Many of us believe that to accomplish our goals, we need to experience constant stress and struggle. If we want to climb the corporate ladder, we need to work 70-hour weeks. If we want to be good parents, we need to forgo sleep and our own mental health. The list goes on. It’s time to cut ties with the “No-Pain-No-Gain” cultural narrative that is so deeply ingrained in us. And according to thought leader Tara Stiles, we can not only overcome this perpetual state of burnout, but actually be able to accomplish more with less tension, by living softly.

In Living Softly, Stiles shares her framework for distributing your energy in a way that will allow you to live your life with calmness and ease. Rooted in the ancient healing arts of tai chi and shiatsu, Tara shows us how we can achieve our goals without destroying our wellbeing, and how we can move through conflict and challenging emotions with grace and awareness while avoiding the push-harder, do-more mentality that hurts our bodies and our spirits. Living softly means using the exact amount of energy needed in any situation—no more, no less.

Living Softly helps us recognize the imbalances in our bodies and minds that move through all of us physically, mentally, and emotionally. Softening means becoming moveable so you can be moved by your breath, your ideas, and others, while noticing how you feel and responding with care. In doing so, you’ll learn to achieve your full potential while feeling connected to yourself along the way.