A long delay since the last chronicle. Because healing and recovery takes lots and lots of time, energy and patience. And I’m in the midst of a healing journey and directly supporting quite a few people that are also healing. So, I’ve not had much time to write.

The Sol Community is a healing community with a new division dedicated to Healing & Recovery. Our community tends to gather people that are trying to be well, get ‘better,’ or prevent dis-ease. Whether it’s recovery from disease, divorce, addiction, loss of a spouse or child, breast cancer, PTSD, an eating disorder, childbirth…and the list goes on and on… healing takes time and the process can’t be rushed.

I remember a woman who practiced yoga really diligently for a decade. She came to yoga for healing from Lyme disease and many physical ailments. One day after that long 10 years, she shared with me that she realized how different her life was from the 10 years prior when she started. She was now very healthy, divorced, changing careers (into yoga teaching) and with a radical new outlook on life. It didn’t happen overnight, but the change was actually tremendous.

People survive the unsurvivable. One of the special qualities of humans is our adaptability. Whether our suffering is as a result of an acute event or something chronic, we can endure quite a bit, even to the point of death, and bounce back.

This story of triumph from darkness to light is one we love to share. It gives us hope and inspiration and encouragement when things are hard. These stories are usually frought with suffering and uncertainty and fear. We usually prefer to share them after we’ve survived. After we have found our way out of the darkness, or beaten the bad guy or discovered safety and certainty.

I’m like that. I don’t mind being open about my pain, after the pain is gone. But as I season, I am better and better about being bare in the midst of it all. There is liberation in being unglued or messy and still finding belonging. I’d like to invite you into that messy place with me.

At the moment, I’m reeling with uncertainty and fear. Two uncomfortable feelings for me. The story about ‘why’ is irrelevant except for how it might help you relate. If I said, my child is unwell or a family member is dying, you might empathize. So we’ll use those two things as the most pressing matters that are causing my discontent.

But I don’t need anyone to fix it. I don’t need a solution. Because I’m finally ok hanging out here, feeling uncertain or afraid. But I haven’t always been.

I used to flee discomfort much more quickly than I do these days. I have had many techniques for this fleeing…. Working is one. Anyone a workaholic? Fixing is another. Furiously trying to fix my discomfort, or yours for that matter. Anyone a fixer? Eating and drinking is another. Anyone eat thier problems away? Or abstain from eating to have a sense of control? Or drink alcohol to take the edge off, or drown discomfort? I also like to try to ‘think’ away my discomfort. Or better yet, learn it away. Study, read, study, read, think about why I’m sad to avoid feeling sad. Anyone over-think? How about exercise? I had a chapter of life where I ran away from my discomfort, literally. Miles and miles, everyday. The easiest and least effective for me theses days is to try to scroll my discomfort away. I have to be real careful to not reach for the device when I’m feeling low to just numb out on instagram.

And all of these mechanism of ‘escape’ could also be a healthy coping mechanism for a time being. I can take a 20 minute run, or get lost in a ‘work’ project or share a cocktail with a friend in very healthy ways. But they can all also become unhealthy if we use them to bypass opportunités for real growth and healing.

I consider my recovery journey to have begun when I started yoga in 1998. It is when I began to ‘recover’ my lost self. To move from a state of ignorance and lack of self awareness, to a much deeper understanding of who I am and how I fit into this matrix of existence. Yoga invites practitioners into a process that moves a person from darkness to light.

About 10 years into yoga, I got to experience childbirth and ‘recovery’ or renegotiation of life from that.

And then 21 years into the practice of yoga, I got to experience what so many other people do: divorce. And the ongoing recovery and renegotionation of life from that.

And recently, I picked up a 3 year chip at an AA meeting. I decided to abstain from drinking alcohol after realizing the destructive impact it had in my relationship with my first husband and our 20 years together. And the way it ‘helped’ me bypass a lot of uncomfortable feelings, only to discover that those feelings were indicators or warning signs for mis-alignment.

And today, I write and speak up to heal from being mute as a child and silent much of my life. Terrified to speak or be seen. I’m still afraid, but I’ve learned I can do hard things.

Those are more macro recovery journeys, but on a day to day basis, I am constantly re-covering and re-membering my true nature that is whole and at ease despite external circumstances.

