Hello Reader,

Have you ever learned a new word or idea, and then suddenly started seeing it everywhere?

That happened to me this week.

I was listening to The Curiosity Shop podcast when Adam Grant introduced a phrase I'd never heard before: a just manageable difficulty.

I couldn't stop thinking about it.

He described it as a challenge that's right at the edge of our capability—enough to stretch us, but not so much that it overwhelms or overloads us.

As soon as I heard it, I started seeing examples everywhere.

Earlier in the week, one of my clients shared that she had decided to stop wearing her Apple Watch.

Following an injury, she had already adjusted her movement goals, but she realized the watch was still setting the volume too high. Instead of feeling encouraged, she felt like she was constantly being asked to do more than her body was ready for.

Then, just a couple of days later, my partner, Cam synced his Fitbit with Google's Health app. Based on very little information beyond his age, it congratulated him for meeting his weekly exercise goal... after just one day!

This time, the challenge wasn't too much.

It was too little.

Two completely different experiences.

The same lesson.

Neither device truly knew the person wearing it. Neither knew where that person was in their recovery, how they were feeling that day, or what their body was telling them.

As I reflected on those conversations, I couldn't help but think of Goldilocks.

Not too much.

Not too little.

Just right.

Then my thoughts wandered to yoga.

It also made me reflect on my own movement practice. Some days my body is ready to explore a little more. Other days it asks me to slow down, soften, or simply breathe. Twenty-five years of working in exercise science has taught me that the "right" amount of challenge isn't something we discover once and then follow forever. It's something we continue to recalibrate as our bodies, our lives, and our circumstances change.

One of the yoga principles I return to often is sthira and sukha—steadiness and ease.

I see it as an invitation to find the balance between support and challenge. To explore something new while still feeling steady. To be curious without forcing.

The "just right" amount of challenge changes from person to person. It changes after an injury. It changes with stress, sleep, confidence, and experience. It can even change from one day to the next.

That's one of the reasons I chose the name Everyday Yoga for my weekly yoga classes.

Not because I expect people to practise yoga every day.

But because I wanted to create a class where every body is welcome, every day they walk through the door.

Every pose has options.

Every movement can be adapted.

You decide what feels like the right amount of challenge for your body that day.

Some days your body asks for a little more.

Some days it asks for a little less.

Neither is better.

Both are part of learning to listen.

Perhaps that's what a just manageable difficulty really looks like—not letting a watch, an app, or even someone else's expectations decide what is right for your body.

Instead, learning to recognize your own version of "just right."

​Registration is now open for the Fall 2026 session of Everyday Yoga.​

If you've been looking for a yoga/movement class that meets you where you are today—not where you think you should be—I would love to welcome you.

Together, we'll explore postures with curiosity, discover what your own "just right" feels like, and learn that steadiness and ease can exist together.

I’d love for you to join us!

Stay well and happy moving,

Lisa

P.S. If you've ever thought, "I'm too stiff," "I'm too out of shape," "I've never done yoga before," or even "I'm not a yoga person," you might be exactly who I had in mind when I named this class Everyday Yoga. Every body is welcome, and every movement has options.

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Supporting you in your physical activity journey.

​www.lisaworkman.com​