From The Heart
Sometimes in a yoga class, the teacher will invite you to smile during class. They will say, "I invite you to lift the corners of your mouth." I don't want to lift the corners of my mouth, and so I refuse. I refuse to slap a smile on my face during yoga. The last thing I want to do is worry about the expression on my face. Twice in one week I have been told how obedient I am. Once from a yoga teacher, who called me a "good student" because I will only go into the advanced version of a pose if the teacher gives the option to do so, and again by my therapist, who called me a "good patient". I try so hard to "be good." I draw the line at being told how to feel. There are many times while practicing yoga that I feel a smile spontaneously spread across my face. That is a gift! I also know there are times when my expression looks pained, and I appreciate being told to relax my jaw, or soften between my eyes. Please, don't tell me to smi...