My Understanding of Yoga Today
How Yoga Became More Than Just a Practice
Anuka Dey
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My interaction with yoga spans decades—but for most of that time, I didn’t think of it as anything serious. I took drop-in classes at the YMCA, at gyms, and at a few studios. Like many people, I thought yoga was just an asana practice—a physical workout. That was it.
In 2019, I started attending a yoga studio more regularly. At the time, I didn’t have a shower at home, and I needed something to move my body. Yoga felt like a good fit. I’d take early morning classes so I could shower at the studio, get ready, and head straight to work. It was a perfect solution—practical and grounding.
Then 2020 came. The pandemic hit. George Floyd was murdered. Conversations around racism, equity, and inclusion took center stage across industries—including the wellness world. At the same time, I was doing deep anti-racism work in my school board and starting to better understand how systemic racism was showing up in education. When my yoga studio began exploring how to become more inclusive, I volunteered to help them develop their DEI plan. It felt like a small but meaningful way to channel my energy. I didn’t know how else to process the trauma of racism. Offering support to marginalized communities became one way I could fight back.
Despite all that was happening, I kept going to my 6 a.m. classes—first in person, then online. That hour in the morning became sacred. It was my one hour of silence, of peace, of anxiety-free movement and breath. I clung to it, especially because around 7 a.m., my father would be up for his medication, and I carried this irrational but persistent fear that something would go wrong and I’d get a call. That hour before became my anchor. My practice.
When my Baba passed away, yoga became even more important. I was lost. I reached out to advisors for support with finances, caregiving, and career guidance. All of them helped in their own ways, but what shifted everything for me was starting my Yoga Teacher Training (YTT).
It arrived at exactly the right moment, with exactly the right teacher. One who unpacked yoga philosophy slowly and compassionately. One who created a space for me to grieve, heal, and reconnect with my spirituality. Suddenly, the threads of my life—and the life my parents led—started to make sense. YTT helped me reclaim my faith and culture, not in a performative or rigid way, but as a lived experience.
I went into the training thinking I’d become a yoga teacher like everyone else I see in studio practices. I imagined it would be my side hustle, a way to support my mom and continue caregiving. And while it still is that, yoga has grown into something much deeper.
Yoga is now how I want to live my life.
Not performatively. Not aesthetically. Not for the ‘likes’ or the curated feeds. I want to be a voice that shows people what yoga really is—especially for those who don’t feel represented in mainstream spaces.
Because yoga isn’t just handstands or fancy leggings or flexible bodies on the beach. It isn’t just the asana. That’s only 10% of the practice.
The rest? It’s philosophy. Breath. Community. Rest. Justice. Connection. Yoga is a way to be. A way to move through grief. A way to return home to yourself.
And for me, yoga has been all of that—and so much more.
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