While everyone else seems blissfully blind, you know that sensation: traffic’s roaring outside, someone just microwaved fish, and you’re quietly humming with anxiety. Welcome to treatment for highly sensitive people. Though yoga doesn’t have to be another tool for “muscle through,” the world sometimes seem like it’s turned up to eleven.

First of all, you are not compelled to spend hours chanting Sanskrit mantras or twist like a pretzel. More subtlety is needed by sensitive individuals. Some find that even a simple vinyasa session feels to them as though they were running a marathon with their brain. Breathing comes first then—soft exhalation, leisurely inhaled, almost like the smooth ebb and flow of waves on a lake gone asleep. Find your breath first, then anything else. It’s a mini-oasis.

Postures for grounding are quite helpful. Mountain stance enables you to see how your feet hit the ground, not only helps you to stand. Under your toes feel the cool mat. Perhaps even visualize roots digging down, gathering strength, akin to trees standing through any storm.

Now let us discuss sensory overload. If the teacher’s had a bad day, strong lights, loud music, or even the emotional “static” could zap HSPs. Put eye cushions under your eyes. If at all possible turn off those fluorescent lights. Yoga in dark environments calms frayed nerves far more quickly than any elegant position.

Your brain will behave like a monkey on a sugar high certain days. Try light sequences instead of battling it. Supported forward fold, cat-cow stretches, and child’s pose help to quiet the mental chatter. For sensitive people, yin yoga is a revolution—poses held for longer without the surge of adrenaline.

Have you ever practiced breathing “Bhramari”? It’s like passing your bones a calming vibration. Imagine bees in a sunny garden humming quietly. Till your skin tingles and your mood improves, keep doing this.

In power yoga, keep in mind that skipping the “power” is quite acceptable. Pick contentment in a nice blanket, a deliberate stop, a chuckle at your inability to touch your toes today. Emotional equilibrium is about observing, accepting, changing rather than about perfection. Sensitivity is just the way you are wired; it is not a weakness. Listen to it; you will find peace far more worthwhile than any headstand.