Hello Friends,
It’s June 20 as I’m writing this. Happy 1st day of summer. I’m a summer lover. I was inspired to crank out 108 sun salutes with Christine & Giuseppe Dimonte this evening and then chase the sunset west, dip in the Shenandoah river and catch the full moon rise on the way back with my old time, wild-hair girlfriend Katrina. For me, this is what summer is made for. Endless days, dips in the rivers and all the spontaneous going west I can get (or just adventure).
But writing (and sharing it) is also quite an adventure. So here goes chapter 2 of the Sol Chronicles.
I promised a bit of past, present and future each edition of the chronicles and this time I’ll go way back with a personal story and then tie it in to present and future.
Martial arts was my parents practice of choice for me and my brothers to master. Starting at six and ending only when I picked up yoga, I practiced a lot of karate. Looking back, it was pretty much yoga. A mind, body, spirit practice all wrapped up in community. It was a physical practice indeed but Mr. Wickham, my main teacher, asked us to answer this philosophical question: What is most important - past, present or future? I was a green belt, which must have made me about eight or nine. It felt like it was a trick question but I was determined to come up with a good answer that would please my teacher, and hopefully, be right! I sat and thought and thought and settled on ‘the present,’ as the most important. I wrote an essay and turned it in. Turns out, I did please my teacher! He selected my essay as the ‘best,’ and so began my obsession with many things… philosophy, writing, getting praise and being right :-). But I remember my thought process then as clearly as I do now… the past is gone, the future is unknown and all we have is right now!
Duh.
So simple.
But… so not easy to embody as it turns out.
So, we have infinite PRACTICES and techniques like martial arts, yoga, meditation, running, cloud gazing, creativity, dance, journaling, gratitude, family meals, mindful eating, etc… all to help us remember to be present.
And the wierd thing is, we seem to have to ré-remember to be present, like, every hour of every day. Hence, the call for healthy daily practices in almost all healing arts.
Lucky for me, my wonderful parents, Pat & Ty, made sure I had tapas. Tapas, one of the niyamas in yoga, is loosely understood as ‘disciple’ or the willpower (heat/fire) it takes to do hard or boring or austere things that are ultimately good for you or help make change. Things like brushing your teeth, or physical exercise, or self restraint of some sort.
For me, daily martial arts was one of the many practices that helped build my discipline. So when I started yoga, the idea was already embedded in my neural pathways. I’m not averse to hard work. In fact, I can crave it. (Which can also become an imbalance!!!)
Good daily, weekly and seasonal habits are well known to be paramount to success in human life. Lots of studies show. Plain and simple.
So, as part of the great Sol Re-Org, we will have a ‘Practices’ division. At present, the fabulous Annabelle Thunderbird is the interim lead of this division. (we met her a few weeks ago in our weekly email - come in and visit her)
Yoga is ONE pretty comprehensive daily practice we know works and we offer lots of expertise in this area. And, there are so many more that we welcome as well.
Currently, as usual, on the schedule you’ll find 3-7 yoga inspired daily practices every single day. For all levels, all pocket books, indoor and outside, many teachers, etc. It’s what we’ve been doing for 20 yeas. But what you may not know about is a few additional areas of practice I’d like to invite you to:
Monday
Emotional Flexibility - it’s great if our hamstrings are flexible but really a secret key to good health is being able to process emotions in real time. If not, we bottle them up and they can become quite poisonous or come out sideways. On Mondays from 530-645pm, we sit in a small group and explore how to have emotional sobriety - not being controlled by our emotions. It’s just about listening, feeling and if you feel comfortable, sharing. This group is facilitated by humans with varying levels of emotional maturity. We are not professionals but rather people on a path of recovery and discovery trying to heal from within. This experience is offered by donation.
