Everyone has a self-image. For me, growing up as an unhealthy child who spent school years as an non-sporty, bookish kid meant I didn’t have a great one when it came to my body—not in an aesthetic sense, but in terms of physical strength and fitness.
This began to shift in my late teenage years. I joined the school tennis club and danced as a young adult, slowly gaining confidence to live a healthy, active life. Yet, an undercurrent of inferiority lingered.
Yoga started to change that. Being naturally flexible meant many poses felt ‘easy’ at first. Looking back, this was the first time I’d found anything physical easy. Running, ball games, swimming—none of it came naturally to me. I still remember pleading with my mother at the age of five to delay my primary school entry because I was terrified of swimming lessons!
As I continued practising yoga, I began to understand it’s about much more than flexibility. While I wouldn’t say I loved every pose, over time, I learned to appreciate almost every element of yoga: sun salutations, standing poses, inversions, and more.
Headstand was my first big challenge. My old lack of confidence nearly kept me from trying, but after learning an easier variation, I decided to give it a go. I practised diligently without putting pressure on myself—and it didn’t take long. Having a yoga buddy on the same journey was a great help, too.
When I finally achieved the headstand, it gave me a huge confidence boost. I’ll never forget the day my teacher, John Scott, paused the class while I was in a headstand and said, “Look at Atsuko’s headstand for inspiration.” You can imagine how I felt in that moment!
Headstand was a major milestone, but I soon discovered it’s actually one of the simpler balances once you learn it. With every milestone—whether it was backbends, headstand variations, or arm balances—new and exciting challenges opened up. And each achievement added to my self-image.
Before yoga, I saw myself as “someone who manages to lead a normal life after overcoming childhood health issues.” Yoga helped me reframe that narrative. I became “someone who can confidently stand on her head” and, later, “someone who has mastered strong arm balances.”
Of course, yoga isn’t the only thing shaping my self-image, and physical confidence is just one part of it. But by practising consistently and embracing new challenges, I’m constantly rewriting the story I tell myself. And like everything else I overcome in life, yoga adds to my confidence.
About a year ago, I achieved my first drop-back into a backbend. Backbends were always a struggle for me, but since the lockdown in 2020, I’ve been working on them consistently. I’m not boasting—there are countless yogis with far more spectacular backbends and arm balances! But I share my journey to show that with the right guidance and consistent practice, you can achieve things you once thought impossible—whether in yoga or in life.
The beauty of yoga, and of life, is that you can keep rewriting your self-image.
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