And after 18 years of teaching yoga, from giant studios to tiny rooms wedged between office buildings, I\u2019ve realized that I always teach from the same five principles \u2014 the Five S-Words<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They are: Space, Safety, Sync, Somatic, and Story.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re not sequential steps. They\u2019re a pulsation \u2014 a living loop that repeats throughout the entire class. Expansion, contraction, expansion, contraction. Let me walk you through it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The room is your first student.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m in relationship with the space long before the first cue, the first breath, or the first piece of music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I walk into a studio \u2014 Yoga Barn, Hong Kong, New York, or some random rented community center with a basketball hoop above me \u2014 I don\u2019t just \u201cset up.\u201d I meet<\/strong> the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even if students are already there, I still take a moment to drop in:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The room has a presence. I walk around. I move mats. I adjust angles. I look at how the light falls on the floor. Because the space is my instrument. When students walk in, the space itself should whisper: This is the foundation of conscious movement. It begins with the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safety is not something you give \u2014 it\u2019s something you co-create.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The biggest transformation in my teaching happened when I discovered Internal Family Systems (IFS). Parts work. Inner child work, but with more precision and compassion. It taught me something profound:<\/p>\n\n\n\n People feel safe when all of their inner parts feel welcome.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In my classes, you\u2019ll hear me say things like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We personify<\/em> the parts. When students realize all their inner experiences \u2014 the good, the chaotic, the emotional \u2014 are welcome\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n Protection melts.<\/strong> Breath deepens.<\/strong> The nervous system relaxes.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n But here\u2019s the piece most teachers miss:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safety is also relational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a pulsation<\/strong> between Space and Safety \u2014 expansion and contraction. This is when I:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Safety is the connect<\/strong> moment. This is where the joint experience begins. When the room feels safe, we can go anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the room finds one rhythm, the magic begins.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once safety lands, the next pulse emerges: Sync.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sync is when the room begins breathing, moving, and listening as one organism. There\u2019s no formula. Sometimes Sync happens the moment I cue the first \u201cInhale.\u201d But within the first fifteen minutes, we need to find our shared rhythm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s like a tide turning. And suddenly, the class goes from: That\u2019s Sync.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s the moment where yoga stops being personal and starts being collective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeling is the teacher. The body is the doorway.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n You don\u2019t have to demonstrate every pose to teach powerfully. But you do have to feel<\/em> what you\u2019re teaching. My Somatic Flow<\/strong> class at Yoga Barn was built exactly on this principle: The question in a somatic practice is not: Somatic teaching is teaching from the inside out. Success in a somatic class isn\u2019t someone touching their toes. When I\u2019m teaching somatically, I stay connected to my own internal landscape:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the teacher is embodied, students entrain to that embodiment. Somatic work is where yoga becomes healing \u2014 not just movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Story is meaning. Story is context. Story is transformation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n My relationship with story started in my Anusara era \u2014 the style I got certified in. But over the years, I simplified it. Story is whatever is real for me that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I\u2019m working on patience \u2192 that\u2019s the story. Honestly, it\u2019s better to be on the mat lazy than on the couch lazy. When I name something, I see it. That\u2019s the power of story:<\/strong> it turns yoga into a mirror instead of a performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n And over time, your story becomes your style<\/strong> \u2014 These Five S-Words aren\u2019t a checklist. SPACE<\/strong> \u2192 tuning the room Then it loops again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is how the magic is built. And this is why people remember a teacher not just for what they taught\u2026 Wherever you teach, whatever the room looks like, however you\u2019re arriving\u2026 They\u2019re universal. And if you let them lead, your classes will always carry a little bit of that Yoga Barn magic \u2014 Lawrence Jay, an internationally recognized healer and yoga teacher, has devoted his life to the study of the human body, mind, and spirit. Born in Toronto, Lawrence now calls Bali home after extensive travels and studies in China, Russia, Hong Kong, Europe, and North America.<\/p>\n Lawrence’s healing journey has taken him through a range of disciplines. He completed craniosacral work levels 1-6 (twice) under Hugh Milne, immersed himself in the teachings of Leonid Sobolev and Ellen Heed, and accomplished a 200-hour somatics training with Tara Judelle and Dr. Scott Lyons. His path has also led him through advanced teacher trainings with Ana Forrest, and he is a certified Anusara yoga teacher. Lawrence’s varied experiences culminated in the completion of the Landmark Introduction Leaders Program, solidifying his holistic approach to healing.<\/p>\n His healing philosophy is built on creating a safe environment where clients can allow their bodies to heal in a parasympathetic state. He believes in paying attention to the intuitive messages of the body, giving a voice to the subconscious, and understanding the heart’s poetic language of metaphor and spirituality. His practices are as much about anatomical landmarks as they are about poetic and spiritual dialogue.<\/p>\n For over 17 years, Lawrence has specialized as a coach and yoga teacher. He is a facilitator of emotional release, helping people to overcome fears, move forward, and manifest their goals. His techniques incorporate breathing exercises, hands-on adjustments, and communication strategies, all aimed at establishing deep connections with his clients.