On closer examination, I found a web link where I was able to subscribe.
What struck me was the vehmence of some of the critics, as cited in this article, of the government survey and the use of alternative medicine. They charged that there is no science proof about the efficacy of alternative methods. Meditation, for one, has gone through rigorous scientific testing.
The sidebar information is all down at the bottom of this page, for those who are wondering. No content is actually lost.
Speaking of approach, I found an interesting reading list put together for a teacher training program at TranquilSpace, mainly for those from other yoga traditions than vinyasa (the studio's style). I knew of most of the books, and may read some of them, but my capacity to absorb more nuanced discussion of yoga is limited right now. My brain is more saturated than my body.
MetroActive has an interview with Kadetsky and an extract from the book.
Kadetsky had a chapter in the book, How We Live Our Yoga: Teachers and Practitioners on How Yoga Enriches, Surprises, and Heals Us, edited by Valerie Jeremijenko (Beacon Press). coming apart in pune is about taking classes in India from B. K. S. Iyengar. Only part of the chapter is online, but probably lays out the same themes as in the book.
Kadesky wrote an interesting investigation about yoga, First There Is a Mountin that explores the modern history of yoga. After reading this shorter piece, I'm sufficiently intrigued to read the book. Also see this interview done by her publisher, Time-Warner Books.
More importantly, the piece reminds me that I still have to maintain my objectivity as a writer while recording my experience in yoga. I don't think I'm influenced by the marketing and the hype but by the benefits of my practice.
The advantage to On Demand is that I can call up the video anytime that I want. There is a special menu system that also allows you to access movies, TV specials and features. I have yet to see a yoga video that I was dying to have and wanted to keep it for the future. It is a good way to have visual confirmation of poses and the flow between positions. That can be hard to get from a book or an audio CD. Even in yoga class, I can't always confirm that I am following the instructions correctly.
Digital service does add up on my monthly bill from Comcast, but my wife really likes the Spanish programming, including CNN in Spanish and programming from Spain and Argentina, so I would still be paying a hefty bill, no matter what.
Today I ran across an online service that offers something similar: the Yoga Learning Center, but there's a big difference between seeing the poses on a computer monitor and a TV screen. You can try it on for size with a one-week trial offer.
I've been thinking that I would like to attend a retreat -- not a full week one in an exotic location, just a weekend or one-day yoga retreat. I think it could help me get to the next level. Just 90 minutes a couple of times a week is not going to make up for years of tight muscles. I keep telling myself that I have to be patient with my body and my spirit. But a chance to focus on yoga for an extended period of time would allow me to start building the personal habits and mindset that could be transferred to a daily practice. I missed one retreat given by John Schumacher and Tara Brach, just one day of yoga and meditation -- exactly what I wanted, but it fell on weekend when I had to devote some time to my family. We have to keep things in balance.
I will have to keep my eye open for something. In the meantime, I need to take a quick class of meditation -- still flying by the seat of my pants. Several centers in the DC area offer starter help.
I felt really frustrated. All day I had been looking forward to my weekly encounter with the breath. I had skipped my morning practice (usually 20 minutes) because I thought I would go to the weekly one. I was in a bad humor all the way home, and it took me several chocolate-chip cookies to get my spirit up. I did a short practice and that compensated a little, but the short session does not leave me feeling as opened and purified. It sets the tone for the next few days -- deeper lung capacity,
What's more, I had consulted with the company doctor about constricted nasal passage when going during my yoga breathing. He said that I had vasomotor rhinisits and gave me several treatment options. I am using Neo-Synephrine to shrink swollen nasal passages. Just one spray open the nostrils up and I was looking forward to clean breathing through my nose. Warning: I am not supposed to use Neo-Synephrine or Afrin more than three times a week because it can cause the reverse effect (a rebound or clamp-down of the passages) if overused. Otherwise, I keep my nasal passage moistened with a saline spray. I even use a neti pot to rinse out my nostrils with salt water. Once you have tasted unobstructed breath, all else seems a poor substitute.
The new page means that a block of links left the resource gateway page and migrated to Art of Living. I've add a lot more links to make up for the loss. See the blogger section, especially.
