Finding Soulful Tribes: My Inner Battle between fear & longing for deeper connections
"It has been 40 minutes already and I haven't said a word yet. They probably think I'm weird... Maybe I should smile a little. Okay I'm smiling. I'm probably smiling too much now. Why do I keep smiling like that? Maybe I should nod instead... Oh Eve is speaking! That's such a good point! Wait I do have something to add! There is a blank in the conversation. Here! That's the right moment. Go! Okay, gather up your courage sister, you can do this! Hum... I think I just forgot what I was going to say. Please don't ask me what I think. Please...."
These were my thoughts when I attended the Yogis Book Club hosted my Yoga teacher last month and the nightmare I experience whenever I'm in a group setting, outside of my closest relationships.
I can fake being social for 20 minutes but that's about my max. After that, I stay quiet and listen to everyone speaking. I can seriously do that for hours. I even went through 4-hour dinner parties without saying a single word (literally), unless I'm angry and standing up for something. Then, it is like I have an alter ego.
If I meet you in a group and can speak with you without the intervention of my angry alter ego, then you are probably in my family or we are best friends now or married or both.
Otherwise, with most new human beings I meet, I'm just terrified —So terrified that I tend to avoid social situations, unless it is absolutely necessary.
Weirdly enough, that only happens in group settings.
I long gave up on trying to answer the question "Why?" as none of the answers were satisfying.
All I know if that I'm tired of letting my ego strip away the joy, laughters and meaningful conversations with like-minded people that my soul longs for.
Yoga taught me that the perfect moment to play, share, love and be seen is an illusion. There is no perfect moment —if not now.
Through showing up to practice, maybe one day, my speaking skills will improve, I'll meet cool people and most importantly, I'll finally be able to express my soul authentically and share the love it is sent here to share.
Also according to Karma Yoga, we only have the right to action, not the fruits of action though. Therefore, all I can do is show up, do my best and hope for the best.
So, in this article, I'm sharing how I am showing up and how my Yoga practice is helping me overcome social anxiety in 2026.
1. Integrating my true nature by sharing more
Yoga taught me that suffering arises when we ignore our true nature —when mind body and soul exist in discord.
In fact, the practice of Yoga itself has nothing to do with being able to get into impressive shapes —but rather, to unite mind body and soul, so that we can fully embody our true nature.
In doing so, our mind and body allow our soul to exist and get a part in the Divine movie we live in —a state of flow where suffering doesn't exist.
Through trial and errors, one thing I know for sure is that social anxiety worsens when we consciously or unconsciously try to hide the truth thinking we might be rejected for it.
By hiding and overthinking, we think we're protecting ourselves but really, we're just giving ourselves more mind-made (usually untruthful) thoughts to ruminate about later.
We play the thoughts over and over again until them seem true and then manifest them into reality (That's how powerful our minds are —seriously).
The funny thing is that looking back, I now realize that the times I shared my truth rarely end up in rejections.
On the contrary, sharing my truth led me to some pretty awesome people and I love when people do it too. That's how we're real, connect and share our human experience.
That is something I tend to forget but something I will remind myself (and you) in 2026.
In 2026, I want to share more, embody my truth, embrace my shadows, stop creating unecessary suffering and treat my mind as an altar, as much as I learned to treat my body like a temple —understanding that I do it all for the soul.
I want to put myself in positions where I can be rejected and to know, for certain, that if that happens, at least, it won't be because of my mind-made thoughts.
I want to say yes to every social opportunities, attend more book clubs, practice Yoga with others instead of in my bedroom, share my creations, teach what I know and fully live an unperfect but real life in the 3D, now.
2. Balancing my feminine energy
In Tantric Yoga, we have both feminine and masculine energies within us and manifestation of the soul occur when we balance and unite both. Getting into Yoga poses demands both strength (masculine) and flexibility (feminine).
Unlike our masculine (which has its own strengths), our feminine energy feels comfortable in the dark, uncertainties, mystery, surprises and the unknown.
