Master yoga teachers show us how to lighten up, how not to take ourselves too seriously.

To laugh at ourselves, when times get sticky, tough, or serious.  When there is intense focus, smile—turn those corners of your mouth upwards.

Sometimes I watch yoga students struggle in their practice, and it’s those that “take the yoga out of the face,” meaning the grunting expressions, furrowed brows, clinched jaws and the piercing stare to replace it with joy—with a drishti, or soft yogi gaze, rather than a fixed stare, a laser sharp focus that if born with super powers could burn a hole into a wall, turn stress into joy.

The ones who are able to soften, or bring joy to their practice, to those most challenging moments, are the ones that tend to bring joy all around them, on and off the mat.

“Take the yoga out of the face,” direct that intense energy to where it belongs. And when times get hard or stressful, laugh at yourself, bring joy to those moments, because it’s sure to lighten the entire experience for yourself and others.

Remember, even in our most important moments in life, we can bring joy, even if it means, losing our teeth.

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Ed: Sara Crolick