Tuesday
Community acupuncture is offered by Ava Toppo. Acupunture is another system of holistic healing utilized to support balance and restoration of our mind, body and spirit. Ava is a yoga lover and passionate community builder who really really wants people to have access to the simple power of healing of acupuncture. She rents our space and sets up a beautiful, serene, welcoming experience on Tuesdays from 4-7pm. Her services are offered on a sliding scale. Her energy is contagious and her treatments nourishing. Check her out at www.stuckwithava.com
Wednesday
For about two years, we’ve been doing an experiment on Wednesday nights from. 530-645pm. This class is focused on yoga for all kinds of recovery. I’ll save the love story of how this came to be until next chapter, but know this is a seed of the deeper work we are doing in our community. The vast majority of us are, or will need to, recover from an injury, setback, grief, disease, unexpected change, etc. The process of healing and recovery IS the process of yoga. We lose our selves or our health, only to (hopefully)find our way back. It requires daily devotion and good habits to make our way back to vigor. This special class allows us to connect with our healing journey as well as others who are in a similar process. We do yoga, breathing, meditation and sharing. It’s what you’ve come to expect from yoga but with a little extra connection and sensitivity to the impact of trauma.
7pm -8pm
Have no fear, meditation is not something to avoid if it’s been recommended to you. It’s a powerfully healing practice to incorporate into your life daily. This simple group consists of being still (lay down, have a chair, lean against the wall or sit in lotus) for about 20 minutes, then we share about our experience. A facilitator shares some inspiration and tracks the time, but otherwise it’s an open group for listening and sharing. Open to all seeking peace and facilitated by anyone open to leading.
Thursday
7-8pm
We rent our space out for a 12 step recovery meeting. We’ve come to discover (more in the next chapter) that the 12 steps and yoga’s 8 limbs are remarkably similar and have the same end goal - liberation from suffering and connection with alignment. 12 step meetings are held worldwide for all kinds of process and substance addiction including food, co dependency, technology, drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, overworking, underearning, etc. Millions of people worldwide heal in this community. If you are curious, most meetings are open to anyone seeking peace. Further, the combo of 12 steps plus yoga is a 1-2 punch for deep, lasting healing.
Saturday
430pm
Creativity and expression are pathways to presence, powerful tools for healing and a part of all thriving communities. The practice of vulnerability is required for healthy relationship.
First it was BRAVE SPACE that emerged on Saturday afternoons as an invitation to share words that move you or words you write. At present, it’s open to sharing of all kinds of creativity. In this small group, some share a poem they have written, a moving letter to or from a loved one, a piece of art or photography, a song, bits of a book or story. Whatever it is, it requires a little or a lot of bravery to say it out load. But the safe space it lands in offers resonance and the experience of being seen and heard. We are just humans in a circle. Not judges or teachers or professionals, just people. One of the regular people and inspiration for this practice is Adrien Gehring, a board member of our non profit, yoga teacher on Saturday mornings at 930am and community healer that you’ll learn more about in the coming chronicles.
And now, on alternating Saturdays, thanks to Adrien’s commitment to offering creativity as a portal to connection, CREATIVE SPACE is an open time for individuals to gather to do creativity - any kind - art, body movement, writing, music. We touch base in the beginning and end of the session, but otherwise parallel play! Part of this is the PRACTICE of formally setting aside time to tap into your creativity. Coming together allows of to be accountable to deeping our relationship with our self and others.
Sunday
Community Day!
7pm Community Dinner
Something you’ll hear more about in the coming chapters, and also part of an experiment over the past 2 years, we have been providing transitional housing to 5-15 people at a time across multiple homes downtown. The common thread of all residents is they are all in a healing journey. On Sunday, we all gather to connect and have a meal. The meal is open to the community and we always invite new people to join us. When the weather is cooperative, we enjoy this time in the ‘yoga yard’ behind the garage.
Prior to dinner, inspired by one of our residents, we are trying this:
430pm Weekly Reset - planning time for your week ahead, with friends! Get all your lists made, budget accounted for, appointments planned, rides arranged, yoga classes for the week picked out, social events scheduled, etc. Need help or have ideas, other people are in the room to bounce ideas off of or share your intentions for support. Some people are already GREAT at organizing thier life and planning, others need some accountability and companionship in this area.
