We talk so much about balance these days— family and work, self-care and care for others, rest and productivity. Have you noticed that it’s ridiculously challenging to stay in balance for any length of time? One minute we’re in balance, then out of balance, we find it again, only to lose it the next.

It’s not the imbalance that throws us off course — balance and imbalance are just part of the yin and yang of our journey. The problem more often is the way we react to imbalance. You know, like when we notice the imbalance and react by judging ourselves compared to others– What is wrong with me? So-and-so has it all together, and I can’t even manage this carpool? Or, we kick it into high-gear action mode–overshop, overconsume, overuse social media sites as a way to quiet the inner wobble. In those agitated states, it’s easy to overreact to the little things, and literally worry ourselves awake at night. The reaction to the imbalance can be more damaging than the imbalance itself.

I’ve been thinking about something I say when teaching balancing poses in yoga classes: “Love the Wobble.” This was a hard-won realization. For years, many of us, myself included, would get mad at the wobble, or hold onto walls when wobbling, or use the wobble as our signal to really begin freaking out. One day I decided that I was just too tired to fight it. I invited the crazy, shaky wobble into my experience instead of letting the wobble indicate that I was on my way down. Once I started letting in and loving the wobble, I fell less. And when I did fall, it just wasn’t such a big deal.

The wobble is inherent in life. Maybe the wobble helps us steady ourselves, a mini-course correction of sorts. Fighting the wobble? That only creates more stress.

When the wobble shows up, on or off the mat, send it love, not resistance. Embracing the wobble can be a game changer. An amazing thing happens when we love the wobble in our lives. We can relax a little more, accept ourselves a little more, and, when we fall, find more grace to get back up.