Tapas is one of the niyamas (positive duties, observances, or habits for healthy living and spiritual enlightenment), coming from the root word TAP meaning “to burn.” When called to a specific purpose, we often deny ourselves the experience of fully immersing ourselves in the “fiery discipline” demanded by dharma—why we are here, our purpose, what defines our virtue, and how we conduct ourselves. Why? Because living your dharma is challenging and can “burn you out.”

This is the perfect time for this discussion. As we re-open our original Hot Yoga Room, my purpose and the studio’s mission have never been clearer. The last 4 years have been very challenging as a small business owner and a human being. Baltimore Hot Yoga and Wellness (BHYW) has persevered through a flood in January 2020, a pandemic starting in March 2020, and a fire in October 2023. The studio was almost to the point of realizing pre-COVID numbers when the fire hit us. It takes discipline to remain focused on your purpose and move through the smoke and uncertainty that fire creates.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna wants to deny his dharma, he does not want to be uncomfortable, inconvenienced, or bothered. It is human nature to want to do pleasurable and comfortable things without being bothered by the “heat.” When we endure, move through the fire, and accept painful learning experiences, we develop the mental capacity to be more resilient, steady, and strong (feisty).

Like Arjuna, I could have walked away from my dharma in early 2020. I could have walked away any time in 2020, or honestly anytime over the last 20 years. I could have chosen not to reopen after the pandemic, as many studios did. I also could have decided it was time to stop after October’s fire. I had A LOT of conversations with myself and my SELF about direction, and I meditated a lot. But my dharma is clear to me, and I hope it is to you, too. I am here, we are here, and BHYW is here and will be for a while. I am fortunate to have wonderful, supportive teachers and students who inspire me to be the best I can be and challenge me to keep learning, growing, and teaching.