Saturday, October 15, 2011

Mysore Musings


I'll be the first to admit it.  I was staring at the main shala homepage waiting to see a note that said "no fearing, you come".  It didn't say that, so I closed the tab.

Five minutes later I went back.  No message, so I closed the tab.

Five minutes later I went back.  No message, so I closed the tab.

Five minutes later I went back.  No message, so I closed the tab.

To be fair, this usually begins months apart.  Months become weeks, weeks become days.  And of course, minutes become minutes.  It is that one year itch mark.  Very itchy.

I just did it again.

It is good to be stronger than the itch.  Hold out long enough to see that one can carry on without outside forces — even if for just a minute.

*thumbs twiddling*

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

From the talk: "And what I have to, sort of keep telling myself when I get really psyched out about that, is, don't be afraid. Don't be daunted. Just do your job. Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be. If your job is to dance, do your dance. If the divine, cockeyed genius assigned to your case decides to let some sort of wonderment be glimpsed, for just one moment through your efforts, then "Ole!" And if not, do your dance anyhow. And "Ole!" to you, nonetheless. I believe this and I feel that we must teach it. "Ole!" to you, nonetheless, just for having the sheer human love and stubbornness to keep showing up."


Elizabeth Gilbert on nurturing creativity | Video on TED.com

From TED.com: Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses -- and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk.


Tuesday, April 13, 2010

The Six Poisons (Quote of the day)

The six poisons: A vital aspect of internal purification that Pattabhi Jois teaches relates to the six poisons that surround the spiritual heart. In the yoga shastra it is said that God dwells in our heart in the form of light, but this light is covered by six poisons; kama, krodha, moha, lobha, matsarya, and mada. These are desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy and sloth. When yoga practice is sustained with great diligence and dedication over a long period of time, the heat generated from it burns away these poisons, and the light of our inner nature shines forth.


This forms the practical and philosophic basis of Ashtanga Yoga as taught by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.



KPJAYI.org

Monday, May 18, 2009

Guruji

I'm living in a tiny New York apartment in true bohemian style with books and pictures from floor to ceiling and an occasional nic-nack nestled here and there. Over time it becomes part of the landscape and I stop noticing all the little bits that make up the whole. But yesterday as I was leaving the house, I paused for a moment and stared at a picture of Guruji. It was like opening my eyes under water, watching the bubbles go up and a pebble slowly float down. Time kind of stopped and it was me and this image and just thinking about this monumental person.

And then this morning, we've all heard: Guruji has passed away. I'm not sure what there is to say except that this practice has changed my life. I am who I am because of the teachings of this amazing person. The short moments I was lucky enough to spend with him were beautiful and full of joy. Thank you, Guruji.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

A time for change

I'm going to spend some time on the private route. Might still write here. Not sure yet. This is a trial run.

www.ashtangainspired.blogspot.com


If you would like to be considered as a reader for my private blog, email me at mysoremusings at yahoo dot com. Yes, I plan on being selective. Yes, you should write me an essay double spaced justified and 12 point font on why I should consider you as a reader. Finally, my chance to put you, the sometimes anonymous reader on the spotlight - ha ha! Oh the power! :)

Monday, September 8, 2008

Do you remember?

"For the Brain, Remembering Is Like Reliving"
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/science/05brain.html?_r=1&oref=slogin


"There is no pain so great as the memory of joy in present grief."
-Aeschylus

"Memory is funny. Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow."
-Tobias Wolff

"An angel has no memory.
"
-Terry Southern
"Happiness? That's nothing more than good health and a poor memory."
-Albert Schweitzer

Yoga Sutras of Patanjali:

1.5
Vrittayah pancatayah klishta aklishta:
Thought-forms are categorized into five varieties, of which some are painful and others are non-painful (neutral).

1.6
Pramana viparyaya vikalpa nidra smritayah: These (the categories) are: Correct knowing; Incorrect knowing; Imagination; Sleep; Memory.

1.11
Anubhuta-vishayasampramoshah smritih: Memory is the recollecting or retaining of previously experienced impressions.

Don't bug me

It is getting harder and harder to write at the moment. Partly I don't know what to say and partly I feel to self-aware to say it. Looking back at last year's entries during month two, I see a similar pattern. Things start to get very internal where language starts to disappear. Or maybe now I feel differently about the whole thing. I don't really want to share things with everyone, just a few people...

So then, what does one write about when you want to share something personal but can't spare the details? Bugs. I can write about bugs.

We have an ant problem in our house. (Is it really a "problem"?) We followed the ants from the grains shelf to a few different possible entry points. My roommate poured muesli over his pancakes only to be disgusted by the multitude of ants crawling in out and around the oat clusters.

Last night on my way out of the bathroom I spied a second cockroach. I couldn't bring myself to kill it. I looked at it, it looked at me. I wonder where the little guy was headed...

I'm covered in mosquito bites from head to toe. Not even the bottom of my middle toe was spared. I now have maybe the shortest practice in the shala--or so it seemed--as I found myself in the women's dressing room all alone with the breeze and the mosquitoes. There I was in shoulderstand variations waving my arms like a mad person at the mosquitoes that buzzed around my head. I read in National Geographic that 1.) mosquitoes know the target they are heading for from an impressive distance 2.) hot, sweaty, lactic acid infused post-vigorous exercise bodies are their favorite victims.

I tell myself that I am going to withdraw my senses, that everything is God, that if I don't acknowledge them they don't exist. But then I hear the buzzing become louder and louder and I can't hold it in any longer so I swat and swat and swat.

PS-Again, yesterday in conference, Sharath emphasized that part of the practice is reading yogic texts. Specifically, he said it was a good idea to start with the Bhagavad Gita.