Dancing on the Edge: Embracing Life's Liminal Spaces

In the sacred space of the yoga studio, I often guide students into Warrior Three pose with an invitation to imagine standing at the edge of a cliff or building and looking down to see what you may see.

For some, the vision below reveals a calm, peaceful scene — perhaps a lush meadow, a deep canyon, or a tranquil lake. For others, the view brings chaos and fear — jagged rocks, rush-hour traffic on the streets below, or an endless void.

The beauty of this practice lies not in controlling what we see, but in learning to breathe with whatever arises. We stand balanced on one leg, arms extended if possible, and as we learn to balance physically, we must also learn to balance mentally. Both physical and mental practices require time. But once we realize we can balance both, we trust our bodies and our minds. We discover that we are not our thoughts. We are the witness — the one who stands steady amidst the internal weather.

This is the essence of living in liminal space — that threshold between what was and what will be, between the known and unknown. Life constantly presents us with these edges, these moments where we must choose between staying safe in familiar territory or taking a leap into uncertainty. Sometimes we create these thresholds ourselves, such as when we start new jobs, move to new cities, begin relationships, or end them. Other times, life hands them to us without warning: job loss, economic upheaval, political uncertainty, or changes in our closest relationships.

The question is not whether we will encounter these spaces, but how we will navigate them.

As Rabindranath Tagore wisely observed, “You cannot cross the ocean by merely standing at the shore.” Yet before we can make that crossing, we must first learn to dance on the edge — to find our balance in the uncertainty before we can discern when to leap.

I have moved the full narrative over to my new Substack

In the full Substack post, I dive more deeply into:

• 🐒 The Wisdom of Ancient StoriesHow Hanuman’s legendary leap across the ocean reminds us that before great action comes great faith — and that courage often begins with remembering our own strength.

  
  

• ⚖️ Building Confidence Through PracticeWhy Warrior Three mirrors life’s hardest transitions, and how muscle memory — both physical and spiritual — helps us balance when we can’t yet see the other side.

  
  

• 🌫️ The Spiritual Dimension of UncertaintyLearning to sit in the pause before the leap — when intuition feels quiet, inspiration fades, and all that’s left is trust.

  
  

• 💫 Learning to LeapHow true faith creates the ground beneath your feet, and why the edge itself is where transformation takes root.

  
  

✨ Continue reading the full reflection on Substack, where I explore how to breathe, balance, and build faith in the face of the unknown.👉 Read it on Substack & Subscribe for future essays

Namaste,

xo

Lauri

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