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When I arrived at Isla Mujeres, Mexico in December To begin a 200-hour immersive yoga teacher training course, I immediately noticed the homogeneity of our group. Although my 14 colleagues came from all over the world – Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Mexico, Poland and from both sides of the USA – we were almost all in our 20s, athletically built Caucasian women.

Chatting over a super-healthy vegetarian dinner that first night, I learned that more than half of us worked in large corporations in corporate positions, which perhaps explains the proliferation of Lululemon clothing and B-Mats.

Over the next two weeks I enjoyed the yoga practices and felt increasingly one with my body and breath as I grew stronger physically and mentally. My brain learned to calm down during the longer and longer meditation sessions. My arms showed more definition. My posture improved and with it my confidence.

I still can’t curl my toes around my calf garudasana (Eagle posture) but I was closer. It was fun to strengthen myself and see how I improve.

I began to wonder at the number of people who would benefit from accessing yoga. I know I wish I had practiced it regularly before.

I thought back to my first job out of college, working at a tech company for a manager who woke up at 4am every day to start work because “production is currency” (he told me). The stress I inherited from his manic approach manifested itself in excess pounds around my midline as my poor sympathetic nervous system went into overdrive.

If I had known then that yoga strengthens the parasympathetic nervous system and thus aids in stress reduction, I might not have spent nearly six years stressing myself through work and then overtraining to stay lean.

But I found yoga through this mess: I was running so intensely that I fractured my pelvis under stress and the sports doctor told me that yoga was the only “exercise” I was allowed to do. I laughed in his face at the idea that “sanskrit stretching”—my interpretation of yoga at the time—could possibly pass as an alternative to mile-long cardio, but I signed up for a class anyway.

I was incredulous to find that while yoga didn’t get my heart racing, it had the same mental effect as running: my swirling mind calmed down, calmed down. An hour on my mat could change even my worst moods, ground me and center me.

I can think of many types of people who could use some natural stress relief in their lives…in fact, I have a hard time thinking of anyone who could could not.

But right now, yoga is a bougie activity in the US

At the studio closest to my home base in Santa Cruz, a one-on-one session is $18 and a monthly pass is $150. With the tremendous demands placed on our wallets to stay easily housed, dressed, and fed, it’s no wonder trips to the yoga studio aren’t a staple for most households.

Even with a student discount and all the Groupon deals I can find, the cost of yoga classes adds up quickly.

Nevertheless, I am committed to a regular yoga practice. I’m looking for ways to make it affordable.

I see time on my mat as nurturing my mental and spiritual side as important as eating (in moderation!) and exercise for my physical body. With daily yoga I am more balanced, less affected by the ups and downs of everyday life, more satisfied with my existence. it feels so good

Given the joy and peace yoga has brought me, I am eager to share the practice with others.

What would it take to make yoga available to everyone in Santa Cruz County, to everyone in California, or—think big—to everyone in the United States?

On a plane, I struck up a conversation about this with Laura, a social worker who supports high school students who are struggling with anxiety and behavioral issues in schools in the Bronx, New York. She reminded me that even if yoga were mandatory in schools (e.g. through physical education classes), the quality of the experience would depend heavily on who teaches it and how.

Michelle, the yoga teacher at my intensive training, had underscored the same point by sharing stories of how she had felt ostracized and inadequate by poor, inexperienced yoga teachers.

Success in yoga is not about being able to “do” something specific asanas (positions). That’s not what yoga is about.

Actually the asanas are just one component of the eight-part yoga system (Sanskrit for “union”). In my view, some of the other seven are actually where there is the most upside.

This includes a number of restrictions (particularly) and a set of observations (Niyamas) – which together feel very much like a non-denominational set of life principles – as well as a focus on the breath (pranayama), an ability to control reactivity (called Pratyahara and directly translated “sensory deprivation”), a deep concentration (dharana) and a meditation practice (Dhyana). Finally there is samadhi, to cultivate an understanding of our interconnectedness.

These are the things that could be of the greatest value to any member of the American people.

Embracing a common set of simple principles like “Do No Harm” (ahimsa) and “avoid excess” (aparigraha) seems like a nice starting point for our divided nation.

We are certainly wanting for concentration and focus as well our addiction to screens literally gives us Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. And if we could return to our breath – our anchor in the present moment, lighter and more willing – how much fear of past events and future uncertainties would we avoid?

I’m not sure how to introduce “non-physical yoga” into a world of action and movement so tied to material success. I have a hard time imagining ‘requiring’ yoga practice the way we need other subjects or sports. It seems at odds with the intrinsic rewards of practicing yoga.

As I ponder what a yoga-for-all world might look like, I am determined to open the doors to yoga to all who are interested.

I’ve decided to teach free classes at pop-up locations in Santa Cruz County. It’s a grassroots effort – I don’t scale well – but still exciting to add a dose of tranquility to a community that certainly needs more of it.

I hope my classes will attract new faces, maybe people who don’t own a yoga mat (I have extras) and people who have not yet become comfortable with English, let alone Sanskrit (I will be demonstrating every pose).

No matter who you are, you are invited. I’m still figuring out how to spread my message, but I firmly believe that yoga has something for everyone.

Amidst all the rain and devastation we face as a community, there is more peace here for all.

Marisa Messina is an enthusiastic outdoor woman who loves to bring people and nature closer together. Marisa is currently pursuing her Masters of Business Administration from Stanford’s Graduate School of Business (where she focuses on sustainable business) and spends her hours outside of class working as a grantee for an early-stage venture capital fund and touring guide Kayak connection, explore new hiking trails and listen to the sea. Her previous track for Lookout, “My Stanford education was top of the class but left huge gaps in life skills.” appeared in December.