I love how inspirational the yoga community is, both local and global. There are so many people who consistently inspire me as a teacher and a yogi on social media. I believe that social media is such a good source of inspiration and community for yoga and sometimes its not perceived that way. I want to share with you the yoga and wellness accounts that inspire me on Instagram. My hope for this blog category is to inspire your personal yoga practice and spread a little more kindness and support on social media.
I first started following Morgan Haley (@thesouthernyogi) a few years ago and to this day I love seeing all of her posts and Instagram stories. Her postures in her yoga photos are amazing, but what inspires me even more is how you can truly see who she is in her posts. I feel like I know her and I have never even met her in person. I love her balance of showing who she is and keeping things to herself as well, which is hard to do on social media. She is not afraid to show the ups and downs of life. She has a couple e-books out now for Ab’Asanas and I highly recommend them. I have noticed a huge difference in my core and yoga practice after continuing to use her e-book. I one day hope to be able to press up into a handstand.
Photo by @keoniology
I asked Morgan to fill out a short questionnaire to get to know her more:
What is something that everyone knows about you?
I can’t survive the day without a cup of English breakfast tea with a splash of milk.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
I am deathly afraid of crickets.
What was the hardest part about first starting your yoga journey?
Definitely the comparison game. I came from an ultra competitive background of swimming and the transition into yoga was difficult. I’d get frustrated that I couldn’t immediately do certain poses and compare myself to other yogis on IG.
How do you stay inspired in your yoga journey?
Well I’ll be honest – I’m not motivated or inspired every, single day. But I think allowing yourself space on those days where you aren’t quite feeling it instead of pushing yourself to always be on the move is what keeps those creative juices and internal fire lit. I also draw loads of inspiration from the hundreds of teachers and humans I follow online. Everyone has so much to offer.
What inspired your Ab’Asanas ebook?
I’ve always believe the foundation to a healthy body is a strong core. The root of a lot of injuries and discrepancies can stem back to not having a solid foundation to work off of. So I wanted to provide a basic, all levels guides that people from any walk of life could partake in.
Who is an IG inspiration of yours and why?
That’s super hard because there are so many, but definitely one that stands out is
@lamise. Her beauty and grace, not only outwardly but internally just shine through on her page, in her captions, when she speaks on her story. I draw so much positivity and life from her feed.
What warm up do you recommend before trying a particular pose?
Honestly that just depends on what the pose is, haha. There’s about a million different ways you could warm up the body and most of that will come down to which part it is you are trying to open up. Sun Salutations are a great way to heat the entire body in general though and start to generate that internal heat.
What is your favorite thing about the IG community?
Definitely all the friendships I’ve made. I feel like I could travel almost anywhere at this point and have a sibling face to greet me. It’s such a wonderful feeling.
Do you have a favorite mantra or quote?
I really have enjoyed using affirmations lately, and one that I’ve come back to a lot is Stay Present. So much of anxiety and fear stems from living in the past or dwelling on the future. It’s impossible to be unsettled if we are staying present in our bodies and minds.
Is your yoga practice mostly a home yoga practice or do you practice at a studio as well?
Right now it’s mostly home based. I go in and out of seasons though. Sometimes I really crave practicing around others, and sometimes I prefer to be alone.
Any advice for yogis?
It’s in your best interest to anyways have the mindset of a student. Never assume that there is someone who can’t teach you something. Everyone has a voice and something to offer.
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