That was the reminder from my yoga instructor the other day. It was my first class in a while. It was the longest class with notoriously the toughest instructor. And her reminder to us was not to force it.

As always, it’s a reminder for my yoga practice, and it’s a reminder for my life. I almost always need to force less, try a bit softer, ease up a bit. I’ve gotten much better at going slower and letting things be, but my first impulse to push still kicks in – and kicks in hard – at times.

Especially as we get closer and closer to pub date, and there’s more and more (and more) to do. Finalize every piece of the book. Work on more promotional pieces. Approve the pre-order campaign giveaways. Make lists of all my friends and family to whom I’ll turn to help promote the book. (Stay tuned on that.) Schedule as many book signing events as I can. (Stay tuned on that as well – I may be coming to an indie bookstore near you!)

It makes my do more, try harder, push as much as possible old habits kick in. And then my yoga instructor reminds me not to force it. Not to force anything. To breathe more. To play more. To ease more. To enjoy more.

The universe steps in to remind me as well. Just the other day I “complained” because my yellow birds, which I’d been seeing in the multiples every day, had somehow disappeared. I feared that they were gone for the season. I was sad.

But I let it go. I didn’t look for meaning in the fact that I saw them every day and then I didn’t. I didn’t say (as I might have in the past), “Geez, Lisa. The universe isn’t smiling the same way on you. Maybe this all won’t work out.” (I’m not claiming that my past thinking was sane…or very nice to myself.) Instead I missed my yellow birds and chose to know that all was well.

And on the way to yoga, three yellow birds waiting for me.

Don’t force it. Allow it. All is well.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this post with others if it resonates with you!

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