Tapas Tuesdays

I have decided to commit my Tuesdays to the concept of Tapas- a sanskrit term, which as I understand it, means fire.

This fire is used to create, to destroy, to heat up, to clear space- it is energy used for the purpose of new growth. Tapas is hard work. It is what we may think of as "blood, sweat, and tears" or even "elbow grease." Tapas can also take the form of silence, stillness, or austerity. For me, Tapas Tuesdays encompasses many forms of commitment. I first commit to waking up at 6, so that I can start my day at the 7am hot class. I think that this is the hardest practical commitment for me, as I am fiercely resistant to waking up early. Next, I commit to being in the pranayama practice group at 9am. This commitment is easy for me to make. The group consists of some really incredible people, who I am always really delighted to be with. The hard part of this is how much comes up during the pranayama; mostly in the form of fear and anxiety. Then, I hurry off to a normal day of work. After work, I return to the studio to practice either bodywork or yoga (depending on who needs what) and end the day with the meditation group at 8pm. If this all sounds a bit extreme, it is. Tapas, to me, is putting in energy where I want to grow. I am committed to being a yoga teacher, and growing into this role. This does not happen without a lot of elbow grease.