I like to think when I'm out on the ballroom dance floor that I look as elegant and graceful as this painting. But, truth be told, I will never be one of those dancers that are tall and sleek -- and I'm OK with that.

Most. Of. The Time.

There was one time that my mind took over though. It was my first performance as a ballroom dancer. I worked with my partner/instructor, Steve, for almost six months on our two minute routine. As much as I love the art of dance and would leave every practice session with a "dancer's high" (so much more appealing to me than my old runner's high!), there was one thing that stressed me out: There was one particular part of our routine that I consistenly messed up on. For some reason my feet just didn't like that bit of choreography!

Seeing how frustrated I was getting no matter how much effort I was putting into the routine, one of the other coaches pulled me aside and spoke some very wise words:

"Who cares if you are messing this one part up? Just accept it, take a deep breath, smile and have fun!"

Cue blown mind! 🤯

Show time came, I focused on enjoying myself and guess what? I didn't mess that part up!

Sometimes when we are putting so much effort into something -- whether it be a dance routine, a yoga posture, a life event -- we really do need to take a step back, take a deep breath and remember that it's absolutely OK not to be perfect.

Our yoga practice can teach us how to find ease while still giving 100% effort in an asana. Perhaps it is something as simple as slowing down your breath. Or maybe it is allowing your body to slowly come into a posture rather than forcing to do it all at once. (Remind me to tell you all about the first time I did camel!)

All effort and without any ease can lead to a very unpleasant experience.

Giving yourself the permission to find ease in any situation doesn't mean it will make easy, but might make it just a little bit more comfortable.

See you on the mat!

Cyndy

P.S. We still have plenty of beach yoga time left in our season and some online classes for those of you who enjoy your home practice!