The Pose, The Practice

I love Kino’s videos.

When I was building my yoga practice, especially working towards poses that once felt completely out of reach, her videos felt like a gift sent straight out of alignment and into my practice.

What I particularly appreciate about Kino is the way she approaches the body. She understands that anatomy matters, that the same pose may need to be approached differently by different bodies, and that women’s anatomy can sometimes require its own considerations. She also brings an understanding of where these practices come from, which makes the learning feel much richer to me.

Yoga is so deeply woven into Indian history, philosophy and culture. Yet the way it is understood around the world today is a fascinating story in itself. I might write about that someday. The myths around yoga. What the world thinks yoga is. What it has meant within the traditions it came from. And also what gets lost when something travels far beyond its cultural roots.

But for today, on International Day of Yoga, I wanted to share something much simpler. This is the drill from Kino MacGregor that helped me build my Śīrṣāsana, or headstand, in my own practice. For anyone working towards it, I hope it gives you something useful to explore. And for me, it is also a small reminder of what I love about yoga: the pose may be the thing we are trying to achieve, but the practice is what teaches us how to get there.

Happy International Day of Yoga. 🧘🏽‍♀️

And thank you, Kino, for making the journey a little more accessible.