Thursday, April 26, 2012
looking for the lorax: The Joy of Yoga: Smokey the Bear Sutra (Gary Synde...
looking for the lorax: The Joy of Yoga: Smokey the Bear Sutra (Gary Synde...: The Joy of Yoga: Smokey the Bear Sutra (Gary Synder)
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
kalama sutta
Kalama Sutta
The people of Kalama asked the Buddha who to believe out of all the ascetics, sages, venerables, and holy ones who, like himself, passed through their town. They complained that they were confused by the many contradictions they discovered in what they heard. The Kalama Sutta is the Buddha's reply.| – | Do not believe anything on mere hearsay. |
| – | Do not believe in traditions merely because they are old and have been handed down for many generations and in many places. |
| – | Do not believe anything on account of rumors or because people talk a a great deal about it. |
| – | Do not believe anything because you are shown the written testimony of some ancient sage. |
| – | Do not believe in what you have fancied, thinking that, because it is extraordinary, it must have been inspired by a god or other wonderful being. |
| – | Do not believe anything merely because presumption is in its favor, or because the custom of many years inclines you to take it as true. |
| – | Do not believe anything merely on the authority of your teachers and priests. |
| – | But, whatever, after thorough investigation and reflection, you find to agree with reason and experience, as conducive to the good and benefit of one and all and of the world at large, accept only that as true, and shape your life in accordance with it. |
The same text, said the Buddha, must be applied to his own teachings.
| – | Do not accept any doctrine from reverence, but first try it as gold is tried by fire. |
Friday, March 2, 2012
why
Lately I have been wondering, "why yoga?"
The whole scene has become a gossipy, drama fest filled with pencil thin brand named clad "yoginis" talking about their heart chakras while admiring their yoga butts in the mirrors of cool zen minimalist bamboo floored studios.
& why do I teach? What do I think I can offer in my raggedly faded yoga pants and baggy t-shirt Dujour?
Throw a couple of Mala beads into a group of beautiful people at Whole Foods and you'll probably hit at least one yoga teacher and possibly someone who has just come back from or is preparing to go to India & studied or will study with SwamiGuru Watchyacallitji or some such thing. And they talk of the expansiveness of the ajna while admiring the abs of swadhistana.
It just seems like "yoga" has become everything that I am not - Flashy and expensive and ......status-y....
stylish ..... & sometimes kind of bitchy (o.k that's one thing we have in common). In fact, I am waiting to see an advertisement extolling the idea of putting yourself into "fashionistasana" or some fool thing. I mean isn't that commercial showing the girl hanging out in a deep eka pada pranamasana while talking on her bluetooth thingy enough??? I mean - really?? Talking on the phone while practicing asana? Do you know how many karma demerits that must be?
Honestly, I tend to be more comfortable practicing in the privacy of my own home because I often feel ..... not comfortable at many studios. They feel too .... I don't know ... appearance driven & ...... clean.
You know, not all places are like this. Once in a blue moon I practice here at One Tree and I have taken a workshop here and felt quite cozy. I also feel welcomed here when I go for workshops/special classes. Not that these places are dirty. They are just not so high gloss that I feel that I am tracking metaphysical mud everywhere.
And then there is all the nonsense of late - the article about the dangers of yoga in the New York Times, the whole John Friend thing, yadayadayada ........ and the yoga blogosphere's reactions. Some were defensive, some were condemning. "Yoga never hurt anyone. John Friend sucks."
Very sad were some of the comments on facebook in response to Yogadork's posting about John Friend. Many people came out condemning both the idea of covens and tantra. Without Tantra, there would be no yoga. And really, imo, a "coven" is simply a very exclusive "Kula" which can be quite exclusive as well. And have these Anusara folks never heard about not putting your eggs in one basket? Or your faith in one man? I mean, a guru, a mentor, is just a person. Place anyone on too high of a pedestal, & you are going to get very hurt when she/he falls off.
And you know what? You can get hurt practicing yoga asana - very possible. Very real. Instead of getting snarky and nervous, we need to take responsibility for our practice and our teaching and move with awareness.
But listen....
Yoga is not a person or group of people.
Yoga is a practice.... a deeply personal practice.
When I am on my mat. I am on my mat. Flowing with My breath, feeling My movement, calming My mind, balancing My nervous system. I can be in a class with 50 other people and I am on My mat, enjoying My practice. The only competition at that point is in My head.
The release that I experience is my release. My choice to awaken & move towards awareness, or to stay sleeping. My choice to rest in the challenge of my edge or push past it towards injury. My choice to adore my teacher or to listen to my inner guru. My choice to let go or hold on.
The release is an individual one. The energy is expansive.
