A Soft Beginning
We had a full-on big day of summer yesterday. I led our local yoga community class, then we went to a county fair a couple of towns over to enjoy the rides with Daisy. I came home happily worn out from a sweaty, energetic day of summer surprises.
A few kids glued themselves onto us at the fair and asked us to join their group for the rides. This kind of thing seems to be a theme in my life. Kids and grown-ups who are happy to have fun, have someone listen to them, and encourage them, they find me. It’s like some karmic pact I came into life with, or it’s just a vibe. However you look at it, it’s been happening my whole life, and I’m just starting to look around and realize how unique that is.
We were all in line for a swing ride, and one of the kids started telling me about the mechanics of how the ride works. He was just a little older than Daisy, at an age when most kids are thinking about their next ride or snack, so I encouraged him. I told him he was so good at science and figuring out how things work and would be a great engineer if he wanted to do that. He had a big smile when I said that to him.
The teenager running the ride overheard us and said he was in college for engineering. I told the kid he should talk with the older kid to see how that all goes. It was a nice moment. They latched onto us and continued palling around with us on the rides, like a healthy version of Stand by Me. One of the little kids told me he really liked school, that math was his favorite, and that his teacher was great. I encouraged them and said they could do anything they set their minds to.
Daisy thought it was so fun to have this crew of kids that kept growing as we bounced from ride to ride.
I’m not sharing this for advice or because I believe that everyone should try to form a gaggle of kids when they are out in the world. I share because I know this way of being in the world, listening, encouraging, being myself, and practicing softness and ease so people feel safe around me, is one of my weird superpowers. I also believe we all have something unique to discover, uncover, and offer the world.
I believe we all have unique superpowers, and we really miss out on the joy that grounds and excites us if we forget to include ourselves in how we move through our lives.
I've met people all over the world, from every kind of background. The people weighed down by struggle made heavier through habits that drain them, and the people weighed down by constantly trying to collect more, impress more, or become more, often aren't as different as they seem.
Both can lose touch with what they already have.
How we are is how we feel.
Of course, there are people living through circumstances that truly require support, safety, and care. But for many of us, we have more opportunity than we realize to work with the energy we already have.
Tai chi teaches that our energy is our currency. It's what we have to spend on ourselves, on the people around us, and on the world. The world is full of people, nature, and ideas. When our energy is out of balance, it's easy to drift toward isolation. We chase things that promise to make us enough, or we consume things that help us escape. Either way, we disconnect.
When our energy is balanced, connection feels natural. We notice people. We notice nature. We notice ideas. We notice opportunities to encourage someone.
Life isn't asking us to become someone else.
It's asking us to bring the uniqueness we already have into the world in a way that makes things better, more harmonious, more beautiful.
I practice daily with you on the Strala Yoga app, in person in community classes and events and trainings, and on my own because I know how valuable whole-self harmony is. When I am balanced, I can do more with less tension. When I practice, that kind of more has no end point.
Daily practice, even a few minutes for a Softness Break, isn't something I want to convince you to do because it's good for you. It's something I want to remind you to do because it helps the most awesome version of you be here now.
With love,
Tara
Your week of accomplishing more with less tension is ready.
Sunday — Restorative Yoga
Monday — Weights with Ease
Tuesday — Tai Chi
Wednesday — LIVE Gentle Yoga
Thursday — Weights with Ease
Friday — LIVE Energize Yoga
As always, you can follow along with our daily global studio schedule or choose your own adventure based on the time you have and what your body is asking for. Everything is right here, ready whenever you are.
So grateful for another week together.
Upcoming In Person Classes, Workshops and Trainings
Kansas City, MO. July 25-26. Join us for a weekend intensive in softness, strength and community at Maya Yoga. RSVP your space here.
Amsterdam, Netherlands. September 19-20. It's a homecoming for sure after several years away from Amsterdam. Join our vibrant community. RSVP your space here.
Metzingen, Germany. September 26-27. Our Weekend of Softness is a gathering you don't want to miss. Practice together, connect with our global community, and spend a weekend moving, breathing, and living softly. RSVP your space here.
Effingham Illinois. Join us Saturdays ongoing, for an easy going Energize Yoga class. It's been incredible to be part of this growing community. Join us. RSVP your space here.
Online Trainings - Learn Together
Healing and Teaching Support for Trauma and Stress with Tai Chi and Qigong RSVP here.
500+Hour Advanced Tai Chi Training Jan 3 - Dec 31 RSVP here.
200+Hour Yoga Teacher Training - April 5 - March 3 RSVP here.
