beginner's mind

To cultivate "beginners mind" is to come at each pose and meditation with no expectations or preconceived notions, which is difficult for something like downward dog, which many of us have executed 1,000 times (or more) in the past. Having a beginner's mind is a challenging and worthwhile exercise, though, and one that we can bring into all activities in life. The mundane habits, the rote chores. Everything becomes fresh when you have a beginner's mind. Because, as Suzuki Roshi said, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities. In the expert's mind there are few."

contingency plans

In yoga, and in life, we set intentions. Daily, weekly, monthly, yearly. Intentions as general as: "cultivate patience" or "be more mindful" and as specific as releasing tension from the right quadricep or strengthening the core muscles. But we must balance these intentions and visions for ourselves with the acceptance that (1) things are in constant flux, (2) the unexpected pops up when you are least expecting it, and (3) plans almost never turn out the way you initially intended. So the challenge, ever-present in every aspect of life, is to balance the strength of your vision with the flexibility that allows the vision to shift gracefully to reflect reality. You can palpably feel this delicate balance in a yoga pose. You can experience the struggle and eventual melding of strength and flexibility, of power and openness. And, ideally, you take that out with you into the world, and empower yourself and other people with your incredible, inspiring balance.

This Frank Rich NY Times Column, is a humorous, insightful explanation as to why Hillary Clinton's lack of a contingency plan has imploded her presidential campaign.

Meeting Resistance

This week, I saw a fascinating documentary called Meeting Resistance. It has to do with the underground organization(s) of a conquered or nearly conquered country (Iraq) engaging in sabotage and secret operations against occupation forces and collaborators (USA). It was shot in Baghdad over a period of 14 months in 2003 and 2004 by two journalists, an American woman and a British man. They were there at the screening to do a Q and A afterwards. They interviewed 12 members of the Resistance, their faces obscured and names absent. Their common threads: Islamic devotees, dying to be martyred, protecting their homeland from unwanted invaders. American soldiers are not seen as heroes or helpers. They are hated, and they are prime targets of these men. According to the filmmakers, the "surge" of more and more troops deploying to Iraq has been "irrelevant" to the violence and infighting in the region. The film gave a voice and image to Iraqi citizens, the ones we have invaded, the ones you never see on the TV news. It is hard to watch, with lots of real-live, present-day violence and death, but it's also essential to watch. It is screening in different cities across the nation and will soon be released on DVD.

Let us all on meditate on peace and the quickest possible end to this terrible war. May all beings be safe, happy, healthy and free from suffering.

Releasing the Neck & Shoulders

Book Review: The God Delusion

At long last, I have finished The God Delusion by Cambridge scientist Richard Dawkins. All polls are closed, the verdict is in: I am not atheist material. I am not religious either, despite my fervor for yoga and Buddhism (which are philosophies, not religions). Due to this, I found Dawkins’ book fascinating, humorous and timely.

My favorite quote from the book comes not from its author, but from comedian George Carlin: “Religion has actually convinced people that there’s an invisible man – living in the sky – who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ‘til the end of time… But He loves you!”

Part of Dawkins’ genius as a writer is his appropriate use of other writers’ work. He even uses anonymous internet writers’ words. For example:

Arguments for God’s Existence
38. Argument from Sheer Will: I do believe in God! I do believe in God! I do I do I do! I do believe in God! Therefore God exists.

39. Argument from Non-Belief: The majority of the world’s population are non-believers in Christianity. This is just what Satan intended. Therefore God exists.

40. Argument from Post-Death Experience: Person X died an atheist. He now realizes his mistake. Therefore God exists.

41. Argument from Emotional Blackmail: God loves you. How could you be so heartless as not to believe in him? Therefore God exists.

In the chapter entitled, “Why There Almost Certainly Is No God,” Dawkins sums up his argument against a supernatural deity as such: “The natural temptation is to attribute the appearance of design to actual design itself. … The temptation is a false one, because the designer hypothesis immediately raises the larger problem of who designed the designer. Darwin and his successors have shown how living creatures… have evolved by slow, gradual degrees from simple beginnings. We can now safely say that the illusion of design in living creatures is just that – an illusion.”

The chapter called “The Roots of Religion” touches on the roots of why many people of our generation (I’m not sure whether it’s Generation X or Y, but that’s beside the point) have rejected the religion of their parents. Dawkins writes (with frustration) that, “Faith (belief without evidence) is a virtue. The more your beliefs defy the evidence, the more virtuous you are. There are some weird tings (such as the Trinity) that we are not meant to understand. Don’t even try to understand one of these, for the attempt might destroy it. Learn how to gain fulfillment in calling it a mystery.” This contentment with "the mystery of faith" is precisely why I couldn't continue along the Catholic path that my parents laid out for me.

