Soft Smile Somatics (Possible by Design is now Soft Smile Somatics)

Hi Reader, Someone told me recently, “your brain is like a wildflower garden.” I love ideas. I went for ice cream with a friend and by the time we finished our cones I had designed three new flavors, written a novel about a young protagonist who moves to a new town and is ridiculed for her fashion sense, only to inspire a unique unfolding of events, and drew inspiration from the organized collection of colorful ice cream, sherbet, and sorbet to sort my closet in a way to maximize bursts of...

Hi Reader, I've been talking about Whimsical & Wild quite a bit lately. There's a reason for that. The themes at the heart of these workshops—creativity, curiosity, instinct, and aliveness—are things I've lost touch with more than once throughout my life. Like many people, I've spent periods of my life focused on responsibility, productivity, and doing what I thought I should do. And every time I reconnect with those quieter, more creative parts of myself, life feels bigger, richer, more...

Hi Reader, Summer has a way of pulling us in many directions. Between vacations, family gatherings, long evenings, and changing routines, it's easy to move through the season without ever fully arriving in it. So I put something together for the season: Soft Smile Rhythm: Summer Shala. Rather than another thing to add to your to-do list, Summer Shala offers a gentle rhythm woven into real summer life, helping you stay connected to yourself while fully enjoying the season. Throughout the...

Hi Reader, Over the past couple of years, I’ve reconnected with creative aspects of myself. I always say that music was my first love. But for some reason, I stopped playing for many, many years. I have a theory. Through years of stress, adaptation, over-functioning, self-monitoring, pressure, and simply trying to keep life moving, I lost connection with myself. Humans have a remarkable ability to adapt to:• workplaces• relationships• expectations• family systems• social norms• chronic stress...

Hi Reader, Last week I completed a certification in Yoga Therapy for Ancestral & Collective Trauma through Stanford Psychiatry. It was one of the most meaningful trainings I’ve done. One of the themes we explored throughout the training was how human beings adapt to survive. Sometimes that adaptation looks obvious. Sometimes it looks incredibly subtle. When things don’t feel fully secure — emotionally, relationally, culturally, physically, or socially — human beings adapt. We learn how to...

Hello everyone, I’ve been noticing something lately, both in myself and in the people I work with—they hold back. It’s not always dramatic or obvious, but builds over time. Tension in the shoulders, breathing is a little more shallow, a moment of hesitation before speaking or moving. It’s just something the body has learned to do. Whether from stressful situations, hunching over a desk all day, or past learned behaviors that kept us safe. Over time, though, it can start to feel like effort....

Hello everyone, First, a quick update: Possible by Design is now Soft Smile Somatics. It’s a small shift in name, but a clearer reflection of the work—somatics, yoga therapy, and expressive practices that support real change over time. Some of you may remember Soft Smile Yoga—this is a natural continuation of that work. ✨ Spark Something New with Whimsical & Wild Workshops Ever feel like cranking up the music and dancing around the room?Just cutting loose. Feeling, breathing, letting go of...

Hello everyone, I don’t know about you, but I have 🌸 spring fever. My energy is up. My sleep is down.All this sunlight is messing with my sleep rhythms.Life is busy, too. I used to get stuck in overdrive.until I found a meditation practice that actually helped.🧠 Do you ever get into bed and your mind is still going? Planning.Replaying.Trying to get ahead of tomorrow. It can feel like a sleep problem. But often, it’s something else. When your system has been under sustained pressure—tight...

Hello Reader! Have you ever been excited to finally have time for something creative — and then nothing comes? You try to push through it. Think harder. Stay focused. And still nothing. Creativity isn’t just a mental process. It’s a whole body experience. The Body Frees Imagination When stress builds, the brain shifts into a more protective mode.Attention narrows, and energy goes toward pushing through, not exploring. This limits imagination. Many experiences are processed through the limbic...