Although I’m a yoga teacher, you won’t find many yoga videos on my Instagram profile. I have typically shied away from sharing images of my own practice because my poses don’t fit the archetype.
Even when my poses are technically sound, they are not “aspirational.”
For example, even though I reinforce to my students that bending your knees in a downward dog is ok — and even preferable, if that’s the only way you can straighten your spine — my belief has been that it’s not great advertising to show my bent-knee downward dog.
Recently, I’ve started to shift that belief.
The other day, a student in my class told me he had a breakthrough. Even though I verbally cue my students to bend their knees in downward dog, he said that it clicked for him when he saw how much I bent my knees.
That transformed his pose — and his approach to his practice.
It occurred to me that perhaps showing my poses more might encourage other students — and prospective students — who harbor a belief that they “can’t do yoga.”
Similarly, in other communities people have shared with me that my willingness to share my challenges has been helpful to them by helping them feel less alone. Yet I rarely share these parts of myself publicly.
The Belief About Fitting In to Belong
Often there’s a belief that to find belonging in community we must “fit in” — to look the same as others, to have the same approach, beliefs, and mindsets.
This can lead us to temper those parts of our personality that we believe might not be a good fit, and to hide the gifts and talents — and even the challenges — that may cause us to stand out.
We may not do this consciously. Our impulse to hide is baked into our DNA. To stand out from the crowd can invite attention that feels unsafe, in a primitive way. Historically, people have been killed for being different from the dominant group.
Not everything needs to be shared, of course. Sometimes it legitimately isn’t safe to be fully visible. But there’s also value in challenging our habitual nature to shut down to fit in.
Recent events like the feedback from my yoga student have caused me to wonder whether my reluctance to be visible might actually be hindering my ability to serve in my fullest capacity.
Full Moon in Leo: Permission to Shine
The full moon in Leo on January 25, 2024 (5º14’ Leo, 12:53 PM ET) shines a light on the ways that we’ve dimmed our own light and followed the crowd in an effort to fit in, and how this can diminish our personal power and potency.
And it invites us to remember that the value of a community is not in its sameness; it’s in its diversity.
At the full moon in Leo, the Sun in Aquarius is opposite the moon in Leo.
Leo is the Sun’s home sign. It’s a sign where we are called to be visible, especially in our creative expression and in the unique aspects of our personality. Leo is the sign of actors and high drama. It’s the sign of individuality and creativity.
Aquarius is the sign of the collective, the ways in which we come together to improve society.
At this full moon, the moon sits in opposition to Pluto, which is still conjunct the Sun and now in Aquarius. It serves as an activation to this new era of Pluto in Aquarius.
Pluto is the planet of power and transformation: it shows us what needs to die in order to be rebirthed, and reveals the hidden ways that power dynamics can influence our lives.
This full moon brings light to those shadow dynamics and the ways in which we might keep ourselves small to fit in — to our own detriment and to the detriment of the collective, which is deprived of the contribution only we can offer.
Being seen in our light isn’t selfish. It can actually be the bravest act of service to allow ourselves to shine.
Embracing Your Individuality is an Act of Service to the Collective
When we allow ourselves to be who we are, when we allow ourselves to be visible in our talents, gifts, and creative expression — and even in our struggles — we get to find the places where those gifts are needed and welcomed. We show others they are not alone. And we inspire and give permission to others to step into their unique expression.
Being seen in our light isn’t selfish. It can actually be the bravest act of service to allow ourselves to shine.
Ironically, we find greater belonging not by “fitting in” but by being true to our essential nature and being willing to stand out.
By reclaiming the power of our personal creativity, potency, and agency, we can serve the collective in a bigger and more impactful way.
A community where each member feels safe to be visible, and empowered in how they contribute, is stronger, more dynamic, and more resilient.
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