I think that we have a hard time knowing what to do with our energy. Often we are not quite sure of it - what it is, what it feels like, how to harness it, how to use it. & maybe that is where the nonsense comes in to play. Yoga is a whole experience - a practice of connecting the dots of body, mind & spirit, of riding the Kundalini. & it's sometimes a bumpy ride. It's easy to get stuck somewhere - in your head, or your physicality, or your expectations and/or judgements. I understand. I spin my wheels in these places quite frequently.... especially that judgement place. :)
So, this is one of the reasons I practice - to move onward, upward, outward. The other reasons? Too many. But to keep it simple - basically I feel better in all aspects of myself & with all areas of my life when I practice yoga.
The whole scene has become a gossipy, drama fest filled with pencil thin brand named clad "yoginis" talking about their heart chakras while admiring their yoga butts in the mirrors of cool zen minimalist bamboo floored studios.
& why do I teach? What do I think I can offer in my raggedly faded yoga pants and baggy t-shirt Dujour?
Throw a couple of Mala beads into a group of beautiful people at Whole Foods and you'll probably hit at least one yoga teacher and possibly someone who has just come back from or is preparing to go to India & studied or will study with SwamiGuru Watchyacallitji or some such thing. And they talk of the expansiveness of the ajna while admiring the abs of swadhistana.
It just seems like "yoga" has become everything that I am not - Flashy and expensive and ......status-y....
stylish ..... & sometimes kind of bitchy (o.k that's one thing we have in common). In fact, I am waiting to see an advertisement extolling the idea of putting yourself into "fashionistasana" or some fool thing. I mean isn't that commercial showing the girl hanging out in a deep eka pada pranamasana while talking on her bluetooth thingy enough??? I mean - really?? Talking on the phone while practicing asana? Do you know how many karma demerits that must be?
Honestly, I tend to be more comfortable practicing in the privacy of my own home because I often feel ..... not comfortable at many studios. They feel too .... I don't know ... appearance driven & ...... clean.
You know, not all places are like this. Once in a blue moon I practice here at One Tree and I have taken a workshop here and felt quite cozy. I also feel welcomed here when I go for workshops/special classes. Not that these places are dirty. They are just not so high gloss that I feel that I am tracking metaphysical mud everywhere.
And then there is all the nonsense of late - the article about the dangers of yoga in the New York Times, the whole John Friend thing, yadayadayada ........ and the yoga blogosphere's reactions. Some were defensive, some were condemning. "Yoga never hurt anyone. John Friend sucks."
Very sad were some of the comments on facebook in response to Yogadork's posting about John Friend. Many people came out condemning both the idea of covens and tantra. Without Tantra, there would be no yoga. And really, imo, a "coven" is simply a very exclusive "Kula" which can be quite exclusive as well. And have these Anusara folks never heard about not putting your eggs in one basket? Or your faith in one man? I mean, a guru, a mentor, is just a person. Place anyone on too high of a pedestal, & you are going to get very hurt when she/he falls off.
And you know what? You can get hurt practicing yoga asana - very possible. Very real. Instead of getting snarky and nervous, we need to take responsibility for our practice and our teaching and move with awareness.
But listen....
Yoga is not a person or group of people.
Yoga is a practice.... a deeply personal practice.
When I am on my mat. I am on my mat. Flowing with My breath, feeling My movement, calming My mind, balancing My nervous system. I can be in a class with 50 other people and I am on My mat, enjoying My practice. The only competition at that point is in My head.
The release that I experience is my release. My choice to awaken & move towards awareness, or to stay sleeping. My choice to rest in the challenge of my edge or push past it towards injury. My choice to adore my teacher or to listen to my inner guru. My choice to let go or hold on.
The release is an individual one. The energy is expansive.
I think that we have a hard time knowing what to do with our energy. Often we are not quite sure of it - what it is, what it feels like, how to harness it, how to use it. & maybe that is where the nonsense comes in to play. Yoga is a whole experience - a practice of connecting the dots of body, mind & spirit, of riding the Kundalini. & it's sometimes a bumpy ride. It's easy to get stuck somewhere - in your head, or your physicality, or your expectations and/or judgements. I understand. I spin my wheels in these places quite frequently.... especially that judgement place. :)
So, this is one of the reasons I practice - to move onward, upward, outward. The other reasons? Too many. But to keep it simple - basically I feel better in all aspects of myself & with all areas of my life when I practice yoga.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Monday, December 5, 2011
Posture
A while ago I had the good fortune of attending a workshop with wonderful Anusara teacher Jamie Allison at the Atma Center in Cleveland Heights. I have taken workshops with Jamie before & have never been disappointed.
The workshop was a wonderful refresher on how to properly align one's self to avoid injury while practicing yoga asana or simply standing in line at the grocery store.
