Both Yoga & Bitcoin Exist on Proof of Work (PoW)

Time for #3 in my series of 21 ways Bitcoin & yoga are aligned in their values.

What is PoW in Bitcoin?

Proof of Work (PoW) is a consensus mechanism that validates transactions, secures the network, and prevents the double-spending problem without needing a central authority such as a bank.

That's a pretty nerdy explanation.

It involves miners racing to solve a cryptographic puzzle, which makes this even MOAR nerdy. For all of this nerdy puzzle solving to happen, energy is required. This is real-world energy, the kind that shows up on an electric bill. That energy is what makes the work real, and the work is what makes the network trustworthy.

I don't know physics or thermodynamics. But, in full disclosure, I do work for Rigly, a hashrate marketplace, and have for nearly two years. We harness energy and computational power in Bitcoin mining in a weekly attempt to mine a block.

To do so, we amass hashrate, which is the total number of guesses per second to solve the puzzle. Our current goal is to amass 1 EH for our weekly mining run, which is equivalent to 1 quintillion guesses per second.

That kind of power can help our team mine a Bitcoin block as a "little guy."

Most Bitcoin blocks are now mined by major corporations with the means to provide the electricity and computational power to mine blocks many times a day. The Bitcoin mining corporation with the most is Foundry, with ~321 EH/s at the time I'm writing this.

Most people haven't mined a block on their own with a home miner.

That's why we pool our efforts as a "team" every week. We're working to get to 1 EH while Foundry is mining with 321 EH. We bring hundreds of people together to pull off our small drop in that bucket.

Foundry can (and does) win dozens of blocks a day.

It took us a year and a half to grow our mining party to the point where we hit a block, and we did it with less than 1 EH! We found block 955,703 with ~150 PH. Before that, we made an attempt with 7 EH and still were unable to find a block.

There's no shortcut. Every guess is a real guess, and every attempt costs real energy. Some weeks you show up and nothing happens. You show up again the next week anyway.

What is PoW in Yoga?

In yoga, your PoW is your practice. You're also harnessing energy, your own energy. You're syncing your inner life force, your breath, to your movement. You're able to practice yoga because your body is harnessing its metabolic energy. Asana, or the physical work of yoga, is merely one aspect. There's also pranayama (breathwork), meditation, and the ethical practices that shape how we live off the mat. Each one asks something of you, and each one only works if you actually do it.

You can't fake the funk.

If you want to get to Crow pose, you're going to have to start with your planks and down dog. You need to build core strength and open your hips. You'll need to practice balance and overcome the very real fear of falling on your face. Nobody can do those reps for you. There's no app, no subscription, and no teacher who can hand you Crow pose. You earn it one practice at a time, and some days you still fall out of it.

Because YOU are the architect of your own destiny.

Like our weekly mining runs, a lot of yoga practice looks like nothing is happening. You hold a pose, you breathe, you roll up your mat and go home. Then one day your arms hold you up and your feet leave the floor. The work was adding up the whole time, even when you couldn't see it.

Both Are Alive

With that out of the way, both exist in an embodied way. Both are very much alive. Bitcoin is alive in the machines humming around the world, in the miners, and in the people pooling their hashrate every week to give the little guy a shot.

Yoga is alive as a practice in which we are also harnessing and managing our energy. Both yoga and Bitcoin are as much science and technology for human living as they are for human thriving.

Neither one asks you to trust an authority. Bitcoin doesn't need a bank to tell you a transaction is valid, because the work proves it. Yoga doesn't need anyone to tell you that you're getting stronger, because your body proves it. In both cases, the proof is in the work, and the work is open to anyone willing to show up.

Crunch Grand Opening Festivities!

Join us for our upcoming grand opening celebrations, including a visit from The Incredible Hulk himself, Lou Ferrigno!

Around the Valley: yoga this week & next

November is almost here, and the Valley is full of quiet places to sit, breathe, and rest these next two weeks, from a free day of meditation in Tempe to yoga nidra under the sound of crystal bowls. Free and donation-based options come first, so take what serves you and leave the rest.

