try not working hard

So many of us have learned and have our minds programmed to always "work hard."

My wonderful yoga teacher, Annie Carpenter, talked today in class about not working hard at a yoga pose. Trying to find the ease, the space, the tranquility within a pose which leaves you feeling inspired and encouraged, instead of feeling defeated if you don't get as far or work as hard as your inner programming says you should. Because at base the message we send ourselves when we say we're not working hard enough is, we're not good enough.

Shut off that inner voice when you can and work easy. Keep working, but if you work in this new way, maybe you'll find it's not work at all, it's really just exploring, growing and playing.

In this way, you can keep practicing yoga or whatever it is you aspire to do until you are 102, like Annie says, instead of giving up some day because you weren't good enough or didn't work hard enough. Wouldn't that be fantastic if we could all practice what we loved doing, what inspired us until we were 102?

I aspire to teach Sophie this lesson but I pretty sure she already knows it. Most moments seem to flow with ease for her, whatever she's doing.

Please let me show her, through my words and deeds, that her efforts are good enough, that she is more than good enough, whatever she does.