down to earth

adjective: with no illusions or pretensions; practical and realistic.
synonyms: unpretentious, practical, pragmatic, humble, friendly, balanced

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Down to Earth speaks to the fundamental quality of my work. Whether offering one to one yoga therapy, lecturing to a roomful of students or facilitating a yoga retreat, I take a down to earth approach in everything I do.

I value authenticity, and I strive to offer practices and teachings with a sense of humility, in a way that doesn’t conceal the nature of my own humanness. The word humility derives from the Latin word humilitas, which means ‘of the earth’. To be humble is to be grounded in knowing you who are, to be authentic in everything you do.

Chögyam Trungpa’s words ring true for me on this path: “when we speak of being highly developed spiritually, this does not mean that we float in the air. In fact, the higher we go, the more we come down to earth.” In my line of work, I too often see spirituality equated with some ethereal, otherworldly and sometimes even pretentious quality; for me, it simply represents a deeper engagement with life as it is, a form of presence built on grounding rather than floating.

Grounding is also deeply important when it comes to nervous system regulation, which is in many ways the cornerstone of both yoga therapy and good health. So in a less literal sense, Down To Earth is symbolic of the safety we feel in nature and the regulation this inspires. It’s a nod to nature’s innate cue for the nervous system to settle when a breathtaking view inspires a deep, spontaneous sigh. It’s a reminder of the ever-present connection between our feet and the ground, between our hearts and all of life on earth.