Off the Mat
A Journal share from Humble Haven Teacher, Margo Tacey
“Maybe you have heard the phrase, “How you practice on your mat, is how you practice off your mat”, which reminds us that what shows up in our yoga practice is often a reflection of what is showing up in our lives. So, how can we use this avenue of self-reflection to take action in our worlds?
Like many others, when I first started practicing yoga, I saw it merely as a physical practice. One that got my heart pumping, sweat dripping and helped me to sleep at night. Once I found it, I dropped my gym membership and began practicing hot power yoga nearly every day at my home studio, Down Dog Yoga. Several months into my new routine, I was surprised to find myself consistently weeping in resting poses like half pigeon. A bit concerned and very confused, I approached my teacher, Alison Adams, after class one day. With tears still streaming down my face, I asked her what she thought was going on. “It’s working. Keep coming”, she said.
What I can see clearly now is that the practice was showing up for me as a mirror, forcing me to look at decisions I was making and really feeling the impact it was having on my life. While resting in pigeon pose, there was space for me to really see and feel the disconnection, shame and the discomfort I was experiencing in my life. In contrast, off my mat, the moments I felt any of those emotions, I quickly ran from the discomfort. Yet, the discipline of the practice kept me in self-reflection on my mat and ultimately into action off my mat.
My yoga practice was the catalyst for me to move to Richmond to study social work, to end toxic relationships, repair other relationships and to get real with myself about the ways in which I was playing victim to my circumstances.
Thirteen years since that first tear-soaked pigeon, my life feels more congruent than ever with who I want to be and what I want to do in this world we share. I serve as a therapist helping people navigate life after trauma. I sit in leadership positions creating system change in education, social services and wellness and I have taught hundreds of people the practice and teachings of Power Yoga. In each of these roles, it is not my training as a leader, my training to become a Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Registered Play Therapist that has been my anchor, but my personal yoga practice.
“What I can see clearly now is that the practice was showing up for me as a mirror, forcing me to look at decisions I was making and really feeling the impact it was having on my life”
I am now in private practice with my business Upstream, LLC. The name comes from Desmond Tutu’s quote “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.” Still many days, going upstream for me feels like the discomfort of staying in pigeon pose and noticing what it's teaching me.
Through Upstream, I offer therapy, coaching and consulting to individuals, families and organizations. Whether it’s teaching a client breathwork (pranayama) in a therapy session, inviting in opportunities for self-reflection and personal growth in organizations I consult with (svadhyaya), coaching leaders on ways to create cultures of compassion and empathy (ahimsa), or helping people to let go of stories and beliefs that no longer serve them (aparigraha), my yoga practice is at the foundation of everything I do.
Not surprisingly, yoga also guides me in my personal life. The concentration and presence it takes me to fly fish, the patience it takes to parent and the self-reflection that is required in my relationships are all skills I have practiced on my mat, and then invited into my life. Yoga is one habit that I can confidently say will continuously both push me and comfort me. One that I will practice for the rest of my life.”
For more information on Margo’s offerings or a complimentary consultation, please visit her website at: letsgetupstream.com.
About Margo
Margo uses her physical practice on the mat, as a way to check in with what is going on off the mat. Growing up as a competitive gymnast, Margo fell in love with the strength and endurance that the challenge of power yoga gives her. However, after completing Level One with Baron Baptiste, she experienced a transformation in her personal power, recognizing her ability to create a life that nourishes her. She supports and encourages her students to push past discomfort and into possibility.
Margo received her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at her home studio, Down Dog Yoga a Baptiste affiliated studio in Washington D.C. and is currently working towards becoming a Baptiste Certified Instructor. She is also certified to teach yoga to children of all ages and uses her yoga philosophy in her clinical work as a child therapist in her day job.