Underestimate Yogis at your own peril. We are grossly misunderstood creatures who possess multitudes of humanity, empathy— and strength. I recently spent some time in an environment that not many yogis travel to the depths of, we usually help people heal from staying in such shadowy places for too long.

I am currently navigating the ending of a story I didn’t get to write. Filled with a Pandora’s box of emotions I haven’t experienced in quite some time. A shadow this dark is only meant to be passed through briefly, yet I stayed in it for way too long. I protected the humans in my charge. I built safe community containers. I protected everyone but myself. And no one protected me.

So now, I protect myself.

I am a yogi— yes.

I am kind— yes.

I am agreeable and easy to work with— yes.

But here’s the thing. Yogis, true yogis who embody their teachings to the core— are FIERCE. We believe in ahimsa, satya and seva. They rest at the heart of the Yoga Sutras, the 8 Limbs of Yoga.

Ahimsa— Do no harm.

Satya— Truth

Seva— Selfless acts.

This is who we are. Kindness and compassion aren’t weaknesses, they are our super powers. Dark forces that dwell within some humans do not understand, appreciate or embrace the core tenants that yogis live by and thus grossly underestimate who we are and what we are capable of accomplishing.

We are Conscious Leaders— where they are authoritative dictators.

We walk this planet with open hearts— where they travel through the world with walled off spirits wrapped in cold and calculating cruelty.

We travel through communities embracing any and all who share space with us— they insulate themselves with “yes men” and “people pleasers” wielding power over people to coerce and create the situations of malevolence where the worst of humanity can fester and grow like a toxic mold.

We live our lives in the present, feeling everything and loving deeply. They exist in fear and emptiness, waiting for the next scenario or human to exploit, extract and discard.

We are not the same. We never will be.

We are the ones charged with holding space for ALL OF IT. Every dark, afflictive and treacherous scenario is ours to hold space for. Every beautiful and vibrant moment is also ours to hold space for. We are here to move the collective forward. To move fluidly through humanity and support the collective through chaos, upheaval and change.

We stand against the dark forces wreaking havoc on our communities and the ones we love.

We stand against the nefarious actions that happen in the darkness, no matter the outcome.

We stand for something— always.

And those who stand for nothing will never understand or celebrate such actions. And while they may believe we are simply stepping stones on their path to riches and power, rest assured we are anything but a stone to be stepped upon.

We are landmines here to shatter the darkness and create cracks for the light to shine through.

We are velvet hammers.

Shout out to Tayken who recently anointed me with the honor of being a "Velvet Hammer" and explained the concept. Kind and compassionate, but ready to gently smack someone with a velvet hammer when needed. Truth. Thank you so much, fellow velvet hammer... 😉