So it seems like I kinda suck at this whole blogging thing. Which I guess is an improved perspective over I suck at the whole yoga thing. My apologies for the continually expanding gaps between entries. Before I seemed to feel like the two were completely intertwined and if I didn't blog I wasn't doing the practice very well. LIES!
After coming to the realization that practice every day was an unrealistic perspective it's like the whole thing took on a new momentum all together. And, perhaps ironically, now I'm much closer to practicing every day than when I was trying to make it a requirement. Curious... :\
The thing I've found most surprising in the first 6 months of this endeavor is how much my perspective on yoga has changed. At the get-go I was the steadfast Ashtangi looking for an epic, sweaty, full of jumbacks practice. And yes I balanced it with a consistent Yin practice, but honestly Yin is the most intense of the calm styles (if that makes any sense).
Lately I've found a loving place in my heart for a slower, more restorative sorta practice. I'll usually start with some Yin poses, but by the end it's all really chill. I think I would live in Viparita Karani if it were safe to do so. Haha!
What's most surprising to me is how beneficial just a half hour to an hour of simple poses, without any striving or intensity can really have a profound effect on my day. I sleep better and seem to reap most of the benefits of a stronger practice. I think that it's because of this new perspective that I'm falling back into a very consistent rhythm with yoga and meditation as well. (fear not Ashtanga/Vinyasa friends, I'm also still doing that practice.)
From the beginning the whole idea of this blog was a little too striving if you ask me. And if you know Heather and I maybe it wasn't a good idea to encourage our tendencies towards perfectionism. But even if I "failed" at the original goal I still feel like I've learned so much. This whole process is just as (if not more) transformative than I ever thought, even though it hasn't looked quite like what I imagined.
So most of you probably know it's the new year. The time when people love to make promises to themselves that they can't keep (kinda like this blog :p). This year I'm not doing that, at least not in the traditional sense. All I'm trying to do is the best I can and let the rest fall in place. No specific goals. No promises or commitments. Just do my practice and all will be coming.
Namaste friends!
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Monday, November 23, 2009
Rob - My So Called Yoga Blog...
Hello Friends. Remember me? Yeah, it's me Rob - the guy who used to have a blog about yoga, meditation and the like.
It's been quite a while since last posted (almost 2 full months...AH!) and truth be told things have been kind of challenging. I really spread myself thin and forgot about important things like healthy eating and sleep - all while trying to do an overly zealous yoga practice and work three jobs! Well my body taught me a lesson on that one. Two illnesses later (including the beloved H1N1 or Swine Flu as it's affectionately known!) and after about a month of feeling quite like crap I think I'm ready to start treating myself right again!
So that's what's been going on with my body in general. On my spiritual front I've maintained an "adequate" yoga practice in the midst of all this, but it certainly hasn't been every day. Actually it's been pretty sparse. Maybe 2-3 times a week. Certainly not ideal.
I HAVE been quite consistent with my meditation, and that's where things got really interesting. So just a little background before I go a bit off the deep end, I've been reading a lot of Daniel Ingram lately. He's a REALLY hardcore Buddhist writer who talks really in depth about the stages of enlightenment and deep states of meditation. After reading his thoughts about the stages on insight (which BTW aren't his invention, they're based on the original Pali cannon of Theravada Buddhism) a lot of my mental process of late started to make more sense.
Without getting too esoteric, suffice it to say there was much Dukkha in my practice and life, which I think partially manifested in my two illnesses. Everyday tasks seemed almost impossible and I dreaded getting up to go to work. Even yoga seemed unenjoyable. I couldn't sit still for meditation. This finally culminated (after my 1st sickness) with the most intense body cramps in my neck and shoulders that appeared for no obvious reason. I could barely move. And amazingly, all of this is described perfectly in the stages of awakening. And I'll also add that all of this happened BEFORE I even read about it so it's not as if I was manifesting it after the fact. But after reading about this stage and his encouragement to keep just keep going, keep practicing, no matter how hard it is I was able to break on through and remember why I'm doing all this in the fist place. I recommitted to a serious sitting practice and have regained some sense of balance.
