Have faith! You belong in the Sol Hot Yoga community! The old yoga joke, “we’re all just posers,” reminds us not to take life too seriously. Belonging!

First, a quick recap of our Alchemist’s journey, in case you’re jumping in here, first:

• Part 1, Being:  We focused on unlocking the door to the lab with three keys: (1) Presence, (2) Awareness, and (3) Intention, which all indicate your readiness for change.
• Part 2, Becoming:  We focused on realizing what you are doing, when you’re in the lab.  Pushing out beyond Awareness, we start to develop Understanding.  Understanding how or if our Intention is aligned with reality.

Now, in Part 3, we’ll focus on “Belonging.”  There can be any number of barriers to feeling like you belong in the “lab”.  The reasons might include a fear of judgment – am I doing it right?  Or authenticity – am I here for the right reasons?  Or diversity – no one else is as out of shape as me.  These all stem from comparing & competing – the general sense of separation.  It’s all ok & perfectly natural.  You’re already in the lab.

If you are new to practicing Sol Hot Yoga, you might find the first class is quite overwhelming.  That’s actually a beautiful indication that you’re exactly where you need to be.   There’s a lot going on with the heat, the lights, the mirrors, the music, and the foreign words that might come out of the instructor’s mouth.  It’s ok, and those feelings are an appropriate response to the new environment.  It means you have the mindset we seek – the Beginner’s Mind – and you are exactly where you need to be.

A Beginner’s Mind is a treasure of the Alchemist.  The Stockdale Paradox – named after Admiral James Stockdale – highlights the balance of two contrasting mindsets:  (1) unwavering faith, and (2) honest realism.  While we aspire to maintain an unshakable belief that we will succeed, regardless of the challenges; we’re also facing the brutal facts that Sol Hot Yoga is austere & intense.  Just like life.  Access your Beginner’s Mind as often as possible.  This is, in fact, a fundamental element of the alchemy that occurs with Sol Hot Yoga.

Some may have a misperception about Yoga classes, which creates doubt about belonging.  Perhaps you’ve had a strange experience at another studio, or in other styles of yoga, or you watched a documentary.  If it helps ease the doubts, in a Sol Hot Yoga class, we want you to challenge those assumptions and perceptions. It is more concerning if you have a feeling of “zoning out”. This is the opposite of “dropping in,” which requires your Presence, Awareness, and Intention.  The “Alchemist’s Lab” is your playground, but it is full of challenges and even a few hazards.

Once you’ve entered, the alchemist always begins with a question.  In the scientific approach: (1) Ask a question, (2) Research (aka Practice), (3) Form a Hypothesis, (4) Experiment (aka more Practice), (5) Analyze the results, (6) Form a conclusion. Or, more simply put, Ask, Try, and Learn. The beauty of the Beginner’s Mind is that it can be called to action every time you step into Sol Hot Yoga Studio.  It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it should be focused.

Even the most experienced yogis can get lulled into the repetition.  To a point, that is somewhat intentional.  The Sanskrit word Eka-Grata means one-pointedness.  We want to get to that point where the noise fades away, in order to reveal the true intention.

The Bhagavad Gita is actually only a part of the epic Maha-Baharata, the saga of the Great Baharata clan.  One of the main characters is the hero of the Gita, Arjuna.  He was known to be an expert archer.  Within the epic, we’re told of how he was learning to master the skill.  On one occasion, his teacher took Arjuna and his brothers out for target practice.

The teacher led the young men out to an open meadow.  Several meters away, he tied a clay bird to a tree branch with a red ribbon.  Then, he asked each of the boys to draw back an arrow.  But, before they could fire, he asked them what they were aiming at.

One boy said, he saw all the blades of grass between him and the tree.

Another said, he saw each leaf on the tree where the target was hung.

Yet, another claimed he could see the wind that would carry his arrow to its mark.

The teacher continued down the line of boys until he reached Arjuna.  When he asked him what he could see, Arjuna responded simply, “I see only the red ribbon.”

He was focused with drishti – a point to focus your eyes, a distraction filtration system.  This is the focus you need in a Sol Hot Yoga class.  Aware and Present, but undisturbed by distractions.

This story provides concise evidence of Arjuna’s svadharma – his purpose in the flow of his life.   That doesn’t mean the other archers should not practice.  If you’re familiar with the Gita, you know there’s a big battle ahead, and Arjuna could not face it alone.  We all need to practice – including our teachers.  If you remain Present and Aware throughout class, there will be a time you might be Arjuna, you might be one of the others, and you might even be the teacher.

The temptations to compare, compete, and complain may be the hardest part of your transformation.  Imposter syndrome?  We’re all just ‘posers’ – posing in postures that may be awkward and uncoordinated.  Remember, it’s yoga practice, not yoga perfect.  Come with your Eka-Grata – your one-pointed Intention to Ask, Try, & Learn – and remain focused on your Drishti – filtering out the distractions.

You belong – if you’re on your mat, then you’re exactly where you need to be.  Hold onto these two qualities with a Beginner’s Mindset and you’ll realize you are holding the ingredients to your own personal alchemy.

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