🧘‍♀️ The Modern Woman’s Reset ButtonWhy Yoga Is Not a Workout (But You Might Still Break a Sweat)

By Kristin Cambron Steele | Mindful Motions Dallas – The Neighborhood Flow

Far North Dallas

You’ve got the calendar color-coded, the carpool lined up, the groceries halfway ordered, and about four texts you forgot to answer. Maybe you’re on the PTA. Maybe you’re juggling a part-time job—or even working full-time while managing everything at home.

Sound familiar?

In the hustle of upper-middle-class life—especially here in Far North Dallas—many of us are balancing the visible responsibilities and the invisible ones: the emotional labor, the scheduling, the remembering-for-everyone.

So when you finally carve out an hour for yourself, the pressure kicks in:

“I should probably get a real workout in.”

However, here is what I’ve learned—through life, through motherhood, through grad school, and through my yoga mat:

Yoga is not a workout.

 It’s a reset button.

 And sometimes, that’s the strongest, most necessary thing you can do.

This Isn’t a Fitness Pitch—It’s a Personal One

I’m currently working toward my master’s degree in mental health counseling.

 I’m also a mom of two, a wife, a friend, a neighbor, a yoga studio owner and teacher. I’m managing my own mental health—including ongoing depression—while trying to show up fully for the people who count on me.

And if you know me, I’m far from perfect or consistently consistent. But a weekly yoga practice? That’s an achievable goal—a viable way to remain grounded. Something to easily return to, even if you’ve taken a hiatus for a good or weak reason.

And here’s the thing I’ve learned the hard way:

 If I don’t protect my mental health, I can’t give what I want to give. Not to my family. Not to my clients. Not to myself.

Yoga is what keeps me grounded, smiling, and clear-headed.

 It’s what fills my bucket so I can pour into others.

And if you know me, I’m far from perfect or consistently consistent. But a weekly yoga practice? That’s an achievable goal—a viable way to remain grounded. Something to easily return to, even if you’ve taken a hiatus for a good or weak reason.

You Might Sweat, but That’s Not the Point

Some days, I leave class sore and sweaty. Other days, I cry in pigeon pose and barely move at all. Both are valid. Both are necessary.

Yoga isn’t about sculpting abs or crushing calories (though those things can happen).

 It’s about coming home to yourself—one breath at a time.

In a world that constantly tells women to “do more,” yoga says: pause.

In a culture that values output, yoga invites you to listen inward.

In a life where anxiety simmers beneath the surface, yoga teaches you to regulate, not suppress.

🥂 When “Champagne Problems” Still Hurt

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably told yourself things like:

“I have no right to feel this way.”

“Other people are dealing with real pain.”

“My life is fine—why can’t I just be grateful?”

We invalidate our own stress because it doesn’t feel big enough.

We call them “champagne problems”—feeling overwhelmed by emails, exhausted from parenting, emotionally fried by daily decisions—while knowing full well that the world is holding enormous pain:

• Ongoing war and trauma in Israel, Gaza, and Ukraine

• The continued presence discrimination

• The growing infringement on fundamental freedoms for many Americans

• Families navigating grief, violence, and profound loss

  
  

So we shame ourselves for feeling stretched thin by “normal” life. We guilt ourselves for being stressed when others are suffering.

But compassion doesn’t work like that.

It is NOT a limited resource!

Respecting your own experience helps build the empathy and strength to show up better for others—whether that’s your family, your neighbors, or a world in crisis.

Yoga teaches this beautifully:

 To feel what you feel without apology.

 To stay present in discomfort without judgment.

 To hold multiple truths at once—and breathe through them.

What Happens on the Mat Shows Up Everywhere

I don’t practice yoga because I’m flexible. I practice because it makes me resilient.

 It helps me respond instead of react.

 It helps me feel like myself again—and be a little more present for the people I love.

It’s not always peaceful or graceful. Sometimes it’s messy.

 Sometimes it’s five minutes of stillness while the rest of the class flows.

 But it’s always mine.

And that’s what I want for you.

💬 From One Woman to Another:

If you're craving space to breathe, move, cry, or just be, this is your invitation.

Yoga at Mindful Motions Dallas isn’t about perfect poses or fitness goals.

 It’s about coming back to yourself—again and again.

 Whether you’ve practiced for years or are stepping on the mat for the first time, there’s room for you here.

🧘‍♀️ Text me at 210-379-8653 to sign up today!

 Not because you should work out… but because you deserve a reset.

With breath and love,

Kristin Cambron Steele

@MindfulMotionsYoga

The Neighborhood Flow