Well, with a little determination and evaluation of my lifestyle I think that I'm ready to move on. I've settled into a more calm part of the "Dark Night" (equanimity perhaps?) and am regaining my lust for life. I've rediscover the joys of healthy eating and remember how important it is to my yogic lifestyle! I still have a lot of work to do in my progress, but I think that with some patient determination I can learn to manage this phase and my practice, etc. without destroying my personal life and health.
More importantly to you guys I've also reevaluated how I want to use this blog. I still want to write about my process and commit to a year of solid and truly dedicated yoga practice. What I absolutely want to eliminate is the ideal of trying to practice each and every day and the counting of the number of days. I realized that my practice had gotten WAY too goal oriented and this is the exact opposite of Yoga! So from now on I will write several times a week in here, certainly about Yoga, but I really want to expand the scope a bit. I'm really tired of focusing on the physical "Oh my hamstrings were tight today." "Pose X was really easy". This is a: boring and b: kind of misses the point in my opinion.
Henceforth I'm going to use this blog as a general discussion on the whole of yogic life for me over the year. This will include talks on meditation, healthy eating (recipes, etc.!), philosophy and yes, even my asana practice. I think I'll have a lot more to talk about and this will keep things much more interesting. I'll be sure to keep it true to the original focus, but I think having a broader spectrum will encourage me to write more. I hope you agree!
It's great to be back guys. Much metta, etc. from me to you!
It's been quite a while since last posted (almost 2 full months...AH!) and truth be told things have been kind of challenging. I really spread myself thin and forgot about important things like healthy eating and sleep - all while trying to do an overly zealous yoga practice and work three jobs! Well my body taught me a lesson on that one. Two illnesses later (including the beloved H1N1 or Swine Flu as it's affectionately known!) and after about a month of feeling quite like crap I think I'm ready to start treating myself right again!
So that's what's been going on with my body in general. On my spiritual front I've maintained an "adequate" yoga practice in the midst of all this, but it certainly hasn't been every day. Actually it's been pretty sparse. Maybe 2-3 times a week. Certainly not ideal.
I HAVE been quite consistent with my meditation, and that's where things got really interesting. So just a little background before I go a bit off the deep end, I've been reading a lot of Daniel Ingram lately. He's a REALLY hardcore Buddhist writer who talks really in depth about the stages of enlightenment and deep states of meditation. After reading his thoughts about the stages on insight (which BTW aren't his invention, they're based on the original Pali cannon of Theravada Buddhism) a lot of my mental process of late started to make more sense.
Without getting too esoteric, suffice it to say there was much Dukkha in my practice and life, which I think partially manifested in my two illnesses. Everyday tasks seemed almost impossible and I dreaded getting up to go to work. Even yoga seemed unenjoyable. I couldn't sit still for meditation. This finally culminated (after my 1st sickness) with the most intense body cramps in my neck and shoulders that appeared for no obvious reason. I could barely move. And amazingly, all of this is described perfectly in the stages of awakening. And I'll also add that all of this happened BEFORE I even read about it so it's not as if I was manifesting it after the fact. But after reading about this stage and his encouragement to keep just keep going, keep practicing, no matter how hard it is I was able to break on through and remember why I'm doing all this in the fist place. I recommitted to a serious sitting practice and have regained some sense of balance.
Well, with a little determination and evaluation of my lifestyle I think that I'm ready to move on. I've settled into a more calm part of the "Dark Night" (equanimity perhaps?) and am regaining my lust for life. I've rediscover the joys of healthy eating and remember how important it is to my yogic lifestyle! I still have a lot of work to do in my progress, but I think that with some patient determination I can learn to manage this phase and my practice, etc. without destroying my personal life and health.
More importantly to you guys I've also reevaluated how I want to use this blog. I still want to write about my process and commit to a year of solid and truly dedicated yoga practice. What I absolutely want to eliminate is the ideal of trying to practice each and every day and the counting of the number of days. I realized that my practice had gotten WAY too goal oriented and this is the exact opposite of Yoga! So from now on I will write several times a week in here, certainly about Yoga, but I really want to expand the scope a bit. I'm really tired of focusing on the physical "Oh my hamstrings were tight today." "Pose X was really easy". This is a: boring and b: kind of misses the point in my opinion.
