Practicing Joy

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated my oldest daughter’s upcoming nuptials with a mother-daughter bachelorette weekend in Cincinnati.

It was a weekend full of joy and unexpected adventure—a night at the casino, a private karaoke room, and even a private group ballet class. As someone who doesn’t consider herself particularly musical or especially graceful, I had forgotten just how freeing it feels to sing loudly and move my body without worrying about how I looked or whether I was doing it “right.”

There’s something uniquely powerful about movement and music. Like other forms of exercise, dancing releases feel-good chemicals—endorphins, serotonin, oxytocin. But unlike many workouts, dance is pure fun. Pure joy. The same goes for singing. Whether or not we can carry a tune, lifting our voices can lift our spirits.

Since that weekend, I’ve been more intentional about welcoming joy into my daily life—letting movement and music flow through me as expressions of self rather than something to be judged or perfected.

This spirit of joyful expression can be invited into our yoga practice, too.

So often, I hear people say they can’t do yoga because they’re not flexible enough, too old, or too self-conscious. But yoga isn’t about mastering poses or looking a certain way. It’s about self-awareness—coming home to ourselves, exactly as we are.

When we practice with that awareness and a sense of joy, every pose becomes an expression of our inner truth. Each movement tells a story of presence, not perfection.

So I invite you to consider: what would it look like to move—on the mat or off it—just for the joy of it?

Especially in these challenging times, joy isn’t just a luxury. It’s a lifeline. A practice. A powerful act of resilience. We can dance more freely, sing more boldly, laugh more loudly—on purpose.

Because joy isn’t about being perfect—It’s about being present.