From the Mud to the Mat: Teachings from Theo - Boundaires
I’m exploring how boundaries can be an act of love. Theo’s helped me see that saying no isn’t rejection, it’s protection. Through yoga, Ayurveda, and his quiet wisdom, I’m learning that healthy boundaries create the safety and space where real connection can grow.
Ever since I was a little kid, I never ran right up to someone’s cat or dog to pet it. I think it’s because my very first pet was a stand-offish cat who was incredibly selective about who got her attention. My second cat was even sassier and had a very small inner circle. These two kitties taught me so much about how to approach aniamls and how to have respect for them. I actually used to pride myself on being the person who could get any cat labeled “mean” or “nasty” to warm up to me. I’d sit quietly, get myself calm, and just wait until they decided to come to me.
Looking back, I realize that early experience shaped how I sometimes move through the world. Maybe that’s why I’ve always been careful around people’s dogs and I think it’s why I’m sometimes really mindful around people too. Maybe that’s what guided me toward teaching yoga and practicing Ayurveda, which are bith fields where listening, observation, and energetic boundaries matter as much as words or actions.
When I hold space in a yoga class or a 1:1 Ayurveda session, I let people tell their story without prying or pushing. It’s something I deeply value and I repsect boundaries…. but, I’ve always struggled with boundaries myself.
When Boundaries Blur
I have a long history of giving and giving until I burn out completely. When I taught yoga full time, I’ve said yes to subbing classes when I was already exhausted and been totally miserable and resentful afterwards. In my personal life, I’ve gone out when I desperately needed rest and opened my door when a friend showed up unannounced (even though I still had a full day of work), and stayed in draining conversations at parties because I didn’t want to seem rude.
It’s a lifelong pattern that’s a pretty interesting mix of care, people-pleasing, and wanting everyone to feel welcome. Before you give me advice on this, I assure you, I recognized this a while ago and have been doing the work ever since! But of course. Theo, my sweet rescue pup, has been one of my greatest teachers in this area - maybe even more than any professional ever.
Theo’s Lessons on Boundaries
Theo doesn’t let everyone into his space right away. He needs time and he likes calm introductions. If someone comes rushing up to him, hands out, voice high-pitched, demanding attention, he won’t stand for it. I knew this about him (well, now I do…), so it’s my job to make sure that doesn’t happen and to educate people on how to greet him (if he even wants to be greeted). For me, it’s huge to tell a self-proclamed lover of dogs or “dog expert” how to approach my dog or how to tell them to go away when they don’t listen. Every part of me wants to say, “Sure!” to keep the peace. But I’ve learned that Theo’s peace and mine come first. His need for boundaries has helped me build my own. Theo has taught me that love doesn’t mean unlimited access and boundaries don’t block connection; they protect it. They create the space where trust can actually grow.
The Yoga of Boundaries
In The Yoga Sutras, Yoga Sutra 1.2 states:
“Yoga chitta vritti nirodha.”
Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind.
When our minds are overrun with thoughts of what everyone else thinks or needs, we lose connection to our own inner guidance. We say yes when we mean no and move away from alignment. I’m at a place in my life where I am trying my best to take teachings like this and apply them to my day-to-day life. If you own a dog, you know that it’s way too easy to get bombared with unsolicited advice, to question your own instincts, and to feel like you’re jumping from one extreme to another. The teachings of yoga remind us that this is the human experience, and the way to stay calm is to still all of that chatter and come back to something steady. The steady point itself and the path to get there is different for everyone. Some people practice asana, some focus on the breath, some jump out of a plane, and some go to the gym… we all have different ways to still the mind and not jump on every wave is presents to us.
When my mind is steady, Theo chills out. When I’m off my phone and totally present on walks, it seems like Theo tunes into me being totally present with him and is more likley to listen to me and look to me when he needs to know the next move.
The Bhagavad Gita and Doing What’s Yours to Do
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna tells Arjuna in Chapter 3, Verse 35:
“It is better to follow your own dharma, even imperfectly, than to follow another’s perfectly.”
That verse hit me hard when I realized that constantly putting others’ needs ahead of mine wasn’t noble…it was avoidance. I was so focused on keeping everyone comfortable that I forgot to honor what I actually needed. Krishna’s message reminds us that we can’t live someone else’s path or meet every expectation. Our work is to know what’s ours to carry and to especially recognize what isn’t.
