August Guided Practice with UB
This August, we’re honoring the element of fire—
how it shows up in the world around us, within us, and on the mat.
The heat is real. Globally, politically, personally. It’s hot in every sense of the word. And in the middle of all that intensity, fire offers us something sacred: clarity.
It burns away what’s no longer needed.
It brings light to what’s been hidden.
It gives warmth when we need comfort.
It demands presence when we’d rather numb out.
Fire doesn’t just destroy—it reveals. It transforms.
And this month, we practice letting it guide us home to ourselves. Because here’s what I know: When I’m disconnected from myself, I can’t tell what’s mine and what’s the world talking.
When I don’t slow down—when I don’t move my body, or breathe, or carve out time to listen—I lose myself in the debris of the world’s urgency. I forget what’s mine. I forget what I actually care about.
Tending to our inner world isn’t avoidance. It’s a conscious act of reclamation.
Where we place our attention, what we give power—shapes who we become. It determines how we show up, who we listen to, and whether we’re being led by fear… or something deeper.
When I make space to be present with myself, I can see more clearly:
– What stories I’ve outgrown
– What communities I want to pour into
– What causes truly require my action
– What consequences I’m willing to navigate—without abandoning myself
And maybe most powerfully:
When I sit with my own fear and anxiety, I’m not so easily manipulated by others’ fear.
This month, we practice staying with ourselves.
Breath by breath. Movement by movement.
We let the heat rise—not to destroy us, but to clarify us.
You don’t have to come perfect. Just come present. Come real. Let the mat be your ground. Let your breath be the invitation. Let your movement be the ritual that calls you back to your own knowing.
Something for you to try right now:
You don’t need a mat. Just a moment to listen.
Ember Breath (clearing practice)
Sit tall. Let your spine stack. Soften your shoulders.
Inhale through your nose for four counts
Exhale out your mouth with a long, audible haaa
Imagine the exhale clearing out what’s not yours
Repeat 5 times
Then pause. Feel the space that opens.
That’s you. That’s your clarity.
We’re not here to escape the fire.
We’re here to remember who we are inside it.
To listen. To move. To live from alignment.
To rise—on purpose.
With love and heat,
Mary and Team UB
📅 This month’s calendar is an invitation to root into self. Every day, you’ve got a class to meet you where you are.
🖨️ Download your August calendar to print, or use the clickable version to start your practice today.
💬 Tell us what’s helping you stay rooted this month @theunderbellyyoga.
