deep exhale. When I act from desperation (ego), nothing flows. But when I share what I love (higher self)—whether that’s guiding people through a playful Chaturanga workshop or offering a Yoga Nidra practice—I’m serving from wholeness. And that’s when connection happens. Bringing Oneness Into the Day
If you want to experiment with this, here are a few micro-practices that help me:
If this Resonates
This week, I’m following the creative urge to share two things:
And if this resonates deeply with you, consider taking it further with my Yoga Teacher Training (YTT). Whether you want to teach yoga or simply deepen your practice, YTT is a journey into the koshas, the philosophy, and the lived tools that help you bring oneness into everyday life. We explore not just poses, but the mental, emotional, and spiritual layers that make yoga a practice for living—not just for the mat. Because the truth is, wholeness isn’t found only in perfect silence or on a retreat. It’s right here in the mess of motherhood, entrepreneurship, and daily life. Yoga is the practice that helps us remember. Read more about the Five Koshas here.  Personal development is everywhere these days—podcasts, masterminds, retreats, endless Instagram carousels. People are obsessed with “finding their purpose,” “staying in flow,” and “healing their trauma.” Myself included. But here’s the thing: yoga called dibs on all of this thousands of years ago. Now, let me pause and introduce you to the two voices in my head who will help explain this:
So, let’s break down some of the big overlaps between yoga and personal development.  Brandi (ego): “So basically, all those personal development influencers are just reselling yoga philosophy with better marketing.” Brittany (higher self): “And isn’t that beautiful?!? Yoga isn’t confined to shapes you make on a mat or Sanskrit words—it’s showing up in the way people seek growth, healing, and purpose, whatever they want to call it.” So the next time you’re journaling, meditating, doing breathwork, or chasing “flow”… just know you’re already doing yoga. You might as well roll out a mat while you’re at it. The question is: do you want to keep it surface-level, or go deeper into the tradition that’s been guiding seekers for millennia? You don’t need to move to a cave in the Himalayas. You can start right where you are:
This morning, I sat down for a precious two-hour block of work time… and my ego showed up immediately with a list of all the ways I was failing. I could feel the tension in my chest:
Add in kids with huge emotions and it’s like hiking uphill with a 100lb pack on. Even though I’m lifting weights three times a week and following a health plan, our weekly date nights sometimes turn into indulgence fests—hamburgers, BBQ, funnel cakes. My house only feels manageable if I skip work to clean, and when my husband comes home, instead of being light and fun, I’m often tired and cranky. Naming the Lie So I paused and asked myself: What is the lie my ego is telling me right now? Here’s what came up:
Then I asked: What is my ego trying to protect me from?
And if that happened, my ego believes:
Shifting My State I put my hand on my heart and breathed into that space. As I breathed, I brought up a memory from last night: Adam and I at the LCD Soundsystem concert at Red Rocks. The stage was full of musicians creating magic that had 10,000 people dancing as a blood orange moon rose over the city skyline. For a few moments, I let myself relive the awe, the music, and the joy. Gratitude Anchors From that place, I named very specific gratitudes from the last 48 hours:
Choosing What Matters From there, the day got simpler. My priorities became:
Reframing the Story I reminded myself: I’m walking this steep trail with strong legs and a full heart. I can let go of attachment to how I think things should be, find beauty in what is, and trust that it is all working out. Visualizing the Future I closed my eyes and pictured myself in luxurious white bedding, in a clean, sunlit bedroom. My kids and husband are happy and healthy. We have financial abundance from fulfilling work, paid down HELOC, and support with our home so we can simply enjoy each other. And in the bigger vision, I’m standing on the red circle of a TED Talk stage, sharing my mission: To transform the way people show up at work, at home, and in the world, by helping them move beyond default patterns so they can step into an empowered, intentional, purpose-driven life. Takeaway: Gratitude isn’t about ignoring your frustration—it’s about naming the ego’s fear, shifting your physiological state, anchoring into specific joys, and taking aligned action. It’s a skill you can practice in minutes, right in the middle of a messy, beautiful, real life. Ego-to-Gratitude Reset — Quick Guide
(Screenshot or save for when you need it most)
 This post is inspired by Marianne Williamson’s quote from A Return to Love I first read this quote in a bathroom stall in my college dorm. Of all the places to have an existential moment, that beige-walled stall in Alton, Illinois was it. Collaged on the "potty notes" on the back of the door, it said: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure…” I didn’t know it was Marianne Williamson at the time. I just knew it stopped me. Because it named something I hadn’t been able to articulate: I wasn’t afraid I was not enough. I was afraid of what might happen if I actually let myself be enough. If I let myself be seen. If I let myself shine. That quote followed me out of that bathroom stall and into the next two decades of my life—through auditions, heartbreaks, building a business, yoga trainings, parenting, new love, writing a book, and building a life around purpose. It wasn’t until I started writing about the ego and the higher self in Dancing with Our Selves that I fully understood why that quote hit me so hard: It called out the ego’s fear of losing control. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Shrinking Is an Ego MoveLet’s be honest: most of us don’t consciously decide to play small. We just subtly start accommodating our ego’s fears. The ego says:
But the higher self whispers something else entirely: “What if your fullness is the very thing that frees someone else?” In my book, I describe the ego as a reactionary dance partner—skilled, familiar, but always leading from a place of defense. The higher self, on the other hand, invites a different rhythm. One of conscious choice. Purposeful movement. Embodied power. When we let the ego lead, we shrink. When we let the higher self lead, we expand. And as Marianne Williamson reminds us: “Your playing small does not serve the world… As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.” Letting Your Light LeadLetting your light shine isn’t about performance. It’s about presence. It’s not about ego-driven bravado. It’s about higher self alignment. It means:
Because when we stop playing small—not out of ego, but out of reverence for the gift of being alive—we offer others a powerful model of what’s possible. A Practice for TodaySo today, ask yourself: Where is my ego holding the mic? And what would it sound like to let my higher self speak instead? Maybe you:
• Say yes to the opportunity you’ve been quietly drawn to. • Speak with clarity instead of cushioning everything with qualifiers. • Post the thing. Lead the thing. Try the thing. Not because you’re trying to prove anything. But because you’re tired of dimming your own brilliance. The ego will always resist expansion—it’s wired for survival, not soul-level fulfillment. But the higher self knows you were born for this. This is something we unpack deeply in my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training—not just how to teach poses, but how to teach from your truth. We explore how the ego gets in the way of our growth, and how stepping into the teacher seat is really about learning to let your higher self lead—on the mat and in your life. Whether you want to teach yoga or simply deepen your practice and self-awareness, this training is a powerful container for your light to shine. The next training begins soon. Find out more HERE! To quote Marianne again: “Who are you not to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?” Let this be the moment you stop playing small. Let this be the moment you say yes. |
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