It's the part of us that approaches situations without plans or strategies but curiosity, presence and a sense of surrendering, delightful and playfulness.
She understands the value of being (as opposed to doing), trusts in divine timing and moves with grace, mindfulness and patience —focusing on being engaged with her environment, inspiration and senses.
She doesn't feed in external praises but in internal wisdom.
I used to feel extremely unconfortable in my feminine energy. I liked to plan, don't like surprises and rehearsed my persona before every social gatherings I was invited to.
I chose my outfit with care, watched videos on how to be a better converstationalist and memorized sentences to say so that it wouldn't be awkward.
I honestly thought that I could predict every scenario that could possibly happen but somehow, the Universe always played the single one I didn't rehearse —and I never learned the lesson, repeating the same pattern for the next social interaction.
In 2026, I'm finally learning it and to help me let go of control, I'm befriending my connection with my feminine energy.
I found that connecting with the moon phases by integrating Moon Salutations into my Yoga practice really helps.
I also want to incorporate more play, flow, gentleness and spiritual practices —including cards, astrology, dream interpretation and even gentleness in my daily life.
Lastly, I want to cultivate inner self-sufficiency, detach from expectations and trust that rejection is protection —understanding that "Regardless of what happens, it was just supposed to happen that way."
3. Unblocking my throat chakra
In Yoga, we have energy centers in the body that is believed to influence physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being —called Chakras.
These enegy centers roughly correspond to the endocrine organs in conventional medicine. When these are balanced, they secrete hormones that regulate the body and our emotions.
Usually, social anxiety is often associated with an imbalance of the Throat Chakra (Vishuddha), located at our throat (which corresponds to the thyroid). This Chakra governs communication, self-expression, and speaking one's truth.
When the Throat Chakra is blocked, it can lead to difficulties in expressing oneself, feeling misunderstood, lying, experiencing a lack of confidence in communication, or even physical issues like sore throats or neck tension.
In the Chakra system though, balance is often thought to start at the bottom Chakra, also known as the Root Chakra (Muladhara), located at the base of the spine, near the tailbone.
Each Chakra build upon the ones below it. Balancing our lower Chakra helps set a stronger foundation for Chakras that are higher up on the spine (like the Throat) to function properly.
Therefore, to balance the Throat Chakra, we need to also go back to the Root and see which is the lowest Chakra that needs balancing.
For me, the Root Chakra is where I need to start in 2026.
I know that because I don't feel entirely safe yet and still a bit uprooted, ever since I moved from Europe to the US —an environment where I barely knew anyone, changing jobs, friends, home, habits, social etiquettes and even languages I spoke.
Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the US and it was definitely a choice I made for love. However, I'm still finding my footing, as all the things I had learned growing up now seem inapplicable here (if you've watched Emily in Paris, you probably understand).
Anyway, the Root Chakra is where I am starting this year.
The Root Chakra (Muladhara) is located at the base of the spine, near the tailbone. It is the foundation of our energy system and is associated with survival, stability, security, and our connection to the physical world.
When the Root Chakra is blocked, it can lead to feelings of insecurity, fear, or instability. Physical symptoms like lower back pain, constipation, or issues with the legs and feet.
When we feel safe in our environment, we naturally express ourselves more freely and fully. Therefore, healing the Root Chakra can help heal the Throat Chakra.
In 2026, to balance my Root, I'm incorporating more grounding practices —such as Yoga flows that focus on the lower body, rooting visualization, running or walking, eating hearty and grounding food, foot massage and care.
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5. Conclusion
Here are the few things I'll do for reducing social anxiety in 2026!
At the end of the day, it is about cultivating a relationship with myself that is so strong and loving that I can't help but expressing my truth —hoping that through truth and realness, I'll finally get to meet a soulful tribe in the new and beautiful country I now have the honor to live in!
If it is something you struggle to as well, I hope these tips will be helpful to you. We can do this!
Celes Circle Moments (@celescircle)
