Date A Girl Who Does Yoga

1. She’s learning to accept herself. Every curve, roll and breath. As she learns to embrace her light, dark and inevitably messy without reservation, she’ll learn to embrace you in your entirety as well.

2. She’s not afraid to break a sweat. And by “break,” I mean fill a bucket–actually, though.

3. She challenges herself. Whether it be finally going into Headstand or lifting herself up for Wheel Pose (this looks easier than it feels), she’s hitting her mat every day in an attempt to show up and give it her all.

4. At the same time, she’s not afraid to embrace her fragility. Some days she’ll opt for Child’s Pose earlier than everyone else because, for her, slowing down isn’t a sign of weakness, but of strength and inner-knowing. Along with her socks and iPhone, she checks her ego at the door.

5. Twisting and tangling her body into pretzel-like shapes on a regular basis makes her significantly more flexible than the average person–which is awesome. For all kinds of reasons.

6.  She sees sweaty, half-naked people of all shapes and sizes pretty much every day. After practicing next to 50+ year old men wearing incredibly tight, speedo shorts, she’ll never judge you for your external appearance. (See #1).

7. She believes, at some level, that you were brought together for a reason– whether it’s meant to last or merely as a means to learn an important lesson, she allows your relationship to be what it is without forcing it to fit into a certain box or adhere to a list of unrealistic relationship expectations.

8. She doesn’t need you. If she’s with you, it’s not out of fear of being alone or another deep-rooted insecurity. It’s because she genuinely wants to be.

9. She loves herself enough to know when to walk away and won’t fall apart if it doesn’t work out. Her mat will be there, patiently waiting, to help her move on.

10. One word: hydrated. Like, all the time. If you’re ever thirsty, she’s got the hook-up… in an obnoxiously large water bottle.

11. She values her own company. Yoga is her time to unwind, let go and honor the sacred “now.” Some days, she’ll choose the practice over brunch with you. Don’t be offended– it really has nothing to do with you. She just views her time alone as precious. This also makes her incredibly understanding when you just need to do your own thing. In fact, more often than not, she’ll encourage this.

12. If you get into an argument, she’ll breathe (Ujjayi breath really comes in handy here) and then respond, as compassionately as she possibly can. You’ll feel totally grateful for this.

13. She laughs things off. She’s heard enough… um, awkward… noises in class not to hold it against you if you accidentally let one slip. Oops!

14. She’s incredibly self-aware. She has trained herself to pay attention to every breath and sensation as she struggles to balance on her shoulders or hands or head… Casual. Just as she’s aware of herself, she’ll pay close attention to you and listen to what you have to say. Sometimes, when you’re cuddling on the couch during movie night, she’ll even share a few breaths with you– as another way to express intimacy.

15. Most importantly, she’ll love you with the grace of a Dancer, the ferocity of a Warrior and the strength of an oak Tree. She’ll open up to you because she allows herself to be vulnerable. Pain doesn’t frighten her. It’s merely another sensation–like the one she experiences every time she squats down in an attempt to hold Utkatasana (Chair Pose). This makes her love raw and real. Sometimes it scares you, but only because you don’t want to lose her.

If you date a yogi, don’t let her go. Practice with her. Fall with her. Sweat with her. It might not always be easy, but it’ll be worth it.