Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Is Yoga Enough to Be Fit?
I just read this fantastic article that reaffirms what I have felt and known for years. For all those out there who question whether yoga is enough, it is. I am going to attach the Yoga Journal Article Link below, but before I let you read it, pay attention to the comments at the bottom of the article. The first comment mirrors my experience almost exactly. For years I worked out in gyms daily, for hours, and never got the body I wanted. When I took on yoga full time my body quickly began to reshape itself into what I had been hoping for, and that is only the superficial aspect to fitness, lets not forget how much better I feel in every other way. Last of all before I let you read the article let me point out my favorite portion, pertaining to all my restore students, stretching muscle builds muscle. So when we stretch out, we are also toning. I have witnessed this in my own body, and this article helps explain this wonderful phenomenon. So without further ado:
http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/739
Monday, November 15, 2010
Put Down the Fork, and Chew on This
With Thanksgiving in a week, I am already starting to hear the comments that are a strange conglomerate of guilt and gluttony. The desire for people to maintain their ‘diet’ but to also go hog wild and eat as much turkey and pie as their body can ingest without going into a coma, at least not a full coma. I thought, well isn’t this a good time to share my experience eating at last year’s Thich Nhat Hanh retreat?
There were over a thousand people at this retreat, and come mealtime we all packed into the YMCA cafeteria. The meals were silent meals. No talking whatsoever. Imagine a full cafeteria with the sounds of clattering dishes and silverware, but no voices. The food though, oh man, best cafeteria food ever! It was all vegetarian, and throughout the week we were encouraged to refrain from caffeine or alcohol. There was also very little sugar, no sections full of different desserts, mostly just bowlfuls of fruits and veggies.
We would stand in line starting outside the building and patiently work our way in toward the buffet. No conversation, just looking. Looking at one another, looking at the beauty that is Rocky Mountain National Park, looking at the people already seated and eating their food. Every 15 minutes or so there would be a gong from the large singing bowl in the middle of the room and everyone would stop what they were doing. The clanging would stop, the shuffling, the banging, and for 15 seconds of silence, all these people would be present with their breath and the sound of the bell. As the resonance died people would pick up where they left off and the sound would once again rise.
When we arrived at the buffet we would pause and bow in Anjali mudra (hands at heart) in respect for the meal prepared for us. We would then pick up a plate and utensils and select a bit of this and that from the wide selection of delectables set out before us. Rich and I would share a plate of food as we have made it our habit to do, and we had great fun pointing to this or that and adding it to our plate. The tables in the dining room were round or rectangle and sat 8-10 people a table. Each time a person came or left the table all the other people would bow in acknowledgement of the person.
In the middle of each table sat a paper triangle with the Five Contemplations. Before eating we would read the contemplations, thinking about the process from planting seed to the moment the food is placed before us, and cultivate gratitude for what we were about to ingest.
The Five Contemplations:
§ This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard and loving work.
§ May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.
§ May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
§ May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, preserve our planet and reverse the process of global warming.
§ We accept this food so that we may nurture our sisterhood and brotherhood, strengthen our sangha(community) and nourish our ideal of serving all beings.
We then picked up our forks, took a moderate bite of food, placed it in our mouths, and set the forks back down. We rolled the food across our tongue, chewing slowly, 10 times, 20 times before swallowing. Savoring the flavor, the texture, and how that changed as we held the bite on our tongue. Taking moments to glance at one another and smile. Connecting in appreciation over the meal, the company of strangers so comfortable and inviting without the expectation for verbal communication.
Five days of enjoying meals in this way. Rich and I both felt we had eaten so much food, enjoying flavors and textures we had spent little time noticing in the past, the nuances of spice becoming more apparent throughout the week. By the end we felt we had cultivated our palates through mindfulness, like a master sommelier, but of food. We were amazed when we got home, weighed ourselves, and saw we had both lost weight.
I can’t think of a better way to practice giving thanks at Thanksgiving than this. We can take a plate, put a bit of everything on it, contemplate, savor each bite, feel completely sated at the end, and not end up regretting it later. All the while cultivating gratitude and appreciation for those that make it possible for us to eat.
Happy Thanks-givings and Namaste.