Henceforth I'm going to use this blog as a general discussion on the whole of yogic life for me over the year. This will include talks on meditation, healthy eating (recipes, etc.!), philosophy and yes, even my asana practice. I think I'll have a lot more to talk about and this will keep things much more interesting. I'll be sure to keep it true to the original focus, but I think having a broader spectrum will encourage me to write more. I hope you agree!
It's great to be back guys. Much metta, etc. from me to you!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Heather - Introduction and Day One
Hello Curiosity seekers, fellow yogis, friends, Romans, and countrymen (he-hem women too) alike!
I am Heather: An opera singer, yoga and meditation teacher, Starbucks barista, yoga studio supervisor, and avid reader (The Wheel of Time is rockin' my world!!!). While teaching Yin Yoga on Sunday night, I got an inspiration to begin this 365 day commitment to my own yoga practice. Two years ago I walked into a beautiful little yoga studio in the heart of Red Sox country and walked into the next chapter of my life. I took my first yoga class and was hooked. So within a month I started a daily Mysore practice, and enhanced it with splashes of Vinyasa, Forrest, Restorative, and a weekly Yin Yoga practice. I lost fifty three pounds, got healthier, happier, and more ability to create the life I had always wanted - still a work in progress of course! But, over the last few months, my work has changed, I was in an opera with a lot of late nights, took a meditation retreat that had me reeling, got a boyfriend who is NOT a morning person, and I started teaching three classes a week. So, now, my life needs a new form of balance and my yoga practice somehow became a near fatality in the fray. I picked up a book recently: "Meditations from the Mat" by Rolf Gates which has 365 reflections on yoga - by way of the yoga sutras of Patanjali and the eight limbs of yoga. I have chosen that as my daily inspirational reading along my journey. While teaching my Monday class after a truly delicious Vinyasa class with Nicoline Valkenberg, I was inspired to ask one of my sangha members and ex-co-workers to join me in my yoga endeavor. He was taking my class so, he was set to start right along with me. He said yes. AND, he and I will be sharing the blog spotlight - so to speak.
Now. What do I hope to accomplish with this practice and/or with this blog???? Good question. Everything and nothing. Yoga is union. I hope to reunite with my daily practice which has given me such a solid foundation of health and joy in the past. I hope to inspire others to join me even if it is only for a week or a month or 108 days or some other meaningful number. I hope to discover the truth of the selfless divine that unites every sentient being in the universe - even if only to touch it for just a moment. Am I nervous? Mmmmm, yeah, maybe a little. I hope I can live up to my own goals and ideals. Am I excited? Hell yeah!!!! I freakin' LOVE yoga dude! So, with that in mind, I am not going to set up the structure of how this blog will go right now. I want to see it evolve as Rob and I do.
WishiNg you happiness and metta from a little dot in the universe called Boston,
Heather
PS. Anything that makes this blog look cool is TOTALLY 100% Rob's doing. If I even THINK about doing something more than checking email and using iTunes on my computer I practically have an anxiety attack! It's true, just ask my boyfriend how I reacted to trying to get iChat set up on my computer with him talking me through it step by step. I almost started crying at one point, didn't I, George? =P
I am Heather: An opera singer, yoga and meditation teacher, Starbucks barista, yoga studio supervisor, and avid reader (The Wheel of Time is rockin' my world!!!). While teaching Yin Yoga on Sunday night, I got an inspiration to begin this 365 day commitment to my own yoga practice. Two years ago I walked into a beautiful little yoga studio in the heart of Red Sox country and walked into the next chapter of my life. I took my first yoga class and was hooked. So within a month I started a daily Mysore practice, and enhanced it with splashes of Vinyasa, Forrest, Restorative, and a weekly Yin Yoga practice. I lost fifty three pounds, got healthier, happier, and more ability to create the life I had always wanted - still a work in progress of course! But, over the last few months, my work has changed, I was in an opera with a lot of late nights, took a meditation retreat that had me reeling, got a boyfriend who is NOT a morning person, and I started teaching three classes a week. So, now, my life needs a new form of balance and my yoga practice somehow became a near fatality in the fray. I picked up a book recently: "Meditations from the Mat" by Rolf Gates which has 365 reflections on yoga - by way of the yoga sutras of Patanjali and the eight limbs of yoga. I have chosen that as my daily inspirational reading along my journey. While teaching my Monday class after a truly delicious Vinyasa class with Nicoline Valkenberg, I was inspired to ask one of my sangha members and ex-co-workers to join me in my yoga endeavor. He was taking my class so, he was set to start right along with me. He said yes. AND, he and I will be sharing the blog spotlight - so to speak.
