Monday, July 26, 2010

Time Spent Sitting Linked to Health

 When one is considering all the habits of a normal day, taking the following research into account might keep one standing when one might rather veg.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/07/100722102039.htm
Active yoga seated postures, I would assert,, such as Bada konasana (butterfly), or Mariachasana (Half Lord of the Fishes), are not in the same category as a lounge chair or a car seat. Sitting on the floor asks the spine to hold up the torso frame, and the hips must release out.
Food for thought... 

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Wisdom Condensed

Recently while on the road, I passed a sign pointing toward the Diamond, Missouri birthplace of George Washington Carver.
I remember learning about him in grade school, mostly  that he developed 100 uses for a peanut and was the child of slaves. 
Since becoming a serious gardener, my curiosity about his life is much better than when I was 9, and now we have wikipedia, so I looked him up.  I found that he was a pioneer in the field of sustainable agriculture, and he wrote this:

* Be clean, both inside and out. 
* Neither look up to the rich, nor down on the poor.
* Lose, if need be, without squealing.
* Win with out bragging.
* Always be considerate to women, children and older people.
* Be too brave to lie.
* Be too generous to cheat.
* Take your share of the world, and let others take theirs.

George Washington Carver  

Sunday, July 18, 2010

To Be a Bluebird or a Swallow?

Are you a shy bluebird,
concerned with flying lightly, quietly in little skips
evanescent azure toned, 
morning chirp music maker,
cute and vulnerable, endangered?
or
Are you a bold swallow,
swooping, spiraling, obviously colored
batlike presence
willing to nest opportunistically, taunting and aggressive,
the unafraid majority?

Even as the little bluebird perches on its home,
shivering bravely, standing ground over the eggs
the swallow plays, airplane diving with abandon
catching bugs in midair
claiming the house next door (built for bluebirds)
then throwing
loud parties anytime
till the bluebirds decide to take a trip
get away for a few weeks

It might be easier to be
a swallow sometimes, really.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Integrating Practice With Travel and Hosting

After the past month of visiting friends in other parts of the country, being on the road, and then co-hosting a large family gathering, I'm thinking of how one continues a practice and healthy eating habits in non-routine environments. I realize that for most of my life I have let go of my routines when I traveled or spent time in other people's spaces. I am trying to amend that tendency because I love to travel, I love my friends and I love my practice. Giving up routines which keep me healthy should not be a trade-off for indulging my gypsy or my great joy in being with the loved people in my life.

The dilemma, of course, remains how challenging it becomes to practice if there is not space, or a quiet situation. Eating is even more complicated as it is a social ritual, one which I dearly love to share with others. The shear amounts of so much available food containing varying degrees of nutrition have given new challenges to all meal planning. Add to this the increase in allergies and restricted diets, and food choices have never been so complex.

We live in a culture of food abundance, so our new survival has switched from expending energy to acquire food, to expending energy to carefully select and manage what we choose to eat out of the plethora of offerings. When I speak of food abundance, I am referring to the U.S. as a whole, and do not in any way minimize those parts of the world where people are starving. It seems impossible that the 2 paradigms exist together on the same planet, and yet herein probably lies part of the clue to obesity and starvation both.

Returning to the subject of staying with a yoga practice no matter where one wakes up in the morning, I believe this is also part of the key to staying right on eating. I find, and I hope you have experienced this as well, that after my practice, my bodily desires shift. I feel less like eating empty calories, more aware of my internal organs, my interior self and less inclined to eat unconsciously. The simple act of sitting and breathing, going inside, offers us the connection to that part of our physical self which operates in it's marvelously autonomous manner. Bringing the self back to the self is the magic we can partake in every day, even if it just means finding a small space of floor to sit on, finding breath, and doing a rotation or 2.

In my family enough of us practice in some form that we actually practice together as part of our gathering. I recommend this to anyone wishing to enjoy the family reunion at a new level. It may begin with 2 or 3 people, but I almost guarantee others will join in as the practice continues into a tradition. This year we had so many family members joining in morning yoga, we had to crowd the mats. Our participation is growing, as the less inclined watch and notice how good the yogis feel afterwards. We have created a new little paradigm, which works like ultimate frisbee or a poker game to draw people together in an enjoyable activity. It is a relief to find a shared activity which is not eating!

One of my offerings as a yoga teacher is "special order yoga" which allows an individual to create a group and a time, and I will tailor a class to fit the needs of the participants. I've done this a few times in the past year, and it is very fun for all. You might want to lead your group too, give it a try!

If you have any inspirations to share about travel and social eating, post a comment!

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

For My Peeps

Welcome to Heaven Now.

One of the hardest parts of starting a blog is creating a title which acts as a signpost to adequately portray the nuance of the subject matter. The title must also have the right search words to attract the searcher. (Having the word 'search' in the title seemed good) All humor aside, or even including all humor, I am glad you are here, and hope you are searching too, like me.

The heaven reference was inspired by a conversation with my Dad. He is a very fine, intelligent man, and a seriously good father. He is also a devout Catholic and puts a great deal of stock in 'eternal life'. As I think of eternal life, and what that means, I have come to realize it is a metaphor as are the positive and negative aspects of its loudly marketed options - heaven and hell.

If metaphor is your vehicle, let's ride this life story and find... heaven now. The option of waiting to die first is not a gamble that would appeal to an actuary, or to a lover of this life, here and now.

As to the order of the sustenance words in the title, love should, of course, come first. Yet love is sadly a broad, hackneyed word, utilized to a point of functionless verbage co-opted by Madison Avenue. ( I was just walking down Madison Avenue lately, I suspect they are hurting like many of the proletariat).
If we discuss reaching love through our practice, and the food which we offer the body, we can work our way toward love.. love of self, love of feeling good, and love in our work and our relationships.

So, we will explore how our practice, the food we consume, our thoughts and the way we spend our energies can help us follow our way to love.. to heaven now.

If you have an insight which fits this paradigm, you may write it here. I offer to you all the most unique information I can find, all the inspiration I can muster, all the encouragement you will accept, and my inimitable love.

A rising tide floats all boats... so lets search out heaven now!