Today we lean into a bit of challenge while holding onto a sense of awe. Push yourself in a positive way, but stay grounded in appreciation, for your body, the movement, and the world around you. Move dynamically. Feel strong. Stay in awe.

A gentle balancing session today. Got a little lost in the movement and things ran a bit long, but that’s how it goes sometimes;) Let’s keep showing up for ourselves and continue building balance that lasts a lifetime, creating strength, trust, and confidence in these beautiful bodies. Move well. Be well today.

On May 1st each year, we celebrate May Day—an ancient European festival welcoming the return of warmth, beauty, and life. Long before calendars became crowded and clocks ruled the day, people marked this turning of the season with joy. It was a time of fertility, renewal, and hope. Villages danced around the Maypole, crowned a May Queen and Green Man, gathered wildflowers, and left baskets filled with fruit, herbs, cookies, and small blessings at doorsteps. Bonfires glowed, songs rose into the evening air, and hearts remembered that winter does not last forever. One of the loveliest customs was the gathering of May morning dew. In old Celtic lands, especially around Beltane, people rose at dawn to wash their faces in the dew, believing it carried beauty, youthfulness, vitality, and luck for the year ahead. Dew was seen as nature’s holy water—softly blessed by earth and sky. In Scotland, some climbed hills such as Arthur’s Seat in Edinburgh to greet the sunrise and receive this sacred moisture. Others, feeling especially enthusiastic, rolled naked in the wet grass with great confidence in nature’s magic. Throughout the day, dancers wove ribbons around a flower-decked pole. The Maypole has long symbolized life-force and creative energy, while the ribbons and circular dance represent harmony, union, and the weaving together of heaven and earth. It is movement as prayer, joy made visible, and a reminder that life is always trying to bloom again. Many Americans let May Day pass quietly now— unless they are gardeners, romantics, or lovers of old customs. Yet in other lands, the spirit remains lively. In Finland, Walpurgis Night and May Day are among the year’s grandest celebrations, with laughter in the streets, music, sparkling drinks, and carnival spirit. In Belgium, people gift sprigs of Lily of the Valley to wish loved ones luck and happiness for the coming year. If you’re not planning to roll naked in the dew at sunrise— and, no judgment either way— here are a few soulful ways to honor May 1st:

Today we begin gently, with the option to progress into more challenging movements. Choose what serves you. Most importantly, move with affectionate awe and radical self-compassion, exactly where you are. Let each movement be an expression of respect and wonder for your body. When we bring affection and awe to what we’re doing, possibility expands. Move from that spirit today.

Today we ramp it up. Growth asks us to get uncomfortable from time to time. We’ll focus on leg strength and push a little harder, building resilience, confidence, and trust in your body. Lean into the challenge. You’ve got this. Stay strong.