Shannon McLaren

After arriving late to a yoga class, Shannon McLaren explores where a helpful structure becomes control. She asks how groups can hold boundaries without shame, and how each person can stay responsible for themselves. My house. My rules. I can still hear that old parental phrase. Sure, for dictators! But is that actually an environment that cultivates belonging? I recently went to yoga. And I was late. There. I said it. It was maybe the third or fourth time I've been late in the several years...

Peel back the layers of who you have become, and what do you find? Adaptations. When we decided to encase our consciousness in human form upon this polarized Earth plane, we came in whole and designed to function. Then we experienced life. Relationships. Family. Culture. Expectations. Disappointments. Trauma. Love. Loss. Belonging. Rejection. And our Human Energy System did what it was designed to do: It adapted. That isn't a flaw in the system. Adaptation is intelligent. We learn how to...

Yesterday, in yoga class, I became curious about something. Why don't yoga teachers OM anymore? That's it. A question. I asked the teacher and immediately felt something change. There was a personal belief there. Something had been touched. I could feel that pushing further wasn't going to create understanding, so I didn't. But I left curious. Not about the OM. About me. Because I know this place. I've been finding myself here most of my life. I ask the question. I notice the inconsistency. I...