There were over a thousand people at this retreat, and come mealtime we all packed into the YMCA cafeteria. The meals were silent meals. No talking whatsoever. Imagine a full cafeteria with the sounds of clattering dishes and silverware, but no voices. The food though, oh man, best cafeteria food ever! It was all vegetarian, and throughout the week we were encouraged to refrain from caffeine or alcohol. There was also very little sugar, no sections full of different desserts, mostly just bowlfuls of fruits and veggies.
We would stand in line starting outside the building and patiently work our way in toward the buffet. No conversation, just looking. Looking at one another, looking at the beauty that is Rocky Mountain National Park, looking at the people already seated and eating their food. Every 15 minutes or so there would be a gong from the large singing bowl in the middle of the room and everyone would stop what they were doing. The clanging would stop, the shuffling, the banging, and for 15 seconds of silence, all these people would be present with their breath and the sound of the bell. As the resonance died people would pick up where they left off and the sound would once again rise.
When we arrived at the buffet we would pause and bow in Anjali mudra (hands at heart) in respect for the meal prepared for us. We would then pick up a plate and utensils and select a bit of this and that from the wide selection of delectables set out before us. Rich and I would share a plate of food as we have made it our habit to do, and we had great fun pointing to this or that and adding it to our plate. The tables in the dining room were round or rectangle and sat 8-10 people a table. Each time a person came or left the table all the other people would bow in acknowledgement of the person.
In the middle of each table sat a paper triangle with the Five Contemplations. Before eating we would read the contemplations, thinking about the process from planting seed to the moment the food is placed before us, and cultivate gratitude for what we were about to ingest.
The Five Contemplations:
§ This food is a gift of the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard and loving work.
§ May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.
§ May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
§ May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, preserve our planet and reverse the process of global warming.
§ We accept this food so that we may nurture our sisterhood and brotherhood, strengthen our sangha(community) and nourish our ideal of serving all beings.
We then picked up our forks, took a moderate bite of food, placed it in our mouths, and set the forks back down. We rolled the food across our tongue, chewing slowly, 10 times, 20 times before swallowing. Savoring the flavor, the texture, and how that changed as we held the bite on our tongue. Taking moments to glance at one another and smile. Connecting in appreciation over the meal, the company of strangers so comfortable and inviting without the expectation for verbal communication.
Five days of enjoying meals in this way. Rich and I both felt we had eaten so much food, enjoying flavors and textures we had spent little time noticing in the past, the nuances of spice becoming more apparent throughout the week. By the end we felt we had cultivated our palates through mindfulness, like a master sommelier, but of food. We were amazed when we got home, weighed ourselves, and saw we had both lost weight.
I can’t think of a better way to practice giving thanks at Thanksgiving than this. We can take a plate, put a bit of everything on it, contemplate, savor each bite, feel completely sated at the end, and not end up regretting it later. All the while cultivating gratitude and appreciation for those that make it possible for us to eat.
Happy Thanks-givings and Namaste.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
TRUE LOVE
A little over a year ago I went to my friend's wedding in New Mexico( If you're reading this, Hi Chrissy!) She asked me to say a few words during the ceremony that had an eastern philosophy. I did some research, and found my inspiration through Thich Nhat Hanh's translations of the Buddha. I feel an overabundance of love in my life these days, True Love, and so I thought I'd share what the Buddha and TNH had to say about what True Love is.
According to Buddha, there are four elements to true love. Maitri, karuna, mudita, and upeksha.
Maitri translates as loving-kindness or benevolence. This is not only the desire to bring happiness and joy to another person, but the actual ability to do so. This ability comes from understanding. Understanding is the essence of love. In order to understand a person we must have time; we must practice looking deeply into this person. We must be there, attentive; we must observe, we must look deeply.
Karuna means compassion. This is not only the desire to ease the pain of another person, but the ability to do so. Knowledge and understanding are at the root of compassion. The practice of compassion is the practice of meditation. To meditate is to look deeply into the heart of things.
Mudita means joy. If there is joy in love, it is true love. If there is no joy in your love, you cannot be sure that it is true love.
Upeksha means equanimity or freedom. In true love you attain freedom. When you love, you bring freedom to the one you love. Love in such a way that the person you love feels free, not only outside, but also inside. You can ask your dear one, do you have enough space in your heart and all around you for your love to comfortably live?
Above all, in the context of Buddhism, to love is to be there. The most precious gift you can give to the one you love is true presence.
Namaste.
According to Buddha, there are four elements to true love. Maitri, karuna, mudita, and upeksha.
