Soul: Happiness is an inside job.

Sweat. Grit. Soul.

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“Happiness is an inside job, Melissa.”

This is something my father would say whenever I would blame my sisters or the world for my angers and frustrations. And I’ve found this phrase to be quite relevant to what we do now at Tadasana.Yoga.

In recent posts, I’ve been breaking down our “Sweat. Grit. Soul” tagline to help you better understand what we stand for. I’ve talked about “Sweat” – the value of the physical practice in a heated room. And I’ve talked about “Grit” – the mental lessons you learn on your mat to help you grow and improve off your mat. The final piece of the puzzle is “Soul”. But what is “Soul”?

At Tadasana.Yoga, we use the word soul as shorthand for spiritual health. Soul means connection to your guiding principles, purpose, higher power, or source of meaning in your life. It’s when you are able to rely on the voice in the back of your head that tells you when you’re doing the right thing (or the wrong thing). It’s when you’re clear about the importance of getting out of bed in the morning to go to work, to take care of yourself, to serve others. You know you’ve got soul when you know your “why” for everything you do.

And why does Soul matter? Because happiness matters.

I believe that the key to healing today’s ever-more-divided world is for each of us to first address the internal problems. And I believe that the specific nature of what we do at Tadasana.Yoga helps people do just that. I have a vision for what our yoga classes can do for individuals, and what our studios and their members can do for the communities they inhabit. My vision is that we fill our communities with people who understand what happiness is and how to create it in their lives.

The happiness I’m talking about is one that is sustainable, one that endures, through both the highs and the lows of life. It’s the balance of physical, mental and spiritual health; the balance of Sweat, Grit, and Soul. And it’s critical for happiness. When one of these three pillars is out of whack, the whole system can begin to fall apart, which leads to unhappiness inside and then impacts others.

• Physical/Sweat: We believe that an athletic yoga practice that gets the body in motion and works up a good sweat, is an essential component of everyone exercise regime. See my post on heated yoga to learn more about its benefits.
• Mental/Grit: At Tadasana.Yoga, mental health means having an understanding of and an ability to live in the true nature of reality. Grit, the idea that success comes from effort and not purely talent, is a concept that when embraced, leads to action, self-confidence and personal growth. In a Tadasana.Yoga studio, you will sometimes be exposed to these ideas as an invitation to examine your own life on and off the mat. Have a read of my post on Grit to see what we mean.
• Spiritual/Soul: At the beginning of every class at Tadasana.Yoga, we set an intention. In the classroom, you’ll be encouraged to choose your “why”. This practice trains you to carry it off the mat, creating a beneficial habit for all aspects of your life.

At Tadasana.Yoga, my number one goal is to provide you with the tools you need to find the balance of sweat, grit, and soul in your life. I believe passionately in what we offer and I see proof of its impact on people in my studio every day. I hope you’ll join us to explore what this practice and community can do for you.  ~Melissa