20-Minute Yoga to Help You Return to Yourself

We live in a world that constantly pulls our attention outwardly. There is always something to achieve, improve, fix, compare, or endlessly scroll through. Over time, many of us begin to lose touch with ourselves, moving through life disconnected from our bodies, our breath, and the quieter parts of ourselves, including our hearts. Yoga gently asks us to return. Not to perfection. Not to who we used to be. To the present moment. To self-love. For me, this understanding deepened after a life-changing accident that completely transformed my relationship with my body and with life itself. Suddenly, I could no longer approach my body with the same expectations or demands. I had to learn a new way of listening—one grounded in patience, presence, and compassion. What I discovered, through yoga, is that healing does not always happen by fighting ourselves. Sometimes healing begins the moment we stop resisting what is and start meeting ourselves with love. Yoga taught me to stop grieving the body I had lost and fall in love with the body that was still here. What I had once believed was broken, I slowly came to see as complete. As a wheelchair user and accessible yoga teacher, I now have the privilege of witnessing this journey in many others. I see students arrive at class believing yoga is not meant for them because their bodies move differently or because they carry trauma, pain, grief, or limitations. Yet the moment they are welcomed exactly as they are, something in them begins to soften. They feel seen. They breathe more deeply. They reconnect with themselves again. Yoga has taught me that self-love is not about changing who we are. Sometimes returning to love looks very simple. It might be a conscious breath in the middle of a difficult day. It might be resting instead of forcing. It might be choosing kindness toward ourselves when the world feels heavy. These small moments matter. Each time we meet ourselves with compassion, we begin to rebuild trust within. Yoga is not asking us to become someone else. It is simply inviting us home—to the body, to the breath, and to the self-love that has been waiting within us all along. Love is about creating enough space for every person to belong, including ourselves. This seated accessible yoga for self-love class helps quiet the mind so you can bridge the gap between the mind and the heart so you can return to that place of love. I would love for you to find a comfortable seat. Maybe you start rocking a little from side to side, shifting your weight between your left and your right sitting bones, noticing how you feel and finding a comfortable sitting place. Place your hands on your thighs, palms facing down, or create a mudra with your hands, or do whatever feels comfortable for you at this moment. You can close your eyes or have a soft gaze. Start noticing what is present in your body right now. Let yourself take an introspective moment with yourself, diving into your own world. Notice if there are any sensations, physical or emotional, and visit them without any judgment. Visit them with compassion and empathy. Every time your mind takes you somewhere, try to use the heart as an anchor. So you come back to the heart. You can place one hand in your heart if you’d like and feel your heartbeat as an anchor. You can raise the corners of your mouth a tiny bit as well. Start noticing your sense of calmness. When you are ready, open your eyes if they are closed and let the light back in. Start in seated Mountain Pose or Tadasana, that foundational posture where you gently bring yourself back home, back to your body. You can do that either by grounding yourself through the feet touching the ground or through your sitting bones. If it’s possible, raise your heart center a little, extend your spine, and feel the space between the ears and the shoulders, as if you’re growing taller and elongating the spine. When you do that, you feel safe in your body, you feel that you’re inhabiting your body. From being grounded in Mountain, try to synchronize the breath and the movement. Inhale through the nose, gaze up toward the ceiling as far as is comfortable. Try not to drop your head too far back. Hold it here, keep your neck muscles engaged, and have a soft gaze. Take a collective breath in. As you exhale, bring your chin toward your chest and gaze toward the floor to whatever extent is comfortable. Inhale one more time and then exhale here. Next, inhale as you bring your head back to center, and exhale in Mountain Pose. Ground yourself again. Now inhale and turn to gaze over your right shoulder as far as is comfortable for you. Feel the stretch in your neck. Exhale here and hold for another breath. Inhale as you synchronize the breath and movement by bringing your head back to center and exhale. Repeat on the other side. Then exhale and gaze toward the floor. Then inhale back to center. Beautiful. Then do the same thing with the opposite side. So take your right ear toward your right shoulder. Then with your head still tilted, gaze a little toward the