Oh family relationships. What a subject! Of course we all want family life to be simple and joyful, - and it often is - but peace and tranquility among family members isn’t always a daily reality. We humans live within a vast canopy of interconnection, and life has a way of bringing all our ‘stuff’ to the fore in our relationships – especially with family.

Occasionally there’s a high wind coming through our relationships, which can threaten to dislodge our connections, or strain our intimacies. Or perhaps we find ourselves in a slow and gradual drought that feels as though it’s withering the vitality from the source of our connections. Suffice to say, relationships can be a source of immense joy and terrible distress. It may seem counter-intuitive, but the ancient science of yoga offers a number of tools to support us in cultivating loving, flourishing, authentic relationships with those closest to us, as well as those in the wider community. Here are a few examples of the power of yoga to positively influence our relationships:

1. Yoga strengthens your compassion muscle. One of the central premises of yoga is that we all stem from the same source, and that struggling against others or ourselves only causes suffering, since it’s not realistic to be fighting something that is inherently part of us. Over time, yoga practice helps us to embody the oft-quoted sentiment ‘Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu’, which is roughly translated as ‘May all beings everywhere be happy and free. May the thoughts, words and actions of my own life contribute in some way to that happiness and freedom for all.’ Could there be a more effective practice for encouraging harmony in our relationships?

2. Rest leads to seeing things more clearly. Taking an hour and a half out of your daily routine to simplify your life down to movement and breath allows you to quite literally soften towards those around you and receive some much-needed rest, which often gives rise to a natural sense of perspective and simple joy. It’s not uncommon to leave a yoga class feeling deeply connected not only to your own body and breath, but to those practising with you, strangers on the street, and particularly with the people who share your most intimate moments in life.

3. Gratitude. The yogic principle of santosha encourages us to cultivate our capacity for contentment. Contentment arises from gratitude, which arises from allowing the mind to slow down enough to actually feel and appreciate what’s going on around us, rather than rushing from one thing to the next all the time. As we quieten the mind and connect with gratitude for the life we’re already living in this very moment (not the one we fantasise about, or run from) the contentment of santosha is given an opportunity to arise, which has a roll-on effect of allowing us to rest into the imperfect glory of our wonderful, messy, beautiful lives and relationships.

4. Honesty. The yogic principle of Satya is one of truthfulness. This is to be finely balanced with the principle of ahimsa, or non-harming. In relationship with ourselves on the yoga mat, we are encouraged to explore the balance between compassion (ahimsa) and clear-truth (satya) which come together to allow us to relate to ourselves in an open-hearted and clear way that ultimately encourages us to relate to others in a similar way. Our relationships benefit enormously when we approach communication form a place that balances honesty and compassion, so we can risk being seen by others in a real light, and see them in a loving way in return. If family relationships – or any other relationships for that matter – are something that feels difficult for you at times (which applies to pretty much everyone alive) then practising yoga could be just the medicine you and your loved ones have been looking for.