Free & donation-based

• Free Guided Meditation – Sahaja Yoga Phoenix · Saturdays, 2:00–3:00 PM (next: Sat Oct 31, Sat Nov 7) · Sahaja Yoga Meditation, 2434 E Osborn Rd, Phoenix · Free · A gentle, beginner-friendly sit where a chair or couch is welcome and no mat is needed. Details
• Ram Dass Phoenix Satsang · Sat Nov 7, 3:00–5:00 PM · Centered, 3375 E Shea Blvd, Ste K, Phoenix · Free · A monthly gathering to discuss and connect over the teachings of Ram Dass, led this month by Evon Hart. The group will listen to episode 172, The Context of Reality, and write letters of encouragement to people who are incarcerated as an act of seva. All are welcome.
• Free Community Gathering: How to Be Love in Action Without Losing Yourself · Sun Nov 1, 2:00–3:30 PM · Shantiful, 16674 N 91st St, Suite 102, Scottsdale · Free, donations welcome · A round-table talk on holiday boundaries and caring for yourself around family, closing with a guided meditation. Details
• Yoga at the Peak · Sat Nov 7 (time on the registration page) · Ramada at Pinnacle Peak Park, 26802 N 102nd Way, Scottsdale · Free · A City of Scottsdale all-levels class in the desert with teacher Angela Ambrose; mats are available if you need one. Details
• Sunday Morning Yoga in the Park · Sun Nov 8, 9:15–10:15 AM · Sahuaro Ranch Park, 9802 N 59th Ave, Glendale · Free · A gentle 30–40 minute flow and short meditation hosted by a women's friendship group, with optional coffee after; bring a mat or beach towel. Details
• iRest Yoga Nidra with Danielle Morris · Sun Nov 8, 1:30–2:15 PM · OM3 Yoga, 6730 E McDowell Rd, Suite 116, Scottsdale (also on Zoom) · Donation, $18 suggested · A guided yoga nidra you can do from a chair or a mat, every second Sunday. Details
• One-Day Mindfulness Meditation Retreat · Sun Nov 8, 10:00 AM–5:30 PM · Salt River Mindfulness Meditation Community, private home near McClintock & Broadway, Tempe · Free, by donation, registration required · A secular-friendly day of guided and silent sitting, walking meditation, and gentle movement with teacher Kai Newkirk, open to beginners. The group also meets Thursdays, 6:30–8:00 PM, at Tempe Community Christian Church, 1701 S College Ave. Retreat · Thursdays
• Thursday Evening Meditation (Noble Friends) · Thursdays, 7:00–8:30 PM (next: Oct 29, Nov 5) · Arizona International Buddhist Meditation Center, 432 S Temple St, Mesa · Free, donations accepted · A calm, welcoming weekly sit focused on mindfulness and deep relaxation, for beginners and longtime meditators alike. Details
• Chair Yoga Therapy for Seniors · Thursdays, 11:00 AM–12:00 PM (next: Oct 29, Nov 5) · Scottsdale Sound Sanctuary, 8535 E Cactus Rd, Scottsdale · First class free · Seated practice with props and no getting up and down from the floor; a lovely one to pass along to a parent or grandparent. Details

Classes & specialty sessions

• Soul Salve Sundays with Evon Hart · Sun Nov 1, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM · Community Yoga at Centered, 3375 E Shea Blvd, Ste K, Phoenix · $30 · A dharma talk, mixed-level practice, meditation, and a restorative session to close. Also Sun Dec 6.
• Soundbath + Yoga Nidra with Julie Lemerond · Sat Nov 7, 7:00–8:30 PM · Shantiful, 16674 N 91st St, Suite 102, Scottsdale · $35 · Sleep-based guided rest with crystal bowls and gong, closing her chakra series with the crown. Details
• Yin Yoga in Surprise · Tuesdays, 7:15–8:15 PM (next: Nov 3, Nov 10) · Lightwork Lounge, 11340 W Bell Rd, Surprise · Price on the studio site · Slow, floor-based yin with long, supported holds; props and modifications provided. Details
• Save the date – Somatic Yoga Workshop · Mon Nov 16, 6:00–7:00 PM · Mind Body Healing Collective, 8686 E San Alberto Dr, Suite 100, Scottsdale · $40 · A gentle, trauma-sensitive practice of slow poses, breath, and grounding with Regan Mays, MSc, with no hands-on adjustments. Details
• Save the date – Radically Rooted: A Yoga Workshop with Evon Hart · Sun Nov 22, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM · Community Yoga at Centered, Phoenix · $40 · A two-hour practice built around steadiness and grounding for the busy holiday season, with pranayama and meditative reflection. Moderately challenging, modifications offered; prior yoga experience needed.

Know of a class, workshop, or sound bath I missed? Hit reply and tell me — I read every one.