Small Acts of Rebellion

This time of year can stir up a lot for many of us. Memories we didn’t ask for, expectations we never agreed to, and the old pressure to hold ourselves together no matter what. While the rest of nature is preparing to rest, we live in a system that pulls us in a million different directions. It’s easy to lose track of ourselves, and for some, it may even lead to stepping away from the body altogether.

Mentally disconnecting from our own sensations is a natural response when we feel under threat. But the body doesn’t forget us. It keeps speaking through breath, pulse, tension, release. It carries the parts of our story that we haven’t been able to say out loud. And returning to it, even for a moment, can be its own sort of rebellion.

As I look back on this year’s work (you’ll see some of those moments in the slideshow below), I’m reminded that every class, collaboration, and connection was built on this same small, steady act of courage from the people who showed up. Through movement, intentional breath, and honoring choice, yoga reminds us that we get to decide how we inhabit our bodies. That alone is revolutionary.

Through the month of December, with whatever this season brings up, I invite you to notice the small acts of rebellion available to you. Maybe it’s resting without apology. Maybe it’s allowing yourself to feel something you used to avoid. Maybe it’s choosing honesty, even quietly.

These small acts accumulate. They change how we move, how we relate, how we heal. They remind us we matter. Not someday. Not when everything settles. Right now, and always.

[This blog post was inspired by the essay Tiny Revolutions by Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggets]