Stewardship: Whose job is it anyway?!
Stewardship at Sol Hot Yoga: Seva, Sangha & Karma
At Sol Hot Yoga, we believe that yoga isn’t just something you do — it’s something you live. That belief comes to life through stewardship: mindful care for our space, our community, and the energy we each bring into the space.
Stewardship lives in three powerful yogic principles: Seva, Sangha, and Karma. Let’s take a closer look.
🤲 Seva — Selfless Service
Seva is the quiet practice of giving without expecting anything in return. It’s service as love, and it’s how we care for our shared space and each other. Our practice is rooted in Seva, just as we practice connecting the four corners of our feet to our mat.
At Sol, Seva looks like:
• 🧺 Folding a towel for the next guest
• 🕊️ Arriving early to create a peaceful atmosphere
• ✨ Offering your energy, presence, or a kind word
• ❤️ Volunteering when help is needed, simply because you can
These small acts become sacred when offered with heart.
🧘♀️🧘♂️🧘 Sangha — Trusted Partners
Sangha is the collective — the sacred family we choose when we choose to build through shared practice. Sangha reminds us that while yoga is deeply personal, it’s never practiced alone. Our Trusted Partners also hold us accountable, from a place of love & mutual respect, not from a place of shame.
In our Sangha:
• 🌿 Everyone belongs, no matter where they are on their journey
• 🫶 We hold space for each other with patience and compassion
• 🌍 We recognize that even those who don’t practice (yet) are part of the greater human circle
• ⬆️ We lift each other, knowing community is where healing deepens. As the adage goes, “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
Our strength is in how we show up together — in unity, not uniformity. “One the strength of one link in the cable dependeth the might of the chain.” The Laws of the Navy
♾️ Karma — Flowing energy
Understanding Karma requires understanding beyond awareness that every action — intention, word, and action — has an impact. It’s the energetic footprint we inherit, we attract, and we leave behind.
At Sol, karma shows up in how we:
• 🧠 Choose mindfulness over ego, kindness over critique
• 🙏 Avoid judgment — of ourselves or others
• 🧘🏻♀️Extend our practice beyond the mat: in our homes, our conversations, and our care for the earth
• 🔁 Remember that energy moves — and what we offer is reflected back. “Our vibe attracts our tribe.”
Stewardship, at its core, is karma in action.
Whether you’re a daily regular or just starting out, your presence matters. Stewardship isn’t a role reserved for teachers or owners — it’s a shared, living practice rooted in awareness, kindness, and connection.
At Sol Hot Yoga, we all belong — no extra charge for extra baggage. In purest form, we aspire towards unlimitedness & abundance.
Together, we practice what matters most — wholeness. In this space we invite health, happiness, and true peace.
The other day, I arrived at the studio to a pile of garbage, and it begged the question, “Whose job is it?”
Where were the trash collectors paid to haul it away? Where were the other business tenants & home tenants who piled the mass? Where was the landlord whom we pay to ensure trash is disposed?
Quick to realize I might be the only one disturbed. So, I chose to do the dirty work avoided by others in the chain of events leading to the visible results. I had a few minutes before class & chose to spend those minutes cleaning up the mess.
Karma is a quick reminder of my own shortcomings. I lost my wallet. I was nearly late to class. I set the room at the wrong temperature. I set out candles for a class that wasn’t supposed to be candlelight. I cued the wrong words during class. My music playlist was out of order…. The list of my ineptitude is extensive & exhaustive. As they say about “no good deed.”
At the end of the day, it is irrelevant whose job it might be. I recalled Carl Jung’s statement, “Only in the state of complete abandonment and loneliness that we experience the helpful powers of our own natures.” Genuine stewardship operates in the dark shadows, conducted by quiet professionals, and in the service of others. No one may ever notice — and, therein lies the purity of the intention, word, or the act itself. These bring light into darkness. The expectation others will appreciate these things is Expectation-Guided Otherness (EGO).
The lesson is in the reflection — what we see in our own practices. Not to judge, but to Ask, Try, and Learn; remembering all the while that this is a practice for Peaceful Warriors. “It’s a yoga practice, not yoga perfect.”
Come sit with the Warriors present in every Sol Hot Yoga class — the conversation is different.
