Sustainable Yoga: A Class for Life

I’ve renamed my “Functional Movement, Yoga & Mobility” class to something simpler:
Sustainable Yoga.

What is Sustainable Yoga?
It’s still functional movement, yoga, and mobility — just under a name that feels less clunky.

Really, it’s yoga you’ll still be doing when you’re 90+.

I could’ve called it “modern yoga,” “anatomy-informed yoga,” or “functional yoga.”
But Sustainable Yoga felt right.

This practice:

• Focuses on alignment that makes sense for your body — grounded in biomechanics and a modern understanding of anatomy. (Traditional yoga cues never made sense to me, but these ones do.)
• Stays within functional ranges of motion, prioritising mobility (the intersection of strength, stability, and flexibility) rather than chasing passive flexibility, which can be risky if unsupported.
• Uses movement that prepares your body for everyday life, not just for poses.

There’s less focus on what a pose looks like — we’re not aiming for some fixed endpoint.

It’s about how it feels in your body.

There’s also a fun, creative, playful aspect to this practice — often missing in serious yoga classes.

It’s never about “getting it right.”

We don’t do many traditional yoga poses — no sun salutations or sequences you’ve done a million times, but some familiar shapes are still there, adapted with more purpose.

For example, Ustrasana (camel pose):
In the sustainable version, we use a controlled lean-back from kneeling to strengthen the quads and core. It’s no longer a deep backbend — because really, when will you need that in everyday life?

This approach is intelligently applied. And deeply relevant.

We live in modern bodies, shaped by modern lives. We sit a lot. Even those of us who train regularly are still mostly sedentary. We need movement that counters that — adaptable, consistent, and woven into our daily routines.

The core principles of Sustainable Yoga:
*Boundaries*
Respect your body’s boundaries — we don’t push into extreme ranges of motion without support and readiness.
*Variety & Diversity*
Our brains and nervous systems thrive on novelty — so we explore creative, playful movement variations.
*Frequency*
We need more movement than one yoga class a week. You’ll learn simple movements to integrate into daily life.
*Restore & Support*
Rest and nervous system regulation are key to making movement sustainable — and to feeling well in your body.

But why still call it yoga?

This approach comes from Heart & Bones Yoga, one of the (best) teacher trainings I’ve done.

There were lots of thoughtful conversations in that training — about what yoga means today, and how to honour its roots while allowing for respectful evolution.

Ultimately, yoga is about union.
And that essence is still here.
The heart of yoga is still here.

When we connect to our bodies with kindness — through movement that’s compassionate, functional, and available to all — we are practicing yoga.

Sustainable Yoga is on at Embodied Soul Thursdays at 10am