The two are not often seen in the same sentence. Yet, yoga can be a great tool to have in your back pocket.

Imagine this. You walk up to the podium on steady legs, with your notes in steady hands, and turn to face the audience, catch the eye of someone, smile, take a deep breath, and begin.

• You speak from the heart, with clarity, charisma, and confidence. The audience laughs in the right places and nods along throughout.
• You make it through without skipping a beat, without needing to cough or take a sip of water, and without your voice catching or coming out weirdly high-pitched.
• And, you tackle questions smoothly and succinctly because you know your stuff.

Before you know it, it’s over. People are seeking you out to ask more about your presentation. Your boss and peers are looking impressed by your pitch. Your client is leaning in asking where to sign. The interview panel is smiling and circling your name.

And it’s your yoga practice that helped you get there.

Glad you asked! See, yoga is such a vast and intelligent system comprised of many different components.

For many of us, though, our entry point is through the physical practice of yoga – specifically the poses, breathwork, and meditation.

• Poses (asana) work to increase lung capacity and strength, meaning we take deeper and fuller breaths.
• This prepares us for breathwork (pranayama) which helps to regulate the nervous system (meaning it keeps us cool, calm, and collected).
• Meditation (dhyana) is what helps us to hone the skill of clarity and focus.

In the realm of public speaking, that means we:

• feel more grounded, less shaky
• speak more clearly, less convoluted
• keep a clear head, less confusion and overwhwelm.