Hello February 2026

If you aren’t familiar with the song “Anxiety” by the American rap artist Doechii, it’s worth a listen. In it, she sings about how anxiety silences, and that idea caught me for a moment. I was reminded that fear not only stops one from acting, but at its core, stops one from speaking and revealing one’s true self.

Sure, when you’re nervous about presenting or meeting someone, you might have trouble expressing yourself. You “present” a self that is expected, and this one might not be the way you usually are. But when interactions inhibit your voice: your throat closes, your blood races through your veins, the physical sensation becomes so overwhelming that it silences you.

Yoga is a way to return to yourself and your voice. As Patanjali puts it “the true self abides in its own nature” (“The Yoga Sutras,” 1.3) How can ease with yourself, in your own nature, serve both you and others? This unfolds through the eight steps of yoga practice.

1,2. The individual and social attitudes anchor one in ways to be respectful and live together.

3, 4. The physical and breathing practices free one of physical bindings that inhibit movement and perspective.

5. Withdrawing from the importance of external input builds confidence, while

6. Effortless concentration steadies one from within.

7. With steadiness, you can return to yourself and find your voice in meditation.

8. All these steps bring humility as you realize you are not the only one struggling with the previous challenging steps.

When anxiety threatens to silence, taking some time to return to yourself within the bounds of yoga (and believe me, those bounds are fairly strict) restores agency. It’s within you that you gain the strength to express yourself. All you have to do is return to it.