Yoga and Fatherhood

In honor of fatherhood, and to celebrate the men of Charym, we interviewed Emile Sorger, yogi dad and vinyasa guru, to discover how yoga has benefited him in his life since becoming a father.

Here is what he had to say:

How has your yoga practice changed since becoming a father?

“My yoga practice has changed quite significantly since my son Max was born in 2017. As I've gotten deeper into fatherhood my practice has been more geared towards taking care of myself and regenerating enthusiasm in my spirit than it has about progressing my abilities. When I practice, it is a chance for me to find some space away from the complex dynamics that are involved in family life while at the same time energizing me to go back and participate in family life. So I structure my personal practice so that it provides me with that spaciousness and that spark, which has meant letting go of some of my drive to advance my technique.”

What skills or abilities has your yoga practice given you to navigate parenthood and partnership?

“Parenthood and partnership are the ultimate test of patience and self-control. In yoga I've developed some ability to be in the heat of negative emotions without reacting aggressively and I've gained an appreciation for the power of taking a breath and creating space. In yoga, there isn't an absolute right or wrong, it's all about the relationship between the breath, the posture and the mind. I've found that in family life there is little value in being "right" per se, the value is in being able to communicate, listen and arrive at a place where everyone feels respected and cared for. I also have found that yoga enables me to trust that when things don't seem to be going in a comfortable direction they can still turn out OK. In my experience with having a family, things rarely go to plan and are often uncomfortable, however if I can stay connected to myself in a spacious way then they tend to turn out better than expected.”

What advice do you have for men who anticipate being fathers in the future?

“Be brutally honest about two things: your relationship to anger and to your own needs. Whether it's yoga or anything else, be consistently examining and working with those aspects of yourself. You don't want to get blindsided by them.”

Emile Sorger teaches Dynamic Vinyasa on Tuesdays at 9:30 AM.