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Pride! Be Who You Are Happy Pride! Every June, in honor of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising, people across the country come together to celebrate the lives and experiences of the LGBTQIA+ community. This year, a record number of anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced in state legislatures. This threatens equal rights.

I’ve worked with thousands of young people for 18 years. I’ve seen them find their voices and express who they are. Yoga helps us accept ourselves, and others, for who they are vs. who we, or society, wants them to be. How?

Physical practice - yoga gets us into our bodies. It’s an opportunity to get to know yourself, your limitations and your aspirations. Knowing your body helps with acceptance and transformation through strengthening postures. Knowing yourself = loving yourself.

Mindfulness practice - attention to what matters to you also comes with yoga. Tuning into your senses brings awareness to all that you do. The yoga sutras are practices to live by beyond the mat like truthfulness and ahimsa which is: do no harm.

Meditation practice - sitting in stillness creates a space to listen to your inner self vs. being ruled by the outer world. Tuning into your breath and allowing your intuition to guide you creates a sense of "Knowing” where your instincts can help you lead a fulfilling life.

These practices are a way of life. They can lead us to our personal purpose and power to achieve and lead our lives individually and collectively - a life of acceptance that honors diversity and unites us. Love is love, and that starts with you.