Working with Your Edge in Yoga: An Interview with Fire Flow Teacher Arline Jernigan

One of the main goals of yoga practice is developing the awareness and ability to meet reality in the moment. That often means letting go of preconceived notions about how something is, used to be, or should be. Instead, you meet each moment with curiosity and develop the ability to respond with what the situation needs in that new moment. 

Yoga classes provide us with the ability to practice that skill on our mats. You might hear teachers say “yoga meets you where you are,” but that’s only half the story. In order for yoga to meet you where you are today, you have to meet yourself where you are today and that means inquiring into your state today. 

This can be difficult because we are carrying years (the yoga tradition says lifetimes!) of baggage and conditioning into every class. We have all kinds of ideas related to our physical abilities that can be rooted not in reality but instead in preconceived ideas around things like:

• Our definition of and relationship to “hard” things: What do we think of as difficult? Do we shy away from difficult things or turn toward them?

• Our notions of what a person of our gender or our body shape is capable of: Are there certain activities that you think are more appropriate for a man versus a woman? What about a bigger body versus a smaller body, a taller body versus a shorter body, a younger body versus an older body?

• Our idea of what a yogi is: Are there classes that you think are only appropriate for someone who looks a certain way, has been practicing for a certain amount of time, can make certain shapes with their body, or presents themselves in a certain way?

• Our idea of being able to “do” something is: Are you operating from an all-or-nothing mentality? Do you have the idea that in order to “do” something, we have to do it to its fullest expression? What’s your attitude toward providing yourself with support when it comes to learning new things? 

We are all conditioned by the families and communities we are brought up in, by the ideas and media we consume, by the past experiences we’ve had — and often, this means we have a preconceived notion about what we’re capable of that influences when, what, how, and how hard we try. And when we stay in our own little box, we miss the opportunity to challenge ourselves, to grow, to learn about ourselves, and in turn, to learn to meet reality in the moment. 

Arline Jernigan teaches Fire Flow at Delta Groove Yoga twice a week, on Saturdays at noon and on Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m. Arline has been a fixture in the Memphis yoga community for years and is known for her creative yoga sequences and her dedication to the practice. Her classes also have the reputation of being “hard.” I sat down with Arline recently to talk about Fire Flow, as well as how people can encourage themselves to test their notion of what “hard” means and what they’re capable of in order to meet themselves where they are and maybe even grow their edge. 

Arline Jernigan teaches Fire Flow as an opportunity for students to find, work with, and grow their edge in their yoga practice.

Fire Flow at Delta Groove Yoga: Creative Vinyasa

Fire Flow is a creative flow in the vinyasa yoga style. It’s different every time, but each class works with a peak pose or two. Moving in thoughtful increments, Arline builds up from basic movements and foundational shapes into more fiery and complex poses and transitions. Like a fire, classes start small and slow and then sometimes they build to a big energetic blaze and sometimes it’s more of a smoldering. 

“People sometimes say that my classes are hard, and I would like to reframe that and say that there is an honesty within the practice that can be quite challenging, and that is meeting yourself exactly where you are with dignity and honor,” Arline says. “My teaching is not about pushing you past your edge, it’s about meeting yourself right at it. This can feel confronting, but there doesn’t have to be a struggle, just a willingness to show up, to be present, and to listen deeply.”

Arline’s goal is to find dynamic ways to move through space and gain different perspectives. She describes her sequences as “creative, playful, and a little unexpected.” They are designed to wake up the whole body and are meant to invite you back into the places that may have been quiet for a while and sometimes that means taking people out of their comfort zone a bit (what working with your edge in yoga is all about!).

“But you are never asked to do more than your body agrees to,” Arline adds. “In fact, I encourage everyone to listen respectfully to their body and pay attention to what’s happening both inside and outside with care and respect.”

Tips for Working with Your Edge in Yoga

So how do you learn to listen to your body and give it what it needs while also challenging yourself to expand your edge? Arline has some great advice.

Notice when your body is saying no versus when your mind is saying no. 

We might think, “I can’t do this because it’s too hard.” If you find yourself with that thought, get curious about where it’s coming from. Is it related to outdated or untested beliefs you have about your body? Often, if we relax our mind and provide ourselves with support or adjustments where we need them, we can do more than we think. 

Instead of thinking about what you can’t do, think about what you can do. How can you make this position work for you? What degree of it can you do by backing out of the expression or providing support with yoga props? 

“Even if you can’t do the full expression, you can listen to your body and do what feels right for you,” Arline explains. “There’s a mindset that I want to challenge people to challenge within themselves: Be okay with uncertainty and be okay with building up to it. What I offer is a place to move toward, mentally, physically, spiritually, and to always challenge old ideas and fixed perspectives.”

Give yourself support. Make adjustments. Use props. Take breaks.

The flip side of recognizing what is mentally standing in the way of trying something challenging is recognizing when it’s a clear “no” from your body. Moving past mental conditioning doesn’t mean pushing yourself beyond your true physical edge. It means recognizing where you are and providing the support you need in that moment. Sometimes that might mean using blocks or adjusting a pose for your body and sometimes it might mean recognizing that a pose is just a straight “no” for you. The key is to listen to your body instead of assuming. Arline uses body scans throughout class to help students build that practice. 

“I always encourage you to listen to yourself, and that can mean not to have any apprehension about not doing something,” Arline explains. “Honor your body. Pay attention to how you’re feeling physically. Is there constriction, heaviness, tightness? If your body feels open enough, if you trust your body enough, do it. If not, just back off and rest.”

Move with presence and know that you are in control (even if you don’t know where you’re going).

When you move with an awareness of what you’re feeling in your body at any given moment, you can adjust in that moment. This idea of bringing the senses inside in order to notice what you’re feeling is called pratyahara and it’s one of the main components of yoga. 

“If you get to a level you don’t feel like you can do, go back to the increment you could do,” Arline suggests. “I won’t throw anyone into a challenging pose without setting it up. It starts from the beginning: There’s a thread, so they layer on to each other. The practices flow in and out of each other.”

Nobody is judging your abilities but you.

It’s common for beginner yoga students to fear that others are judging their abilities during class. Over time, you realize that’s just not true. Like in many areas of life, most people are more concerned with what they’re doing than with what you’re doing. And in a yoga class, often the teacher is the only one observing you, and that’s mostly to make sure you’re not doing anything unsafe with your body. Approach each class from the perspective of growing your edge and building an ability, not making sure you look good to your neighbor. 

“Be willing to step into the fire and return to the fire. You will get stronger, you will get more focused. You’ll feel more graceful. You are building a skill,” Arline explains. “It’s about building up that reserve and how fascia and the nervous system talk to each other. And how certain things get trapped in the body – like emotions and thoughts and how they show up in the body. Over time, a greater ease comes with practice.”

The Bottom Line: Give it a Go! 

Remember that you are your greatest teacher and there’s no better way to find the right yoga class for you than to try a variety of yoga classes. At Delta Groove, we are a true community where yogis of all types and levels are welcomed and encouraged. Our teachers, staff, and community members are inclusive, supportive, and friendly to help you feel comfortable checking out any class. Think Fire Flow might be fun to try? Show up and give it a go! 

“More than anything, my classes are about presence, curiosity, and finding joy within the grace of movement, not just to attain the shape of a chosen pose,” Arline explains. “There is always a place for everyone to grow within the practice. Through consistent practice, strength, agility, balance, flexibility, and awareness will naturally come. That is a promise.”