I share some of my experiences to hopefully inspire you to join us and share yours. Left alone in silence and isolation we crumble. We heal in relationship, in community. We also thrive in community. We grieve in community.

I’m sure that every single one of you that steps into the Sol Community has a story to share. Or a listening ear and a nodding head to bear witness and resonate with someone else that might need to express.

This past Wednesday night at 7pm in our Meditation and Discussion group, a rich, organic round of sharing revealed that we were all challenged in our relationships - for different reasons - that we discussed. You could feel the group sigh of release to feel resonance and the feeling that comes from you realize you are not the only one struggling.

But it’s more than just talking an sharing that we need to heal and recover. We need tools and medicine and practices and healers.

At Sol we have all of it.

One of our great examples of this is Shelley Pentony. One who practices and preaches with integrity. She’s been a student of yoga since childhood, a devoted part of the Sol Community since she stepped in the door. She has filled every single role we have ever had, with maybe only the exception of bookkeeper. Most recently she has been the Director of the studio and lead facilitator of numerous of yoga teacher trainings. She has endless trainings and a long list of certifications. But it not to big roles or the credentials that matter, it’s how she shows up and holds space for healing and recovery. Individually and in groups, she uses her tools and wisdom to put people (and their nervous systems) at ease, creating space and connections imperative for lasting healing.

It has been our intention to have her lead this division and help us develop even more programming and services to facilitate connection, healing and recovery through Sol Yoga Studio, our non profit Sol Center and among our Better Living intentional Community.

But first, she’ll need a little time and support. Shelley is embarking on a journey that so many people have navigated and one that she has been helping people through as an Integrative Practitioner at the Cancer Center for the past few years. Now it’s her turn to be supported. Shelley is bravely undergoing treatment for breast cancer in the coming months and will be using her tools to navigate her own recovery. See the sidebar for an invitation to support her care and send any messages of support to Shelley@solyoga.org. When she’s up to it, she’ll join us to simply visit, practice or teach. And, before we know it, I expect she’ll be sharing a story of triumph and recovery.

Healing and recovery takes what it takes. A unique journey for each person. For some, it’s exclusively an internal body, mind or spirit struggle, for others external factors are a major impediment to growth. Homelessness, lack of employment, no family or dysfunctional family or community, lack of safety and poor nutrition are just a few examples of external factors that make inner healing nearly impossible. And most often, it’s a combination of inner and external limitations that create dis-ease or lack of vitality.

As part of our great re-org and dual business structure of Sol Yoga Inc & our non profit Sol Center, we aim to offer services and care for multidimensional healing with many open doors to welcome the full spectrum of humanity.

Which is why we have expanded our offerings to include family style co-housing. And not just a place to crash but co-housing integrated with healing and a community of people on a healing journey. What we come HOME to matters.

We now have 12 residents across multiple units, plus my family of 7, so really a big family of 19. Perhaps we could also call it micro-community. I’d like to tell you a little more about the residents, but I’d like to introduce you to someone who has been very instrumental and critical in our ability to build this family.

Katie O’Conner, formerly Katie Schwartz is always around - real friendly, tiny person with big curly hair, big smile, strong hugger, consumante servant and caretaker. Do you know Katie? She’s been practicing yoga for a long time and been in recovery for almost 40 years. Shes always growing and helping others grow. Katie and I practice together a lot (daily for a year) and as a result we share our lives and go pretty deep. She has been professionally working in service and recovery and human services for a long time. A professional advocate for those that are in need. She is passionate about the intersection of yoga & recovery and works directly with our residents to make sure they are connected to services and classes and people to help them grow and go where they want to grow. As a member of our board of directors, she puts her heart and soul into caring for this community. Whether it’s cooking for us, teaching yoga, helping a new resident move in and get settled, lending a ear, offering support, cleaning the studio or answering emails, she is a huge support and inspiration in our community.

While katie doesn’t live in our houses, she joins us weekly for our Sunday house(es) meeting and community dinner. She has helped us carve out our application and interview process and been witness to the welcoming and moving up and out of more than 10 residents over the past 20 months. She makes personal 1:1 connections with each resident and provides impeccable care from her heart. Thank you Katie. You are a gem.

Healed people heal people. Because of open hearted, people like Katie, we can open our doors wider.