Two other major points he covers (among many, some of which are so scientifically esoteric that I really don’t understand them) are the teaching of creationism in schools and the indoctrination of children into the religion of their parents. I found this to be a memorable fact: “To get an idea of the scale of this error [considering the Earth to be 6,000 years old] it is equivalent to believing the distance from New York to San Francisco is 7.8 yards.”

Upon reading this book, I am further away than ever from belief in the supernatural aspects of Christianity (virgin birth, resurrection, purgatory, etc.) However, I am still a staunch believer in universal energy, something more vast and all-encompassing than the human mind. Something divine that dwells within and without us…

Being Clear About Desires

this is exerpted from yesterday's Daily OM

The best way to get what we want from life is to first know what we want. If we haven’t taken the time to understand and identify what would truly make us happy, we won’t be able to ask for it. We may not even be able to recognize it once it arrives. Once we are clear about what we want, we can communicate it. When we can be honest about who we are and what we want, there is no need to demand or manipulate others.

As the world evolves, humanity is learning to work from the heart. We have been taught that the way to get what we want is to follow certain rules, play games, or engage in acts that use less than our highest integrity. The only rules we need to apply are those of intention and connection. It takes a lot of energy to keep up a false front, but much less energy is expended when we can enjoy connections that energize us in return. Then our energy can be directed toward living the life we want right now. We can listen to our hearts and follow what we know to be true and meaningful for us.

astrology prevails

15th yoga anniversary

fifteen years ago this month, i happened upon a book on a shelf that truly changed my life. the book opened the door to another world, as any good book can do. it was a practical book, containing exercises and breathing activities. it came out in the late sixties and outlined a very simplified, condensed version of the ancient Indian philosophy of "yoga."

i used that book alone, richard hittleman's 28-day yoga exercise plan, for 8 years, until i attended my first class at the gym and immediately decided to become a yoga instructor. i received my hatha teacher certification from yoga yoga in 2002, so (crazily enough) i have already been teaching yoga for 6 years. time flies!

Happy Lent

Lent began yesterday with Ash Wednesday, and even though I could not be considered a Catholic except for the infant baptism 27 years ago, I typically like to give something up, just for kicks. At the same time, it feels like another requirement deemed by the powers that be (The Vatican?) -- they tell us when to pray, when to celebrate, when to give stuff up. And that kind of makes me want to rebel and ignore lent altogether. Maybe it's that old habits die hard, or I'm still carrying around a little bit of that undying Catholic guilt. Anyway, this year, I have asked my class to give up tattling. That is, telling on another person when that person's action has no effect whatsoever on the teller. In that same vein, I am going to strive to give up gossiping: needlessly discussing the details of other people's lives and making outspoken judgements about them and their choices and behaviors. Otherwise, I feel that I am living a pretty moderate, disciplined life at the moment, so eliminating gossip is my only overt Lenten goal. Amen!

Town Lake YMCA Yoga Classes

After a lengthy hiatus from teaching yoga to grown ups, I'm excited to announce two new weekly classes which I will be leading at the Town Lake YMCA:

- Mondays 6:45 - 8:00 p.m.
- Fridays 6:30 - 7:45 p.m.

Would you go to a blind acupuncturist?

My dear friend, Juliana Cumbo, made front page news this week in Austin because, though she has completed four years of intense study at the Academy of Oriental Medicine (AOMA), earned her masters degree, and passed her national board exams, the Texas state board that licenses acupunturists has denied her a license. The reason? She is blind. Nevermind that over 20% of acupuncturists in Japan are blind, and considered more capable due to their heightened sense of touch and perception of subtle energy. This is Texas, land of the closed-minded conservative.

I met Juliana back in 2002 when she came to me for private yoga sessions. Back then, she was just about to start acupuncture school. She put so much effort into her studies, ordering all her textbooks in Braille and spending long hours reading and memorizing detailed meridians, anatomy and therapeutic methods. I received acupuncture from her at the AOMA student clinic and felt completely safe and comfortable. She has worked on several hundred patients as an intern, none of whom complained or were injured as a result of her blindness.

She also practices Zen Shiatsu massage. If you would like to support her with a kind note, or inquire about her services, please contact Juliana at fourpillars@earthlink.net.

The Grounding Cord