When I first brought Theo home, I was told he had a big issue with getting over stimulated really quickly. I had multiple people in my life give me so much contradicting advice to “support” me on that to the point where I had to stop listening to everyone else and try to figure out what Theo needed. Now, I recognize that I’m taking these important teachings and applying them to my experience with a rescue dog, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that verse. Any time I have had to tell someone “That’s great how that worked for your dog, but it won’t for mine” I’m reminded that I don’t have to explain it any more deeply. I am allowed to set that boundary and tell them
Ayurveda’s Take on Boundaries
Ayurveda has taught me to recogbize healthy boundaries as a form of ojas (which is our vital essence, the energy of resilience, immunity, and love). When we give too much without replenishing, ojas becomes depleted. We get sick, tired, resentful, or overwhelmed. To build and protect ojas, Ayurveda encourages rhythm in the form of consistent sleep, nourishing food, time for stillness, and saying no when our bodies whisper for rest.
Boundaries, then, aren’t rigid walls. They’re gentle containers that keep our energy steady. Theo’s schedule has made that clear to me. He thrives on routine in the form of morning walks, meals, quiet time, playtime, rest. Just as with humans, this schedule isn’t strict, but he knows that he gets to exercise, eat, and play every day - which is something that didn’t happen consistently for him before he came home.
Boundaries are rhythm. Rhythm is regulation. And regulation is love.
Boundaries in the Body
You can actually feel boundaries in your body. When they’re unclear, there’s tension, tight shoulders, shallow breath, or a clenched jaw. When they’re steady, there’s space, softness in the breath, openness in the chest, and a calm pulse in the heart. Sometimes, before I say yes to anything now, I pause and notice my breath. If my breath shortens or my chest tightens, that’s my cue. I’m learning to listen to those signals before I crash.
Theo does this instinctively. When he doesn’t feel safe, he freezes or moves away. His body sets the boundary before his brain even processes it. Animals are so brilliant at honoring their instincts. Humans, however, tend to override them….But the body always knows.
Returning to the Mat
When I step onto my mat, it’s where I re-learn boundaries. Every pose asks: where is my edge? Can I breathe here without pushing? Can I soften without collapsing? Boundaries are learning to exist comfortably at the edge. Theo mirrors that off the mat and every new situation tests our shared edge. Boundaries and confidence, I’m realizing, are deeply intertwined. Both require presence, awareness, and trust in our own intuition. Boundaries aren’t selfish, they’re sacred. They’re how we protect what’s real and alive inside of us.
If you’ve been struggling with saying no, with overgiving, or with honoring your own edges, take this as a gentle reminder:
Pause. Breathe. Listen.
The moment you say yes to yourself, you come back into balance.
Deepen Your Practice with Our Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Training
If this reflection resonates with you and if you’ve ever felt the pull to connect more deeply with presence, purpose, and your inner wisdom, I invite you to join me in our next Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Training.
In this immersive, heart-centered program, we explore yoga and Ayurveda as living, breathing practices that help you find balance through embodiment. You’ll study the Yoga Sutras and Bhagavad Gita, learn to honor your energetic boundaries, and discover how ancient wisdom can help you protect your peace in modern life.
This isn’t about doing more, but about living in alignment. It’s about teaching and leading from steadiness, not depletion.
You don’t have to have it all figured out. You just have to show up.
A Few Gentle Reminders from Theo:
🐾 Boundaries Are Love in Action
When someone rushes toward Theo, eager to pet him, and I calmly say no and it’s not rejection, it’s protection. Ayurveda teaches that energy needs containment to stay balanced. Without boundaries, Vata scatters and ojas (our vitality) depletes. Boundaries don’t close us off, they create the conditions where connection and trust can thrive.
🐾 “No” Is Sacred Energy
For most of my life, “no” felt uncomfortable and felt like I was disappointing someone. But Theo’s calm depends on my ability to advocate for him, and that’s been my practice too. Saying no can be the most compassionate act when it protects our peace.
🐾 Stillness Is Strength
Theo has taught me that sometimes the most powerful boundary is stillness. When he pauses, observing before reacting, he’s honoring his own nervous system. It’s not about control; it’s about listening. The pause is where our wisdom speaks the loudest.
