I’ve always thought of my stepson as a pillar of strength — nothing ever phasing him. But a few days ago I was reminded that even strongest buildings are vulnerable to stressors. So before I even rolled out my mat today I chose to dedicate my practice to DD with hopes he would somehow benefit.

When the instructor began she described a picture of a clown balanced on a balloon, with more than a dozen balls in the air to be juggled, and a monkey with a pin in hand threatening to burst the bubble that holds the clown and all that his is juggling — I thought “OMG. This is going to be so perfect.”

Each one of us yogis could easily relate. How often do we find ourselves juggling a vast array of jobs, to-dos, and the responsibilities-essential-to-another’s-well-being. Whether we like clowns, or the Cat in the Hat with the cup, milk, cake, fish, rake, toy ship, etc, no matter how well we are balancing it all, so often we feel that if one more responsibility or task was given to us, we’d fall apart and let everything go to ruin.

“More ease; Less effort.” That was our mantra, or the thread that would weave the string of poses into one fabulous workout and a fabulous practice to dedicate to DD. As we moved through the poses, or asanas, I thought of him. As I stood on one leg with the other outstretched in front, wobbling and trying my best not to fall, she had us scan our bodies for where the areas that were working too hard. I found I could ease the work in my back by straightening out my leg and flexing my toes. “Less effort; More ease,” she called. And I thought of him trying to balance a full-time highly-demanding job, graduate school, and all the responsibilities of living in this stressful day and age. He does it so well, you’d never know he was feeling worn by the demands.

In the mirror, my eyes fall upon a yogi with one of the most perfect eagle poses I’ve ever seen. Everything about it, at least on the outset, whispers “ease.” But when we are asked to grow our pose, this same yogi wobbles and her eagle falls apart completely. My eyes return to my own image. I stare back at myself, serious and full of effort. I take a deep breath and remind myself to find ease. My eagle grows and I can almost see a smile peering out from behind my crossed arms.

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