I made an awesome little connection the other day while visiting my son’s pediatrician for our 18-month well visit. As it turns out, Matty’s favorite word is “fire,” pronounced, “fy-yah!” with an adorable emphasis and fiery enthusiasm that only a toddler can exude. Amusingly, Matty’s doctor’s name is Dr. Eyer, whom he calls, “Doca Fy-yah!” Matty entertained us for about half an hour, while being examined, as he verbally worked out the connection between Doca Fy-yah, the pain he felt, and the overall discomfort and unfamiliarity of the visit (18 – 24 months is a brutal time for doc appointments). As we left Doca Fy-yah’s office, after lots of poking, prodding and a series of shots, my poor son was heard whimpering softly in his carseat, repeating the following words: “shots, band aid, doca fy-yah, hot, fy-yah, hot, ouch, band aid.” Not only was this adorable, but it made me think of the Sanskrit term “tapas” which literally means “heat.” I have been learning that the purpose of doing our yoga asanas is to burn off negative energy as well as mental and physical toxins. This sounds beautiful in theory, but the actual process can create a lot of heat, which can be quite uncomfortable to endure (ouch, hot, fire!). However, without the heat, we miss out on the incredible benefits, which can have an amazing effect on our mental and physical well being. I love that through my yoga practice I can challenge myself and my samskaras (old habits), by feeling that warm heat radiating deep inside, and knowing that by breathing deeply and turning inward, I can get through it.

A little FIRE (FY-YAH!) in a person’s life, even though it might be tough to sit with, can be an incredibly healthy and beneficial thing. My little man’s clear (and sometimes sweetly bumbling) attempts to verbalize his experience with “fire”, are a humorous reminder for me to stick with it when things get heated.