Yesterday was one of the first truly wintery days of the season. I ventured out for my morning yoga practice, looking forward to the warmth and coziness of the studio.

When I arrived, it seemed uncharacteristically chilly in there. I stripped off my coat and hat, thinking it might just be the entryway. But when I got into the studio itself, it was indeed very cold.

My teacher explained that the building’s heat had been off all morning.

Of all the mornings, I thought.

The teacher went on to say that we’d have to heat the room with our breath and movement.

Building internal fire, or tapas, is part of what vinyasa practice is all about. But I was doubtful that even a relatively full class could overcome the chill in the studio.

For at least the first twenty minutes of my practice, I kept hoping that I’d hear the familiar sound of an old building’s radiator clanking as it heats up.

I kept thinking about it, as if imagining and envisioning it would make it happen.

It did not happen, and as we approached the midway point in class, I gave up on my fantasy.

By that point, however, the room was undeniably warmer. In fact, there were a few times when I stood up from a seated posture and wondered if the heat might actually have gone on without me hearing it.

After class, I made my way to the front of the studio and hovered my hand over the radiator. It was still ice cold, which meant that we had actually managed to build heat as a community.

On my way home, I thought about my wish early in class for the heat to miraculously turn on, even though the teacher had all but said that it was broken and would have to be fixed by the building’s super later that day.

I thought about the many times in my life when something hasn’t been working, and I’ve wished for a magical resolution.

There’s something to be said for stepping back and allowing a problem to resolve itself, but I have a tendency to do this too often and wait too long. For a person who’s prone to overworking in certain areas of my life, I’m actually slow to admit when problems have become untenable.

But that’s what this season is all about, for me: taking a serious look at what isn’t working and thinking about solutions. No waiting around for miracles. No hoping that someone, somehow, will fix things for me.

Before I went to put my hand over the radiator at the end of that class, I couldn’t say with certainty whether the heat in the room was tapas or whether the pipes had started to warm up.

That feels like a good metaphor, too.

I’ve often found that I access more outside help once I become solutions-oriented. The more resourceful, creative, and determined I am, the more guidance seems to flow to me, so that the line between self-determination and receiving support isn’t ultimately clear.

Even so, I’m the one who has to initiate the process. I’m the one who has to say, “this isn’t working, and I want to do something about it.”

This week, I wish you the courage to identify something that needs changing and faith in your ability to make that change happen.

I know that you can. I was blown away by what a room full of yogis could do with their bodies and breath; we’re more powerful than we think we are.

Happy Sunday, friends. Here are some recipes and reads.

Recipes

1. I love a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich, and this vegan version is calling to me.

2. I may also use some of my leftover candied pecans and dried cranberries in this oatmeal recipe.

3. I have Gardein to thank for my holiday roast this year, and thanks to Friday’s grocery store sales, I’ve got another one in the freezer for Christmas Eve. But one of these days, I swear I’m going to make a homemade seitan roast.

4. Speaking of seitan, I’m loving the looks of this simple stir fry.

5. It’s been a while since I tried a new vegan bowl recipe, and this roasted cauliflower hummus bowl may have to be up next.

Reads

1. I recently learned that something called “marine snow” exists, and what’s more, it may help to slow the pace of climate change.

2. One thing about me is that I will always take notice of health research that legitimizes my deep and abiding love of coffee.

3. I’m most definitely not telling you to try the 90-30-50 diet. But I do like how health professionals interviewed for this article respond to its arbitrary/unfounded rules while also making good points about sensible eating patterns.

4. It’s a pretty common experience to feel oddly let down after achieving a milestone of some kind. Part of this may be due to the “arrival fallacy,” or the tendency to imagine our happiness as being coupled with goals and outcomes. Fast Company takes a look at this tendency and offers strategies for reframing it.

5. Food related guilt and anxiety can strike at any time of year, but they tend to be particularly loud during the holiday season. Here’s a small, helpful, and evidence-based reminder that this type of thinking does more harm than good.

ICYMI on the blog this week, I made easy and delicious vegan pumpkin pie bars. They were my Thanksgiving dessert of 2024, and I’ve got exactly two of them left.

One for me and one for my mom, along with other scrumptious leftovers, this evening.

I’m wishing you a cozy Sunday night.

xo