Yoga is not a work-out,

It is a work-in.

And this is the point

of spiritual practice;

to make us teachable;

to open up our hearts

and focus our awareness

so that we can know

what we already know

and be who we already are.

--Rolf Gates

I’ve been going to yoga classes several times a week for the first time in many years. The studio is walking distance from our flat, and the teaching is consistently good. It’s also a hot yoga studio (gasp!).  I run very hot as it is, so adding heat to my asana practice is adding fuel to an already burning hot fire! But I go, and I am surprised at myself that I keep showing up.

One of the things that my new life is teaching me is to be more open to difference, to change, to going with the flow, which I thought I was already pretty good at. Turns out, there’s room for growth:) So, hot yoga…when I took my first few classes in August, I had headaches afterwards and I was also very sore. I described the experience as a super hard workout that didn’t deliver what my home practice does—steadiness, calm, and a connection to the deeper parts of myself. Over time, though, a funny thing has happened. I am experiencing moments of being cracked open by my practice. I’ve cried during savasana, and I’ve found nooks and crannies in my inner life that I hadn’t known about but are also sweetly familiar to me somehow. (I also hydrate differently and I feel myself getting stronger physically--no more headaches!)

We meet ourselves on our mats, which is such a beautiful gift of practice, but it is challenging. We must continue to stay tuned in, open, aware, present, HERE for the lessons. Yoga encourages us to be teachable, to engage with our spiritual nature, and to get to know ourselves in every moment.

This month, let’s be aware of the opportunities to allow ourselves to be cracked open, to go deeper into who we are. Let’s let go of notions that keep us boxed in—like, “I don’t like hot yoga because it’s not really yoga; it’s a workout”—and make it a point to work inward in our practice, however it shows up. For yoga to work its magic, we must soften—in my case, maybe the heat is helping me do just that—because surrender to the Self can only happen when we lead ourselves softly into each moment of our lives.

May we let the waning heat of summer soften us in body, mind, and spirit; and savor the beautiful days of autumn, wherever we are.