Nothing special required for any of the above offerings. No special clothes or prerequisites. You can come in off the street in the moment or plan ahead as much as you want. They are not all yet listed on our website or schedule, so you can text me at 301.788.5154 if you’d like to learn more.
Whew, did you read ALL that?! If so, you might have a good attention span and you might even like to read! Speaking of, in the interest of supporting that excellent habit - reading and studying - we have a book club in the pipeline.
As you can see, we feel like daily, weekly and seasonal practices are at the heart of a life well lived. And you can sense that we like to do things in COMMUNITY. Together is better. Solitude is good too, but we are dealing with an epidemic of post covid and modern day isolation across generations and socioeconomic statuses. Its actually killing us. It causes disease and prevents healing. It’s time to come together, in person. To rely on each other, be vulnerable and share the highs and lows of life. To not only share joys and celebrate together but to do hard things together. The beauty of a daily or weekly commitment is that you show up no matter what and you get to share your whole self with a community. Not just showing up when things are great and you’ve got your makeup on. But rolling out your mat when you might not want to, or reading a poem out load you aren’t sure about or talking about your feelings (scary!!) and realizing it makes you feel better. Our collective capacity for tapas and vulnerability could stand to rise and when we do it together it feels euphoric. We are not here to judge your methods or condemn your suffering but merely to to invite you into a natural euphoria we experience and to share your ways!
I’ll save the topic of ‘service’ for the next edition and I’ll close out with a look back at our timeline. It was early 2008 when I left off last chapter.
Studio Sky was packed on Friday nights in January and February. Sometimes 29 people crammed into that little space with about 4 inches between mats. Mic Mathers, Lee Jenkins, Karen French, Lisa Hinkle, Kim Khun and Anthony all come to mind… we had a great time. Sweat, smiles, music, tears and lots of conversations in the lobby. I was pregnant for the first time with my son Jonah who just drove me in a car today. Time flies.
The real estate market was slowing down and the first floor of 256 west Patrick street, that had been filled with opportunistic real estate agents, was opening up. We didn’t really need a bigger, or another space for yoga, as not ALL of our classes were 29 people, just $5 Happy Hour. But spirit whispered in my ear so loud that I couldn’t be practical.
So we said yes again and the grungy carpet got ripped up, the hardwood floors buffed and shined. Jan Faulkner and I put clay colored paint on the walls so we could call the grounding space. ‘Studio Earth,’ to balance ‘Studio Sky.’ Me and my not-yet-born baby in belly stood dangerously on ladders in the windows to hang things from the ceiling and carried large 4x8 sheets of plexiglass all by myself from the roof rack of my vintage BMW. I was determined to get it done before I had a baby. I didn’t need anyone’s help then. So self righteous and determined in my strong youth :-).
Amanda M, Meredith McAdams, Michael Krones, Ryan & Sam Neier, so many dedicated people came out in support as we opened the second studio in April 2008. I remember my white white tabk top and big belly under it that was brewing. I was beginning to really feel the duality of being uncomfortable and at ease at the same time, all the time. A time of expansion and opening.
The walls and floors of that studio began to absorb so much transformation. Class after class, teacher training blossomed. Kimberlyn Cahill, Shelley Pentony arrived, Julie Skarup, so many beautiful souls. (My memories are random and the names I offer are just a smidge of the people in my heart).
Adam and I birthed Jonah that year. A real spiritual awakening for me as he arrived earth side in my home on July 3, 2008. I was obsessed with all things birth for the next decade. Such a monumental extraordinary but ordinary life experience that all humans have the right to experience. It changed me and he changed my family and my goals and dreams. As children do. And lucky Jonah was held by you. He came into the arms of a warm community of people that would forever influence his life. For example, we had 40 days of meals prepared for us by the community so I could experience a ‘baby moon,’ of staying in my home with Jonah for 6 weeks. I was deep into the Ayurvedic transitions and blessed by the care of Dr. Rosy and others during my pregnancy. A privledge that most women and children never get. I felt inspired to change that reality and help women be aware of their options and rights around birth.
