When You’re Up Against the Elements (and It’s Not Just the Weather)

What yoga teaches us about finding calm when there is so much out of our control

your body is keeping the score

whether you're listening to it or not

Living in the mountains means being a little more "up against the elements" than many other places. Weather shapes our days in a way it simply doesn’t in flatter places—the rugged terrain the we love about this place shapes weather differently. Rather than seeing that as a disruption, I see it as one of the ways mountain life invites us to live more seasonally, and to practice meeting reality as it is.



There are moments when life feels a little less cooperative than usual. The weather turns. Schedules are uncertain. The ordinary rhythms that help us feel steady start to feel wobbly.

Even when nothing is technically “wrong,” - even if our needs are actually currently met - the body senses a shift and responds in kind.

So when there is a looming weather forecast reminding us the fragility of our situation no matter how stable we might be - how easily and quickly we could end up "up against the elements", it is a good reminder to practice our calm outside the carefully curated environment of a yoga studio

It is tempting, even automatic, to fall into some version of fight / flight / freeze / fawn, which shows up in very ordinary ways: immediately become aggressive, avoid, sink into overwhelm, or try to fix everything for everybody else.

Sitting still is HARD ugh ~ but with practice it gets easier

If you’re reading this and already feeling twitchy or annoyed or like you should be doing something else, that’s okay. Just notice how you’re sitting right now. Notice your feet, or the weight of your body where you’re supported. You don’t need to change anything yet—just clock it. Noticing IS the practice.

I'm writing this to you from under a blanket on my couch with a cuppa homemade cappuccino while listening to my husband and children sing along to frozen(yes the disney movie, and yes I was also surprised at how many words my husband knew to the songs) 

So when I say I'm sending you cozy vibes - I hope painting that picture invoked what I'm talking about 🥰🧣☕️

2024 me (when we first opened the yoga barn) didn't like to cancel classes for ANYTHING

Looking back, I think I conflated "caring about the community and this work" with deeply conditioned hustle culture (which boils down to contagious nervous system dysregulation)

I have had mixed requests this week with equal comments saying:

❌"please go ahead and cancel class so I can plan ahead"

and

✅ "I'm still planning to come Sunday and would prefer to only think about cancellations once we see what happens"

honestly both are valid approaches because different things make different people's nervous systems feel safe

Aha! that's what this is really about. it's not really "what is going on with the weather" ~ all the storm prep that has been the talk of the town this week is more about what makes folks nervous systems feel safe

AND you can't make everyone feel settled with the same solutions because we are as unique as snowflakes ❄️ 

I'd like to set the record straight: I was ALSO frantically buying milk and bread but NOT for milk sandwiches 🥛 🥪 

The bread bags are to go over my socks inside my shoes when I go outside to collect the snow for my snow cream - and that's what the milk is for 😉 (still wishfully thinking itll be more snow than ice)

but I digress.

I'm just pointing out that even as a 15-years-of-practice-yogi I also felt the impulse to FREAK OUT all week, especially when traffic was chaotic and the energy at the gas station / grocery store was electric.

The dysregulation is contagious.

You’ve probably felt this before without having language for it. One stressed driver, one frantic conversation at the store, one tense group text—and suddenly your own body is on edge.

Without naming it, this is where negative coping skills (cussing someone in traffic out, doomscrolling, numbing with food or substances, seeking to control things that aren't ours to control, etc) run rampant.

For me, this shows up most clearly in my role as a business owner.