Alan also has enough of his other interests (music, his first child) that you see how his yoga integrates with the rest of his life.
I chanced across an online store that I really like: Vickerey. It sells yoga active wear -- nothing special there. But it also has stationary, journals, datebooks and notebooks. Back in my pre-computer days, I used to love distinctive fountain pens, notebooks and stationary. Now I'm returning to them for my personal yoga and meditation journal (not for sharing here, at least not for now). If writing is the fourth leg of my yoga practice (See my May 5 journal entry), then I have to be equipped properly. So check out their paper section.
- I can open my chest by bringing my shoulder blades together — so many years slumped over a computer keyboard have rounded off my shoulders and caved in my chest. I am constantly telling myself to try to move my shoulder blades closer and then down my back.
- I can improve my posture by rotating my tail bone down and the pubic bone up — making my pelvis more of a container - this has a ripple affect throughout my body. Another effect of chair sitting and computer work. My yoga teacher's instructions to move my tail bone towards the floor lead to an almost automatic correction of posture up my spine and down my legs. Without the adjustmnet, I find myself constantly leaning and slumping forward — and after a while it feels normal.
- Tight, rigid muscles are not the same as strong muscles — core muscles need to be engaged but not frozen.
- A couple of extra pounds make yoga more work. For one thing, the body does not fit together right. Chunky legs mean that the knees don't fold together neatly, for instance. Shoulder stand and plough positions are complicated because my gut gets in the way.
When I bring the first two points together in my body, I find that I am walking around in a jaunty kind of way — a kind of bounce in my step, head high on my shoulders and my arms swinging forcefully.
I've been going to Tranquil Space in DC for the past three months. It's a pretty important choice so I guess I have to have good reasons. I took one look at a yoga class at Bally's Health Spa and decided that I could not mellow out in that kind environment. The weightlifting were ogling the girls doing down dog; the runners were trotting past the instructor every 30 seconds.
I wanted a place that was close to my work pace. Routine is crucial to my discipline. I get off work after 5:30 and walk -- mindfully -- 20 minutes to P Street near Dupont Circle. Just enough time to wind down before my class. I get out of my yoga class and walk five minutes to the Metro station. How convenient is that? Tranquil Space is the closest studio.
The quality of the instructors has been excellent. I've had a steady rotation of instructors -- Adriana, the original instructor of my time slot on Thursday -- is off in Cusco, Peru so there have been substitutes and substitutes for the substitutes. And I've dropped by on a Monday and Tuesday evening. I don't think I've had a teacher who's turned me off. The vinyasa style preferred at Tranquil Space suits me well. Admittedly, these have been Yoga 1 classes so they are not going to be demanding but they have always stretched me -- made me feel the edge of the my body.
The studio is located on the second and third floors of a townhouse so the quarters are tight. Dressing rooms are intimate, to say the least. But there are thermoses of chamomile tea all over the studio, and animal cookies served after each session. It's been open for exactly a year with an anniversary celebration on May 22.
I have never met Kimberly Wilson, the young woman behind the studio. She seems to be a sharp business woman. She's coming out with her own line of yoga clothing. She has audio CDs. From what I understand, she's trained most of the instructors at her studio. We've had apprentices seconding the instructors in several of my sessions.
There are some excellent yoga studios in the DC area so I could probably switch to others, at least get exposed to them. I've thought about going to the Astanga Yoga Center or Unity Woods Yoga Center where the Iyengar master John Schumacher teaches. Both are near stops on the Red line on the way to Rockville where I live.
Have I answered the initial question? Probably not. Let's just end it by saying that Tranquil Space makes me feel special when I show up. I suspect that most other students feels the same. For the time being, that feeling of being special is one of the things that keeps me on the mat.
I was searching in Technorati for other blogs that focus on yoga, but could not find many. There is also The Eureka Report that deals with meditation but also has some references to yoga, as well. The author -- a guy named Mike (likely story) -- says he is "examining 'tools' to explore the nature of reality and existence and to awaken native capacities." He's been blogging since early this year.
Finally, there is American Swami: "Swami Prem is America's leading authority on the art and science of traditional yoga and the psychoenergetic healing practices." He takes his yoga very seriously. He has links to seven other yoga blogs (located in the sidebar, down the page).