That year of growth and birth, our community also experienced a tragic death and we held a vigil in studio earth for our friend Anthony. It was a painful loss.
Birth seems much easier to hold space for than death. But truly, both are certain and the way we care for one another during those times matters. How we heal in the aftermath matters. How we care and advocate for those without voices matter. How we grieve (or don’t) matters. It’s not just the big events like birth and death, because that is just a macro of the micro birth and death of each new new day and all the complexities of life that lie in the murky middle between birth and death. And when we tend to these spikes and valleys on a daily basis and hold one another’s hand through all the inhales and exhales of life, we are at the very least, less alone.
Most of the past 25 years I’ve been doing yoga, it has felt like a lifeline. Every turn and transition, high and low, I have turned to yoga to help me process and make sense of change. That processing occurs internally and personally with practices like meditation and Svadyaya (self study) but only in the context of the interpersonal component that comes from being in community. This relational component is powerful and essential to a thriving individual and community. This practice and community have shaped me and led me to this moment.
And each of you have a story of how you have come to this moment and how yoga has walked with you. Our stories are important. They connect us and help us remember our kindred nature. Its imperative that we gather in person to hear one another. To heal. To inspire. To connect. We are like pack animals after all. We need to know we belong to one another. To feel and breathe together.
This is the work I’m inspired by now. The work of connecting, as the antidote to isolation. I’ll say it again. Isolation is deadly, on all fronts. And it is killing us. This is the tragedy. We are separating ourselves to death. The US surgeon general issued a stern warning and strong call for institutions to create cultures of connection to reverse some of the chronic physical and mental diseases that are wiping us out. Isolation is a result and a cause of suffering, but the solution is connection. We must unite and co create relationships worth living for. Both the one with ourselves and the ones with each other, our environment and our spiritual nature.
Yoga is a great way to do that. But there are actually many, many ways. Having a meal together, doing a book study together, practicing creativity together, walking, sharing, caring for one another altruistcaly, not transactionally and perhaps most importantly, healing together. Healing happens in relationship. Not alone.
Sol Yoga has always represented the deeper purpose of yoga, to join or unite - to return or recover our natural alignment of mind/body/spirit. This is also the the aim of modern medicine, the return the person to a state of health. And world religions too, aim to help people be spiritually healthy. And there are oodles of healing paths and programs designed to help people recover and heal. Ayurveda, yogas sister science and oldest, most continuously practiced healthcare system in the world is one, Chinese medicine another, 12 step recovery programs, a more modern invention from the 1930s, and on and on.
All these healing paths have a couple things in common:
-healthy daily practices
-connected community
-inspiration/storytelling
So here we are, connecting. Come on in. Share your story with us. I’m just sharing mine so you’ll share yours. It’s safe to open up. To expose your underbelly. Or to be a hard shell. All are welcome.
Established in 2005, we said this: At Sol Yoga, our mission is to infuse and inspire health, wellness and wholeness into daily life through the practice of yoga.
None of that is going away… sol yoga continues under the umbrella of a broader mission.
Coming up for 2025, we are working up a new mission statement and an integrated non profit model: Sol (Connection) Center is the heart of a thriving community that offers healing, connection and recovery support to any human striving toward better living.
That’s it for this week! We’ll get into ‘service’ as a pillar of our community and a division next week. And I’ll share the start of a little love story. And a recap of last week, we had a great turnout for our ‘teacher’ connect on Tuesday night. So many bright, inspired seekers on this path wanting to give back. If that’s you too, get signed up for teacher training asap (accepting applications for 200 and 300hr programs now) or if you are already a teacher we are having another ‘teacher connect and onboarding’ on Friday July 19th, 10am-12pm. It’s all on the website or in mind body online. Or, email us at [email protected].
You are loved. Realizing it might take a little reminding. Come on in for some connection.
Dorcas
PS. below is a little reminder of what it feels like to drive for the first time. Or to be a passenger for the first time to your first born :-).
and the interview after…