When I'm getting equal requests between CANCEL CLASSES RIGHT NOW and UGH I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'D DO THAT WHEN NOTHING HAS FALLEN YET

(I might've had these mixed feelings when my kids school went ahead and canceled Monday before a drop had fallen from the sky)

That is dysregulating as a business owner because realistically, y'alls opinions are directly tied to my livelihood

So I want to point out something that applies to my decision to cancel AND I hope whatever you are feeling around all this:

• The strongest nervous system in the room wins

When our resources feel threatened, literally or figuratively,

Whether it is because of the weather cutting us off from access to warm safe shelter, food, water etc (something our BODY REMEMBERS from helene even if our brain tries not to think about it)

Or because something is going on at work affecting MONEY (money = access to resources in the primal part of our brains)

Our nervous systems get dysregulated

with me so far? threat to resources ➡️ nervous system dysregulation

even if you try to ignore it.

BUT, big ol but 🍑, as I'm SURE you've heard me say in class, NERVOUS SYSTEM DYSREGULATION IS NOT THE ENEMY

exhibit A: exercises is a beneficial form of nervous system dysregulation.

it is literally the exact same physiological response as getting stressed at the grocery store as you prepare DUEL over the last loaf of bread

It only becomes a problem if you don't know how to down-shift

When the body is on alert, asking it to simply"relax" can feel like being told to stop flinching while something is still moving toward you. The impulse to fidget, scroll, reorganize, or push through, is NORMAL. It is OKAYYY if you catch yourself falling into these responses. In fact, catching yourself dysregulated means you know what it feels like.

THAT is exactly where the magic happens: recognize dysregulation ➡️ use your tools to downshift

Down-shifting doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are a few places to start—take one, don't overthink it, and ignore the rest.

Start with orientation.

Before changing anything, take a moment to notice where you are. The temperature of the room. The weight of your clothing. The most consistent sound you can hear. Let your attention rest on something solid and ordinary. This helps the nervous system register that, right now, you’re supported.

Work with the breath, gently.

You don’t need to breathe deeply or dramatically. A slightly longer exhale than inhale is often enough to cue the body toward settling. Even two or three slow breaths can make a difference.

Choose grounding over stillness.

If sitting quietly feels agitating, that’s useful information. Regulation doesn’t require immobility. Folding laundry, standing at the counter with both feet planted, or letting warm water run over your hands can be more effective than trying to force yourself into rest.

Reduce the size of the day.

On unsettled days, fewer decisions and fewer expectations can be deeply regulating. Letting the day be simpler than planned isn’t giving up; it’s responding intelligently to conditions.

None of this fixes the weather, or how other people behave, or anything else. It just helps your body register that, right now, you’re okay.

If you'd like to be guided through a practice to cultivate internal safety, you can also check out some guided meditations I have on insight timer (my fav meditation app!)

like this one: Do It Scared: Coexisting with Fear Meditation

so all that is to say:

I hope you use the tools of yoga to chill tf out and cultivate nervous system safety when your resources feel threatened because of the current um...climate (literally and figuratively)

because CALM is ALSO CONTAGIOUS

calm DOESN'T mean being an airy fairy

it doesn't mean spiritually bypassing

it doesn't mean ignoring realities

calm DOES mean slowing your breathing and not letting the dysregulation win

if you are more rooted in your calm than others are rooted in their dysregulation, THE STRONGEST NERVOUS SYSTEM IN THE ROOM WINS.

• let your calm be stronger ❤️‍🔥

Yoga was never meant to be something that only happens in ideal conditions. It’s a framework for meeting reality as it is—especially when plans change or circumstances don’t cooperate.

Sometimes practice looks like moving together in a warm room. Sometimes it looks like staying home, choosing safety, or tending to what feels most basic and human: warmth, nourishment, connection.

Cancelling a class or shifting a plan doesn’t mean the practice stops. It means the practice changes form.

Learning to recognize those moments—and to respond without self-judgment—is part of building real resilience. The kind that doesn’t rely on pushing through, but on knowing when to adapt.

When you’re up against the elements, inside or out, it’s worth remembering that your body is not working against you. It’s asking for conditions that allow it to settle and stay well.

That, too, is yoga.

you got this. stay cozy.

don't come to class tomorrow, but do let me know if you need anything.

much love,

💓 Rose