ceiling, inhale here, and then exhale as you gaze at the floor, feel a lovely stretch here. And then inhale back to center and back to your midline. Take a moment here to notice how you feel. Return to yourself. Return to love. Return to your heart. Notice your heartbeat. Life is happening here, folks. Release your arms alongside your body and ground yourself as you return to Mountain Pose. Inhale, raise your shoulders as far as comfortable, and hold here. Exhale, and then release. Repeat that. Inhale raise, exhale release. Do that a few more times. Give your arms a little shake. Return to Mountain Pose and ground yourself here. Inhale and raise your arms any amount that’s comfortable for you. Exhale and extend your arms straight, palms facing down, and hold here. Soften your shoulders. Now the fun starts. Inhale and press your feet down against the floor as you turn the palms upward. Exhale as you turn them to face downward. Inhale and turn your palms upward. Feel the energy or prana all over your body. Exhale as you turn your palms downward. Do that one more time. Release and give your arms a little shake. Notice how you feel. Come back to Mountain Pose and sit straight and tall. Inhale and raise your arms any amount. Exhale and align your elbows with your shoulders in cactus arms as if you were in seated Goddess Pose. Inhale as you try to bring your arms together in front of your chest. Exhale as you spread your arms wide and broaden across your chest. Continue a couple more times, moving with your breath. Then release. Notice how you feel. Maybe give your arms a little shake. What is the dynamic way of doing Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)? Basically, you’re going to hold your chair frame or your knees, whatever feels comfortable for you. Then inhale and bring your shoulder blades toward each other as you gaze toward the ceiling and arch your back. Then exhale, long and soft, as you dive forward and flex your spine as much as is comfortable for you, exhaling through the mouth. Inhaling through the nose, you bring your body up again and broaden your chest in Cobra. Beautiful. Exhaling as you dive again all the way forward. Repeat that several times, inhaling and exhaling. As you release, take a little time here to notice how you feel. You can place one hand in your belly and the other on your heart center. Invite the silence in one more time and return to love, return to presence, return to that eternal place of consciousness within you. Always trying to be curious and compassionate and non-judgmental about how you feel. You’re going to get into a little flow of side bending or lateral flexion on each side. Let’s synchronize the breath and the movement one more time, focusing especially on a long exhalation. Try pressing your lips together and blowing like you were blowing through a straw Imagine that you are 80 years old and it is your birthday and there is a cake with 80 candles. How are you going to blow out all the candles? You’re going to use a breath that is long and soft and gentle, right? Okay, sit up straight and tall in Mountain Pose with your arms at your sides. Let’s move dynamically without stopping. Inhale as you raise your right arm in a side bend toward your right side. Feel the stretch here. Exhale long and salt through the mouth as you stay here. Inhale as you reach your right arm toward the opposite side. Exhale here. Synchronize the breath and movement. And repeat. Inhale, reach. Exhale, stay. Do that a few more times. This twist is a wheelchair and chair variation of Thread the Needle. We all have different abilities, so adapt it to your body. You’re not actually going to thread the needle. But you are going to focus on taking your body in that direction. Hold the chair frame and try to focus on bringing your left elbow outside your knee, as far as comfortable. You’re going to sit up straight and tall, broaden the chest, and raise your right arm. Turn your gaze toward the palm of your right hand. Inhale through the nose and then exhale through the mouth, long and slow. Let’s do that one more time. Then come back to center and do the same thing on the opposite side in a gentle twist, As you release, go back to that place where you begin this practice, that place of safety in your body, where you can release any tension and come back to presence. Start by unclenching your jaw, softening your shoulders, and having a soft gaze. You can close your eyes as well or find a soft gaze. Return one more time to your heartbeat. Notice your heartbeat. Come back to the heart center. Immerse yourself in love. You can repeat to yourself: I am loved. I am enough. I am safe. When you’re ready, open your eyes and let the light in, noticing how you feel. Release your arms one last time, maybe you inhale as you raise your arms any amount and exhale long and soft as you bring your hands back to Anjali mudra, back to prayer hands, in front of your chest. From this place, I close this practice. Always remember that this sense of calmness and gratitude toward life that you just nurtured is already within you.