Now. What do I hope to accomplish with this practice and/or with this blog???? Good question. Everything and nothing. Yoga is union. I hope to reunite with my daily practice which has given me such a solid foundation of health and joy in the past. I hope to inspire others to join me even if it is only for a week or a month or 108 days or some other meaningful number. I hope to discover the truth of the selfless divine that unites every sentient being in the universe - even if only to touch it for just a moment. Am I nervous? Mmmmm, yeah, maybe a little. I hope I can live up to my own goals and ideals. Am I excited? Hell yeah!!!! I freakin' LOVE yoga dude! So, with that in mind, I am not going to set up the structure of how this blog will go right now. I want to see it evolve as Rob and I do.
WishiNg you happiness and metta from a little dot in the universe called Boston,
Heather
PS. Anything that makes this blog look cool is TOTALLY 100% Rob's doing. If I even THINK about doing something more than checking email and using iTunes on my computer I practically have an anxiety attack! It's true, just ask my boyfriend how I reacted to trying to get iChat set up on my computer with him talking me through it step by step. I almost started crying at one point, didn't I, George? =P
Rob - Preamble
Hello World!
I am Rob. Yogi, meditator, musician, vegan and spiritual explorer. My bio is actually quite similar to my counterpart Heather's. Yogi for 2 1/2 years, with a strong emphasis in Mysore style Ashtanga and Yin but with dabblings in the many other styles. I'm also a dedicated vipassana meditator and Buddhist with most of my exposure in the Theravadan school. So far my practice has helped me to overcome depression and anxiety, become more health conscious and just to become a better person in general. I am truly grateful for all that I have learned.
Like Heather I'm starting this blog to make a commitment that is something bigger than myself - to practice yoga in some form every day for a full year. This is not to become overly striving or obsessive. Rather, it is to explore the transformative process that will unfold by following a truly dedicated practice. I've had long streaks in practice before and the results have been amazing. But somehow or another I always fall of the train and lose all the momentum I've gained. It is my hope that having to answer to the online world will keep me accountable and will ensure my full investment in the process. Frankly I can't wait to see where it takes me!
So sit back and relax as we explore the deepest reaches of our practice.
I am Rob. Yogi, meditator, musician, vegan and spiritual explorer. My bio is actually quite similar to my counterpart Heather's. Yogi for 2 1/2 years, with a strong emphasis in Mysore style Ashtanga and Yin but with dabblings in the many other styles. I'm also a dedicated vipassana meditator and Buddhist with most of my exposure in the Theravadan school. So far my practice has helped me to overcome depression and anxiety, become more health conscious and just to become a better person in general. I am truly grateful for all that I have learned.
Like Heather I'm starting this blog to make a commitment that is something bigger than myself - to practice yoga in some form every day for a full year. This is not to become overly striving or obsessive. Rather, it is to explore the transformative process that will unfold by following a truly dedicated practice. I've had long streaks in practice before and the results have been amazing. But somehow or another I always fall of the train and lose all the momentum I've gained. It is my hope that having to answer to the online world will keep me accountable and will ensure my full investment in the process. Frankly I can't wait to see where it takes me!
So sit back and relax as we explore the deepest reaches of our practice.
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