<\/p>\n Lawrence has been practicing craniosacral therapy for 12 years, integrating this gentle technique into his yoga practice and teaching. One of his most memorable healing experiences involved a student suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, who, after working with Lawrence, was able to conceive. This success story epitomizes Lawrence’s belief in the transformative power of holistic healing practices.<\/p>\n Lawrence is affiliated with various professional organizations, including the Yoga Alliance, Anusara, and Prana Yoga. These affiliations affirm his commitment to professional development and maintaining high standards in his practice.<\/p>\n Craniosacral therapy, Lawrence believes, is not just a healing technique, but a way of life. It allows him to set aside his ego and bring his complete focus to his clients, fostering a sense of groundedness and contentment that pervades all aspects of his life. Outside of his healing work, Lawrence is a poet, a writer, and a performer. He is passionate about somatics and the body’s ability to hold invaluable information.<\/p>\n Lawrence’s vision for his healing practice is to share the power of the parasympathetic nervous system in both healing and learning. He sees it as a bridge from the body to the mind and vice versa\u2014a bridge we often overlook, which he refers to as energy, or spirit. Through his work, Lawrence hopes to help others understand this bridge and tap into their own healing potential.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019ve ever been to my class at Yoga Barn, you\u2019ve felt it \u2014 the room breathes with us. Bali plays its part. The open air, the smell of fresh rain on wood, the way the jungle somehow exhales at the same pace we do. But the real magic? That\u2019s something you can recreate anywhere […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":141933,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-yoga-wellness","category-all"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Like breathing.
Like life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n1\ufe0f\u20e3 SPACE<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\n
A mood.
A voice.
And if you learn how to listen, the room will tell you how it wants to hold people that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not doing interior design \u2014 I\u2019m creating energetic coherence<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like a piano to a musician.
Like a stage to an actor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can drop your armor here.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not the poses.
Not the playlist.
Not the sequencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2\ufe0f\u20e3 SAFETY<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\n
We create space around them.
We stop pretending we\u2019re supposed to show up as one perfect, smooth human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First I meet the room.
Then I meet the people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the contraction after the expansion of Space.
It\u2019s when we shift from me-with-the-room to us-in-the-room.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Where the unspoken agreement forms:
We\u2019re going to take this ride together \u2014 even into the unknown.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n3\ufe0f\u20e3 SYNC<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes it happens through:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The room decides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes it takes 10 minutes.
Sometimes it takes music to thread the room together.
Sometimes it\u2019s silence that does it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can feel the energetic gravity of it.
Everyone\u2019s nervous system starts to entrain with everyone else\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cA bunch of individuals doing yoga\u201d<\/strong> to
\u201cA unified field of awareness.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n4\ufe0f\u20e3 SOMATIC<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
You don\u2019t even have to move much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because your body is transmitting more than your voice ever will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
feeling without judgment.<\/strong> Sensation without hierarchy.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIs this right?\u201d
It\u2019s:
\u201cWhat does this feel like?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s guiding the student into their own truth, not your version of alignment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Success is someone feeling<\/strong> something they\u2019ve been avoiding.
Breathing into a shape instead of forcing it.
Letting a subtle tremble show them where their edge is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
The room feels different.
More alive.
More honest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n5\ufe0f\u20e3 STORY<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Anusara taught me to theme classes, to weave teachings into real life, to make philosophy relatable and embodied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t \u201cprepare\u201d themes anymore.
I live them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I\u2019m learning balance in my life \u2192 that\u2019s the story.
If I\u2019m overwhelmed \u2192 that\u2019s the story.
If I\u2019m nervous \u2192 that\u2019s the story.
If I\u2019m lazy \u2192 yep, that too. I bring the laziness onto the mat and let it breathe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because at least you\u2019re in the arena with yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When students name something, they see it.
And once something is seen, something new becomes possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
your unmistakable signature as a teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Living Pulse of Teaching Yoga<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019re a living cycle that repeats constantly:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
SAFETY<\/strong> \u2192 tuning the relationship
SYNC<\/strong> \u2192 tuning the collective rhythm
SOMATIC<\/strong> \u2192 tuning the felt sense
STORY<\/strong> \u2192 tuning the meaning<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is how the room breathes with you.
This is how a class becomes a journey rather than a workout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
but for how they made them feel<\/em> \u2014
in their body, in their breath, and in their life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the Five S-Words will guide you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019re portable.
They\u2019re deeply human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
no matter where in the world you teach.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"Untitled](\"https:\/\/theyogabarn.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Untitled-document-1.jpg\")
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