“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time.”
— Sophia Bush

I want to share a lesson in compassion that my 7-year-old unknowingly taught me last week — and honestly, it almost brought me to tears.

We were snowed in and I decided to bake with the kids. I was rushing through the recipe, trying to do all the things at once… and right as we were about to roll the dough, I realized I had forgotten the sugar.

I blurted out, “I’m so stupid.” 😂🤦‍♀️

Without missing a beat, my daughter looked at me and said:

“Mom, you’re not stupid. You’re just learning. You don’t know this recipe that well.”

Wow.

Her response stopped me in my tracks.

Of course I told her she was absolutely right — but what really hit me was this:

She didn’t know she was teaching me a lesson in self-compassion… but that’s exactly what she did.

So how can we apply this to yoga?

It’s so easy to beat ourselves up when we’re struggling in class — especially when we’re new or trying something challenging.

We might say things like:

• “I’m bad at this.”

• “I’m not coordinated.”

• “I can’t do this.”

Instead, what if we reminded ourselves:

• “I’m just learning.”

What if we practiced encouraging ourselves the same way we’d encourage a friend… or a child?

This week on your mat, I invite you to practice compassion toward yourself — especially when things feel hard.

Because you’re allowed to be both a masterpiece… and a work in progress at the same time. 💜

See you on the mat,
Samantha

P.S. A few things coming up at the studio 💜

• Galentine’s Yoga with Erin: TOMORROW February 13th from 6–8 PM — a fun, feel-good evening celebrating female friendship. Register here.
Free for members | $50 for non-members.

• Costa Rica Retreat 2027: Early registration has opened to the waitlist and it's already 50% full! We have 3 Garden View Villas & 1 Ocean View villas left! 😲 If you missed getting on the waitlist, registration will open up on February 15th to everyone.