I have a bit of a love–hate relationship with social media.

Sometimes it’s fun.
Sometimes it’s useful.
And sometimes it feels like it takes far more energy than it gives back as you shout loudly, hopefully, and frustratingly into the void, hoping the faceless, unknowable algorithm deigns to let an interested party see your post.

Trying to work out who sees what, how to reach the people you actually want to reach, and how to share things you genuinely believe might help, without everything being flattened into hot takes and soundbites, can start to feel… heavy.

Especially when you’re genuinely trying to share thoughts, ideas, and experiences that might help people, rather than just “create content” for the sake of it.

Last year, alongside some fairly big personal and professional shifts, that weight felt heavier than it ever had since I first started my Instagram account back in 2020.

My posting became more sporadic than usual. Less consistent on Instagram. Even quieter on LinkedIn.

Not because I didn’t care — but because something didn’t feel quite aligned. And at the time, I couldn’t quite put my finger on what that was.

Towards the end of the year, as the fog started to clear and I began reflecting and planning ahead, I took a proper pause, acted like my own life coach, and asked myself an honest question:

What am I really trying to do here?

Yoga, Coaching… and the Space Between

Depending on how you found your way to this post, you might not know that, in addition to being a yoga teacher, I’m also a life coach.

In the world of online marketing gurus, this is apparently a problem. All the advice says you should pick one thing and stick to it, lest you confuse your audience.

I can see the logic in that.
It might even be true.

But let’s be honest — it’s also a little… boring.

Especially when, like me, your Human Design type is a Manifesting Generator (IYKYK).

More importantly, though, yoga and coaching aren’t “brands” to me. They’re not separate boxes, I decided to step into.

They’re expressions of who I am.

Both have shaped my life in profound ways, from regulating my stress and accelerating my exit from BigLaw, to how I now live, work, relate, and make decisions.

They’re part of the same thread.

But online, that thread was starting to tangle.

In a world that rewards simplicity over nuance, the deeper message — the why behind the work — was getting lost. And at the same time, more and more of my work was happening off social media altogether.

In rooms.
In studios.
In law firms.
At workshops.
At book festivals.
On yoga mats.
In real conversations with real people.

I started to notice a stark contrast between those in-person conversations and the advice I was being fed online.

The people I was meeting didn’t fit neatly into one demographic or platform. Some found me through yoga. Some through coaching. Some simply resonated with my story, my values, or my way of seeing the world.

And I realised I didn’t want to hide or dilute what I care about for the sake of the algorithm or alienate anyone by forcing everything into one feed.

So I made a decision.

Not a dramatic one.
Not a rebrand.
Just a quieter, clearer shift.

It was time to split spaces.

Living Yoga (Not Just Doing Yoga)

This space you're in, reading this (the Ryan Spence Yoga website), and my Instagram, are now where I’ll primarily focus on sharing my insights on living yoga.

Not just the shapes.
Not just the class.
But the philosophy, the self-inquiry, and the integration of it all into daily life.

Sharing thoughts, stories, and insights about how yoga shows up in:

• how we speak to ourselves

• how we respond when things don’t go our way

• how we navigate challenge, change, truth, attachment, and effort

On and off the mat.

Not because I have it all figured out.
I really don’t.

But because I’m walking the same path, trying to live this ancient wisdom in a modern world, with all its noise, chaos, and contradictions.

Yoga, for me, isn’t an escape from life.

It’s a blueprint for how to meet it.

Of course, hints of my coaching work still shine through here — because my yoga influences my coaching. It can’t not.

But in this space, the emphasis is on embodied practice: how these philosophical ideas land in real life and the ripple effect they create around us.

And Coaching?

My coaching work — particularly with lawyers, ex-lawyers, and corporate professionals at a life crossroads — will live more clearly over on my I Am Ryan Spence website and LinkedIn.

That’s where those people tend to be most active online, and where conversations around human sustainability, purpose, and living life on your own terms are already happening.

It’s also where my coaching workshops, speaking engagements, and professional development work naturally sit.

And just as yoga will occasionally spill into that space, coaching will still gently weave into this one — in a way that feels natural, not like trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

Because I’m not interested in creating personas.

I’m interested in being honest.

This isn’t about a “yoga version” of me here and a “coaching version” of me there. It’s about helping the right people find the work that speaks to them, in the places they’re most likely to be looking — without contorting myself in the process.

Choosing Presence Over Performance

The more I’ve stepped into in-person teaching, workshops, and retreats, the less central social media has felt.

And honestly? I love that.

In a world increasingly shaped by AI, automation, and constant output, real human connection feels more important than ever.

I hear it in the conversations I’m having.

More people are lonely.
More people are craving depth — both in how they relate to others and how they relate to themselves.
More people want spaces where they can show up as they are and find their people.

That’s why I’m bringing people together this year through workshops, courses, and retreats. Because community, depth, and shared inquiry matter to me.

I don’t have all the answers.

I hold the space.

And it’s the people in that space — their honesty, courage, and shared humanity — that create real change. Not just for themselves, but for others too.

If that sounds idealistic… good.

Yoga has always been a little idealistic.
And deeply practical at the same time.

A Marker in the Ground

So this is me placing a gentle marker.

If you’re curious about yoga beyond the poses — about taking your practice deeper and letting it inform how you live — you’re in the right place.

If you’re a lawyer or corporate professional standing at a “what now?” moment, wondering if there’s another way to live and work, there’s a space for you, too.

And if you’re not quite sure where you fit?

That intersection between structure and softness, discipline and depth, ambition and meaning, is where I live, so hang out with me in both spaces.

I’m glad you found your way here. I hope you stick around. And I hope what you find here helps you make decisions — and build a life — that works for you and feels like your own.

Because, in the words of Ram Dass:

“We’re all just walking each other home.”

Reflection on Living Your Yoga

If reading this threw up some thoughts about how you show up, and whether it's in alignment with how you want to show up either on or off your mat, I invite you to take a moment to pause, reflect and ask yourself:

• Where in my life am I performing rather than expressing?

• What feels slightly misaligned right now, even if it looks “fine” from the outside?

• What would it look like to live my values more clearly, even if it meant disappointing a social media algorithm or certain people around me?

And in the spirit of Ahimsa, don't judge yourself or try to fix anything, simply notice and sit in that awareness.