Because Jamie is an Anusara instructor, there was much talk of "loops" & "spirals" & such. Honestly Anusara verbiage can make my head spin. So, I try not to get lost in the lingo.
Here are the directions for proper alignment as I understand them mentally and feel them physically. If any Anusara instructors wish to correct or comment, you are greatly welcome to do so.
In Tadasana:
1. Stand with feet hip width apart. The outside ankle bone lines up with the greater trochanter(the big outside thigh bone) All 10 toes point forward.
2. Lift up through the toes and spread them wide. Spread the toes evenly through the great and little toe. Get the feeling of the little toe wanting to touch the heel.
3. Lift up through the inner and outer arches of the feet.
4. Draw your awareness to your heels and energetically (isometrically) lift the heels and move them back.
*we are not really lifting the feet here. We are simply finding balance between the front and back of the feet.
5. Press the shins in towards one another.
*Very subtle movement. To get an idea of how this feels, lean forward, place your hands on the outsides of your lower legs and kind of press the lower legs towards the mid line. Again, there won't be much movement.
6. Bring you awareness to your knees. Take note to neither lock the knees nor bend them. If your feet, ankles and shins are aligned, your knees will feel charged up and buoyant.
*this was the most awesome feeling. My knees are often very cranky and I let the thighs do most of the work by keeping a very slight bend in my knees. However, lining up correctly through my lower body allows my knees to be an integral part as opposed to a couple of bystanders. I don't know how else to explain it.
7. Press the thighs back and wide. Literally. take your fingers to your thighs and press them back. Now find the widening in the sit bones.
8. Engage the pelvic floor *think kegel exercises.
9. Scoop the tailbone.
10. Bring the hands to the bottom of the rib cage and lift through the side body.
11. Raise the shoulders up. This is a very exaggerated movement. Really lift the shoulders up towards the ears. Then move them back and allow the shoulder blades to move down the back and hug in towards the heart.
12. Keep the shoulders active. Relax the arms.
13. Lengthen through the sides of the neck. Find the place in your vision where your eyes are balanced between the upper & lower lids.
Rest here & breathe.
The workshop was a wonderful refresher on how to properly align one's self to avoid injury while practicing yoga asana or simply standing in line at the grocery store.
Because Jamie is an Anusara instructor, there was much talk of "loops" & "spirals" & such. Honestly Anusara verbiage can make my head spin. So, I try not to get lost in the lingo.
Here are the directions for proper alignment as I understand them mentally and feel them physically. If any Anusara instructors wish to correct or comment, you are greatly welcome to do so.
In Tadasana:
1. Stand with feet hip width apart. The outside ankle bone lines up with the greater trochanter(the big outside thigh bone) All 10 toes point forward.
2. Lift up through the toes and spread them wide. Spread the toes evenly through the great and little toe. Get the feeling of the little toe wanting to touch the heel.
3. Lift up through the inner and outer arches of the feet.
4. Draw your awareness to your heels and energetically (isometrically) lift the heels and move them back.
*we are not really lifting the feet here. We are simply finding balance between the front and back of the feet.
5. Press the shins in towards one another.
*Very subtle movement. To get an idea of how this feels, lean forward, place your hands on the outsides of your lower legs and kind of press the lower legs towards the mid line. Again, there won't be much movement.
6. Bring you awareness to your knees. Take note to neither lock the knees nor bend them. If your feet, ankles and shins are aligned, your knees will feel charged up and buoyant.
*this was the most awesome feeling. My knees are often very cranky and I let the thighs do most of the work by keeping a very slight bend in my knees. However, lining up correctly through my lower body allows my knees to be an integral part as opposed to a couple of bystanders. I don't know how else to explain it.
7. Press the thighs back and wide. Literally. take your fingers to your thighs and press them back. Now find the widening in the sit bones.
8. Engage the pelvic floor *think kegel exercises.
9. Scoop the tailbone.
10. Bring the hands to the bottom of the rib cage and lift through the side body.
11. Raise the shoulders up. This is a very exaggerated movement. Really lift the shoulders up towards the ears. Then move them back and allow the shoulder blades to move down the back and hug in towards the heart.
12. Keep the shoulders active. Relax the arms.
13. Lengthen through the sides of the neck. Find the place in your vision where your eyes are balanced between the upper & lower lids.
Rest here & breathe.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
aging
"How is it possible, don Juan," I said, "That you could be younger than I?"
"I have vanquished mind," he said ..... "I dont' have a mind to tell me that it is time to be old. I don't honor agreements in which is didn't participate. Remember this: It is not just a slogan for sorcerers to say that they do not honor agreements in which they did not participate. To be plagued by old age is such an agreement."
~from "Magical Passes" by Carlos Castenada ~
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