Like most people during the Holidays, I go a little bit deeper when making my gratitude list and try to find the blessings in the details of my life. But what happens in a year like 2020 when positivity is difficult? There is a word we keep hearing, day after day in the press: Fatigue.

Many of us have lost family members, jobs and friends, endured health challenges and encountered other continuous obstacles over the course of the past year. We just want it to end, but the end seems to be months and months away. In times like this, how do we open our hearts, shake the fatigue, and get into the spirit of the season?

Tapas is the solution. Tapas literally means “building fire.” It is the discipline to continue with the rituals of yoga, of suiting up and showing up on our mat, literally and figuratively, whether we want to or not, with the mantra of “This too shall pass.” We don’t need to do it perfectly. Sometimes all we can do is show up and breathe. That is why we refer to it as a practice. The practice itself can create powerful shifts in our lives.

Meditation practice in times like this can save the day and our sanity. For those of us just starting the practice, the hamster wheel of the mind spins and spins with racing thoughts because meditation makes us more aware of our thoughts. It is difficult to keep our rear ends glued to the meditation cushion. This has caused many to throw up their hands never to return. For the ones who build their Tapas and stick with meditation, the wheel eventually slows down enough so the metaphorical hamster of the mind can hop off and rest in a state of bliss.

Right in the middle of my virtual yoga class today with over 30 yogins attending, the computer gave an alert. I put my students in a pose and quickly checked on it. My battery was low, and the computer was about to shut down. I panicked. I went to mute my mic, but missed, and bolted towards my husband attending my class in the back room yelling all through the house, “I need power, I need power!” He was already on his way and all he said was. “Your mic is on.” I thought I was going to die. He quickly fixed the problem, I collected myself, focused on my Tapas, and carried on with the class, giggling like a nervous schoolgirl.

Turns out, we all need Power. Tapas is the power for our practice, faith fuels the fire of tapas, and faith grows stronger every day we just show up to our mats.