Life is the dancer and you are the dance

We all can feel confused learning something new.  You don’t already know what you’re doing. We might feel completely lost at times, maybe frustrated, but all of this is normal, natural and a beneficial process, if you allow it to be. Letting yourself be a beginner takes practice, leaning into the uncomfortableness, allowing the voice in your head to be there with reminders of “you’ll never learn this, you’ll never be able to do this”. And then, a few weeks later, all of that process has gotten you to a place where, I will guarantee, you have made progress. And if there is one thing in life that we often overlook, it’s our own progress, our own evolution in our Yoga practice and in our lives. They are one of the same.

So, a quick recap over where we have travelled together over the last few weeks.

• We looked at becoming a beginner and how that can make us feel.
• We spoke of how we can allow our lives to flow rather than force.
• We learned the physical practice, with repetition, getting mixed up, rolling around on the mat and hopefully having some fun with it.
• Looking at Wild Thing or Camatkarasana and its variations, it’s translation meaning “ecstatic unfolding of the enraptured heart. A beautiful way to open your heart.
• And the whole essence of the practice centred around the quote “Life is the dancer and you are the dance”. The dancelike and energetic quality of movement, breath and flow in this practice was all about finding flow through Yoga.

“Life is the dancer and you are the dance”, reminds us of the harmony between life and our experience of it. Life, in its constant flow and rhythm, moves through us. We are not separate from this energy—we are the expression of it, the dance itself. And what better way to connect with this truth than through the practice of yoga, where the dance of life and the body become one.

In yoga, breath is life. Each inhale and exhale are a reminder of life’s presence within us, a subtle rhythm that we often take for granted. When we step onto the mat, we enter into a sacred dance with our breath. Through mindful breathing—whether in a flowing Vinyasa sequence or a still meditation—we align ourselves with the pulse of life.

This connection to breath (Pranayama), is what makes yoga more than just physical movement or exercise. It’s a bridge between the inner world and the outer world, between stillness and motion. In the same way that a dancer becomes one with the music, in yoga, we become one with our breath, moving in harmony with life itself.

“Life is the dancer and you are the dance”, leans towards the idea of surrender. In life, we often try to control every step, every outcome. We think we are the choreographers, dictating the moves. However, this quote reminds us that life is the one guiding the dance, not us. We are simply the expression, flowing where life leads us.

On the yoga mat, this lesson is clear. There are poses we think we should master, sequences we believe we should nail, but sometimes the body has other plans. It’s in those moments—when we accept where our body is, rather than forcing it into where we think it should be—that we truly embody the dance. The key is to let go of control and trust the flow.

In the dance of life, presence is everything. A dancer who is not present with the music will stumble and fall out of rhythm. Similarly, when we are not present in our lives, we feel disconnected, anxious, or out of sync.

Yoga teaches us presence through every pose and transition. In Tadasana (Mountain Pose), we root down into the earth, aware of each muscle engaged, each breath taken. In Savasana (Corpse Pose), we surrender fully to the present moment, releasing all tension and worry. Every asana is an invitation to drop out of the mind and into the body, to feel the dance of life in each cell, each movement and each breath.

The dance of life is never perfect—it’s full of stumbles, unexpected turns and moments of grace. Yoga can offer us a powerful lesson. On the mat, it’s easy to compare ourselves to others, to want to achieve the perfect posture, or to feel frustrated when our bodies don’t cooperate. But yoga, like life, is not about perfection. It’s about presence and flow.

“Life is the dancer and you are the dance”, reminds us that we are not separate from life; we are life, unfolding moment by moment. In the same way, yoga teaches us to embrace each moment as it comes, whether it’s smooth or shaky. We learn to dance in the process.

In the end, yoga is a practice that mirrors life itself. Just as we learn to flow from one pose to another, we learn to navigate life’s transitions with grace and presence. Just as we breathe through discomfort on the mat, we learn to breathe through the challenges that life brings our way. Yoga is a dance, and so is life—a dance of presence, surrender and trust in the rhythm that carries us forward.

When we remember that life is the dancer, and we are the dance, we release the need to control every step. Instead, we open ourselves to the beauty of the moment, trusting that life’s rhythm will guide us exactly where we need to be. And through yoga, we come to know this truth in our bodies, hearts and minds.

So next time you step onto your mat, let go of the need to choreograph every movement. Instead, allow life to guide your practice. Feel the breath move you, let the flow carry you and remember, you are the dance, and life is the dancer.

Embrace the rhythm, trust the flow and enjoy the beautiful dance that is your life.

As always, thank you for coming to class.

K x

Some Quotes from the past few weeks

 “The secret to happiness, is flow, not force”.

“Wander with an open heart and you will find your path”.

“Be kind to past versions of yourself that didn’t know the things you now know”.

“Life is the dancer and you are the dance”.