Maitri translates as loving-kindness or benevolence. This is not only the desire to bring happiness and joy to another person, but the actual ability to do so. This ability comes from understanding. Understanding is the essence of love. In order to understand a person we must have time; we must practice looking deeply into this person. We must be there, attentive; we must observe, we must look deeply.
Karuna means compassion. This is not only the desire to ease the pain of another person, but the ability to do so. Knowledge and understanding are at the root of compassion. The practice of compassion is the practice of meditation. To meditate is to look deeply into the heart of things.
Mudita means joy. If there is joy in love, it is true love. If there is no joy in your love, you cannot be sure that it is true love.
Upeksha means equanimity or freedom. In true love you attain freedom. When you love, you bring freedom to the one you love. Love in such a way that the person you love feels free, not only outside, but also inside. You can ask your dear one, do you have enough space in your heart and all around you for your love to comfortably live?
Above all, in the context of Buddhism, to love is to be there. The most precious gift you can give to the one you love is true presence.
Namaste.
Monday, November 1, 2010
AUTHENTICITY
A curator will spend weeks, maybe months, examining every layer of an art piece. His eyes will trace every cubic inch from start to finish in search of flaws. He will dust for foreign particulates. He will take paint samples and break them down to their most basic components. He will look for any indication that what lies before him is fake, knowing that the majority of what he does receive falls in that category. But once in a while, something real finds its way in front of him. And after every possible test that can be done, it is found that the object is exactly what it claims to be. When that happens, on the rare occasion that happens, the object becomes priceless.
I am often reminded of the existence of a cultural norm of fabrication that can greatly devalue verbal expression and human connection.
Take a moment and think about how often you tell someone what you think they want to hear and not what you really think. Even more basic than that, in a day, how many automatic unconscious phrases flit from your lips, without even the realization that what you say and what you feel have absolutely no correlation.
You ask someone, ‘How are you?’ with no interest in stopping and hearing about their life. Someone asks you, ‘How are you?’ and despite what is going on you respond, ‘good’ automatically. Or even better, someone asks, ‘What’s Up?’ and you answer ‘good’ not even paying attention to the question they asked. Now, I know for myself that I do not want to share my life with everyone that asks about it, and I completely understand the automated response that can occur to allow the person to move on his or her way and for me to get back to my day. But I think everyone could benefit here from stepping back and thinking about what they are saying when they interact with people, and look to make each interaction as authentic as possible. I think we get to the point where we don’t truly believe what people tell us because we know this is a culture that often wears masks. Someone says, ‘I love your new haircut’ (I just got my haircut), and I can say a dubious thank you, because through years of watching others interact I have learned that, more often than not, if they don’t like my hair, they will tell me they like it because they believe that is what the ‘nice’ thing to do is, and then the minute I leave tell the person next to me they think it makes me look like an Edward Scissorhands victim.
Falsely doling out compliments devalues the compliments that are real because we learn to no longer truly believe what people tell us.
Have you ever met a person who to your surprise says, ‘I liked your hair better when it was long,’ and instead of being offended you smile and feel this internal sigh of relief because, whether or not is was something positive, it was authentic. And from then on out, everything that person says you tend to take a little more to heart because you can trust that what they say is the truth.
Next time an automatic ‘I’m sorry’ wants to burst from your lips, stop and think, what does that mean? Am I really sorry? What am I really feeling? The Spanish phrase for I’m sorry is ‘lo siento’, which literally translates to ‘I feel it’. I love that, because, if you’re saying it, shouldn’t you really feel it? Next time you ask someone, ‘Are you ok?’ think about what that means. What is ok? How do you define ok? What is it you are really asking? Can you move away from the generalizations that explain nothing and get specific? Do you really have a desire to understand this person inside? Now I say this with the caveat that tact should always be the framework within which truth is stated. When saying what you feel, the intention should be from a place of Ahimsa, or non-harming. If you feel the fuel for your words is anger and bitterness, then some time should be taken before anything is said at all. And there is vulnerability with the truth. There is a chance that despite best intentions, what you say will be twisted into a monster you had no desire to create. Yet, through the challenge of merging thought, emotion, and words into one flowing river, a deep strength could begin to form within you. We all know the power that rivers have to change the flow of things. I invite your soul to change the flow. Step back, re-route, and rise to the occasion. (Ha ha, get it, cause rivers rise- and prices when art is authentic…) Ok, anyway- I’ll end this now, with a great quote.