Back to a little snapshot of our residents…

Without any tinkering, our resident led application and interview process is organically serving an incredibly diverse group of people. In just 19 people we have all genders, ages 11-70, multiple races, various sexual orientations, a handful of religious affiliations, 1 married and 1 engaged couple and eight different types of healing journeys including divorce, mental health, substance use disorder, eating disorder, gambling, recovery from stroke, cancer and incarceration.

We all gather on Sunday nights for family dinner and guess what…?! We are just a bunch of humans striving toward better living. A chosen family oriented around healing and recovery. And you are invited to dinner too! Come join us! Text me at 301.788.5154 for the location.

Next month, we’ll open up another residence for our extended Sol family. 4-8 more humans are welcome! If you know someone who might be a good fit, have them text me directly. Id love to meet them.

And we’d appreciate your support. Either through time, participation, financial contribution, etc. We have begun to apply for grants as well as hope to garner some additional support for our mission.

Whew, how did we get here- From yoga in a tiny little Studio Sky to co-housing for any human.

Modern business building techniques suggest a niche must be determined in order for an entity to thrive. It must be very specific. For example, offering yoga is quite narrow compared to serving multidimensional healing to all of humanity. Our mission flys a bit in the face of western models. But what most people don’t realize, is that yoga means ‘union’ and yoga is a state of being, not just something to do or something to buy. It’s actually the very essence of connection and healthy relationship.

So whatever you call it, yoga, connection, relationship, community, healing, recovery, service, love… that’s what we are doing….

Here’s a little recap of our reorg and interim status:

Our mission -

Sol Yoga & (Connection) Center is the heart of a thriving community that offers healing, connection and recovery support to any human striving toward better living.

Our interim divisions:

Healing & Recovery

Éducation

Practice

Service

In the coming chronicles, we explore the final two divisions:

Resources

Communication

Info@solyoga.org

Get involved:

Join our work-exchange/volunteer crew by applying here: Volunteer Application

Make a donation to our non profit through Venmo: look for @solconnectioncenter

Join us everyday - check out schedule at sol.yoga

Dive deeper into yoga training: 200hr application. / 300hr application

Find out about housing: Call or text 301.788.5154

I’ll end this edition of the sol chronicles with a little more storytelling - snipits of death, triumph and joy!

Remember at the beginning of this episode I mentioned I was in the midst of some uncomfortable feelings? Those have come and gone and come and gone. I am blessed by alot of intimate meaningful relationships, but with that comes a lot of loss, greiving and pain when those people are unwell. A close friend went missing for a bit and ‘relapsed’ but came out the other side stronger, a beloved old man has died an uncivilized messy death leaving a disaster behind, a child of mine has hurdled a pretty difficult battle with anorexia and that’s just in a few summer weeks. As my friend Annabelle Thunderbird always says, ‘the practice sustains,’ and indeed it does. We can do hard things that are just part of life if we have tools and a community of care.

This story just from today… Debbie comes to yoga all the time, for years. She is friendly and joyful and committed and devoted to yoga and sol yoga. There is no doubt a story behind that outer glow too. This past week, she attended the community outdoor class on Carroll Creek - a co-sponsored event with Downtown Partnership! She loves to get her yoga on and when there was no teacher due to a scheduling mix up, Debbie stepped up! She tells the story of standing up to find a solution and asked the group of 20-30 people if anyone was a yoga teacher. No one. Then she asked the clever question if anyone had participated in yoga teacher training! 2 people had but they still didnt feel comfortable teaching! So Debbie offered to share her practice with those that were there! She was fully excited and ready until she walked up to the front of the class and suddenly she froze and didn’t know what to do! A thought come to mind - ‘What would Shelley do?!’ Shelley Pentony has been teaching Debbie for years and prepared her well! From there, the class and postures flowed through her and the group applauded at the end of the hour. She told me that she is retroactively adding this to her bucket list because it was so deeply rewarding and brought her so much joy. And us too! Thank you Debbie! Well done. This is how it works. Yoga works… if you do it. It ignites and stokes a light within and oozes out of you and awakens a desire to give back.

We have invited Debbie to this years yoga teacher training and she has accepted! A life changing transformational program open to anyone with the willingness to say yes. We are hosting a Q & A and back to school open house on September 14th from 12-3pm. Free class at noon followed by time with the instructors and past trainees.

Enjoy words for now, time for a mid day meditation for me before I get back to mothering and house holding.

Catch you next time for a look into our resources and communications division.

Dorcas