I’ll be the first to say it—yoga is so much more than Asana. It’s a holistic practice, a moving meditation, a space for presence and self-connection. Some of my favourite classes are the slow, gentle ones that let me breathe deeply, release tension, and rest in stillness. And Savasana feels like being wrapped in a fluffy cloud.

   And yet… there’s a special kind of joy in going for those strong, powerful shapes—the arm balances and inversions that make your heart race, your muscles work, and your inner cheerleader voice scream.

   Whether it’s crow, Pincha Mayurasana, handstand, or a deep shoulder stand, these poses demand the kind of focus that pulls you right into the present moment, the now. You can’t be thinking about your to-do list when you’re balancing on your hands. You have to trust your body, engage your strength, and lean into that mix of courage and playfulness.

   The empowerment comes not from ‘the perfect pose’ (whatever that is), but from exploring it—finding the micro-wins along the way. Maybe you float your feet off the mat for the first time. Maybe you hold it for a few breaths longer than before. Maybe you fall spectacularly and laugh about it. Every attempt builds trust in your body and confidence in yourself.

   In the words of J.M. Barrie in Peter Pan: “The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” These lines speak perfectly to the courage and trust it takes to go upside down or balance on your hands. In those moments of flight—whether it’s a wobbly crow or a confident handstand—you feel that same freedom as the boy who never wanted to grow up. You’ve stepped beyond your doubts, found your own strength, and proven to yourself that you are more capable than you might have believed.

   Yoga Sutra II.46 states ‘Sthira Sukham Asanam’ and reminds us that our practice is a balance of steadiness and ease. Even in the fire of a strong pose, there is a way to soften—to feel grounded in strength and open in spirit. Arm balances and inversions are a perfect embodiment of this principle: strength without rigidity, effort without strain. 

   And the best part is that after a fiery, challenging yoga session, Savasana becomes pure magic. Your muscles sigh, your breath softens, and your mind melts into that deep, blissful quiet. It’s as if working hard physically opens a doorway to the sweetest rest.

   Yoga will always be about balance—between strength and softness, effort and ease, flying high and lying low. And for me, those kick-ass poses are just another way to step onto the mat, meet myself exactly where I am, and feel empowered, grounded, and grateful.

   After all the heat, the laughter, the falls and the flights, there’s a special kind of stillness that arrives in Savasana. Muscles unwind, breath deepens, and the mind becomes spacious, like a wide, calm sky. It’s the moment the whole journey has been leading to.

   As Elif Shafak wrote in There Are Rivers in the Sky:

“The making of a new self requires the unmaking of an old one.”

And this is just what it feels like—the transformative process of releasing old patterns during intense practice, coming home to yourself, body and mind, after the physical effort, and making space for release and renewal in Savasana.

💛🧿✨

F.R.Miotti