“So what happens is this refusal to confront one half of our existence, the dark side, what’s difficult about our lives, what’s grief-filled about our lives, what’s painful about our lives, what’s flawed about our lives. And the hope is that you can just concentrate on this other side and everything will be marvelous and good and all the time one side of us is just atrophied. And the soul doesn’t seem to make the distinction between the light and the dark. It chooses both. It doesn’t care if you do something successfully or fail at it; it just wants to know did you do it in your own way? Was it you who failed, or were you trying to be someone else when you failed. If it was you, then the soul’s happy. That was your experience, your failure; no one can take it away from you.”
~David Whyte, The Poetry of Self Compassion
Namaste.
I am often reminded of the existence of a cultural norm of fabrication that can greatly devalue verbal expression and human connection.
Take a moment and think about how often you tell someone what you think they want to hear and not what you really think. Even more basic than that, in a day, how many automatic unconscious phrases flit from your lips, without even the realization that what you say and what you feel have absolutely no correlation.
You ask someone, ‘How are you?’ with no interest in stopping and hearing about their life. Someone asks you, ‘How are you?’ and despite what is going on you respond, ‘good’ automatically. Or even better, someone asks, ‘What’s Up?’ and you answer ‘good’ not even paying attention to the question they asked. Now, I know for myself that I do not want to share my life with everyone that asks about it, and I completely understand the automated response that can occur to allow the person to move on his or her way and for me to get back to my day. But I think everyone could benefit here from stepping back and thinking about what they are saying when they interact with people, and look to make each interaction as authentic as possible. I think we get to the point where we don’t truly believe what people tell us because we know this is a culture that often wears masks. Someone says, ‘I love your new haircut’ (I just got my haircut), and I can say a dubious thank you, because through years of watching others interact I have learned that, more often than not, if they don’t like my hair, they will tell me they like it because they believe that is what the ‘nice’ thing to do is, and then the minute I leave tell the person next to me they think it makes me look like an Edward Scissorhands victim.
Falsely doling out compliments devalues the compliments that are real because we learn to no longer truly believe what people tell us.
Have you ever met a person who to your surprise says, ‘I liked your hair better when it was long,’ and instead of being offended you smile and feel this internal sigh of relief because, whether or not is was something positive, it was authentic. And from then on out, everything that person says you tend to take a little more to heart because you can trust that what they say is the truth.
Next time an automatic ‘I’m sorry’ wants to burst from your lips, stop and think, what does that mean? Am I really sorry? What am I really feeling? The Spanish phrase for I’m sorry is ‘lo siento’, which literally translates to ‘I feel it’. I love that, because, if you’re saying it, shouldn’t you really feel it? Next time you ask someone, ‘Are you ok?’ think about what that means. What is ok? How do you define ok? What is it you are really asking? Can you move away from the generalizations that explain nothing and get specific? Do you really have a desire to understand this person inside? Now I say this with the caveat that tact should always be the framework within which truth is stated. When saying what you feel, the intention should be from a place of Ahimsa, or non-harming. If you feel the fuel for your words is anger and bitterness, then some time should be taken before anything is said at all. And there is vulnerability with the truth. There is a chance that despite best intentions, what you say will be twisted into a monster you had no desire to create. Yet, through the challenge of merging thought, emotion, and words into one flowing river, a deep strength could begin to form within you. We all know the power that rivers have to change the flow of things. I invite your soul to change the flow. Step back, re-route, and rise to the occasion. (Ha ha, get it, cause rivers rise- and prices when art is authentic…) Ok, anyway- I’ll end this now, with a great quote.
“So what happens is this refusal to confront one half of our existence, the dark side, what’s difficult about our lives, what’s grief-filled about our lives, what’s painful about our lives, what’s flawed about our lives. And the hope is that you can just concentrate on this other side and everything will be marvelous and good and all the time one side of us is just atrophied. And the soul doesn’t seem to make the distinction between the light and the dark. It chooses both. It doesn’t care if you do something successfully or fail at it; it just wants to know did you do it in your own way? Was it you who failed, or were you trying to be someone else when you failed. If it was you, then the soul’s happy. That was your experience, your failure; no one can take it away from you.”
~David Whyte, The Poetry of Self Compassion
Namaste.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)