11/10/2026
I was standing on my mat, trying not to look myself in the eyes. It was a weird place to be - yoga class with a wall of full length mirrors. Like I was meant to be critiquing myself 🫣
It was uncomfortable and strange, yoga was never a performance to me to get right, but in this environment I felt that there was an emphasis on visual perfection (which was not going to happen) instead of felt embodiment (which made my nervous system feel safe and steady).
I wanted to feel confident, not look confident.
Our bodies are changing constantly, and what you could do in your 20s might not be feasible, or even safe, in your 40s and 50s.
Decades of typing mean my wrists don't always feel happy taking the weight they used to.
One of my knees feels a little odd at times, no specific injury it just doesn't like kneeling some days. Maybe yours feels a little stiff after decades of running, cycling, weights.
The change that we hear about most is stiff lower back, for no apparent reason at all sometimes.
Sometimes these little niggles knock our confidence - why can't I do this anymore? Am I wearing out??
Instead of being discouraged, it's an invitation from your body to be curious and learn to connect even deeper with yourself.
Our bodies have a remarkable ability to repair themselves and moving your body can make a huge difference to your overall health and wellbeing.
The way we see it, building confidence is about intimately knowing your body. How it likes to move and rest, where you have strength and where you need to adapt, when you need to use props and when you can move a little deeper.
Yoga plays a big role in building confidence - it helps with your mind-body connection, deepening your interoception and practicing self-compassion.
Playing with standing balances is a beautiful way to be joyful in play and also build confidence - knowing that all of the wobbles along the way are helping to build strength and wellbeing.