Postscript: As you might expect, having spent some time following through links for these three blogs has shown me that there are a lot of other yoga-related weblogs out there. You just have to know how to find them. More details and links to come later.
Since then, I have gone back to the yoga studio to find that same feeling. I never have. That's OK. But there has been something new, rewarding, surprising and unique. So I have prepared myself to be open, attentive and receptive to what yoga, my body and spirit reveals to you.
I am the son of a Protestant minister, a PK, which is short for preacher's kid. I consider myself a Christian, but do not belong to a particular church. I've gone to more Catholic masses in the past 30 years than my parents' denomination. I have a healthy distrust for messianic movements and charismatic leaders. Guru and swami are loaded words to my American English ear.
I've done some Google research to see if I could find any accusations of any sect-like behavior. I could not find anything concrete. At most, some Indian forum participants accused AOL of being too successful, of being a power trip for the top leaders and an ego trip for Sri Sri. The comments were laced with jealousy about being successful enough to sustain an international enterprise. In its literature, the Art of Living Foundation tries to give assurances that it's legit and accepted by other mainstream organizations. It's also true that its practices are getting serious inquiries to confirm their validity.
The meeting was kicked off by a local musical group, the Generics, from the University of Maryland. They sang a cappella. Several of them had taken the intro courses and wanted to sign for Sri Sri. They were surprisingly good -- kind of mob music (there were about 10 of them), but with at least four quality lead singers.
Sri Sri got up and chatted for about 30 minutes. I can't remember the details of what he said, but a couple of things stick. Early in the chat, he fielded a question, what is the purpose of life? He said that if anyone told you that he/she had the answer to that question, you should immediately ignore him and turn away because no one can really tell you what the purpose of life is. You has to find that answer for himself inside yourself.
While people were waiting for the meeting to start, they put questions onto index cards and handed them to ushers moving through the conference room. When Sri Sri came on stage, he was handed hundreds of questions. He said that he would pick three to answer. People kept sending up more questions, even passed the point when they could have been included in the Q and A session. There was obviously more significance to the written questions than just the chance to get an answer.
After speaking for about half an hour, he led us in a meditation -- it was 25 minutes, but it seemed like an instant. That's quite an accomplishment given that it was not the most ideal conditions. Even though it was surprisingly still; there were more than a thousand people -- coughs, grunts, cell phone (despite repeated warnings to turn offall electronic devices). But the time still flew by.
Sri Sri definitely looked very Indian, fitting the mold of a spiritual leader. He had long, flowing hair and beard, dressed in white robes. He has a dark complexion, and a penetrating gaze softened by a permanent smile. He spoke with a relaxed, high-pitched voice. If Hollywood -- or Bollywood -- were going to cast someone in the role of a guru or swami -- Sri Sri would win hands down. But there is obviously a keen intellect behind the window dressing. He really knows how to work the crowd, get them involved and draw in their participation. He is always eliciting feedback form the audience.
The meeting ended with Sri Sri being mobbed by the audience. The organizers wanted the audience to forma line so that Sri Sri could greet them one by one, butut seemed that chaos would prevail. It was 9:30 at night. I had to head home so that I could still find my wife awake so that she could pick me up at the metro station.
Why did Sri Sri come to Washington? He had met with congressional leaders and also with President Bush-- Thursday was National Prayer Day.
I was drawn to writing a blog about my yoga life because it is part of a practice for me, just as much as the asanas and pranayama. I learn, share that experience and refine understanding through putting words together. Writing is what sets me apart from most people -- I learned that in my graduate studies, at work, on the web and in my life. It is how I manifest generosity and acknowledge the joy and fulfillment of my daily existence.
Golberg explains her 25 years of meditation practice in an article in Yoga Journal. She imparts some wisdom about meditating and writing: "And my final rule is this: No matter how far your meditation diverts from the cushion or the chair, don't forget to return again and again, as much as possible, to that immobile sitting position, where everything runs through you. Think of it: If a writer is a writer, she eventually, even 30 years later, must pick up a pen again and write. A Zen student, no matter how much he or she chops wood or carries water, must return to the zafu. Each practice has its one essential activity. For Zen, it is sitting. This is good. Otherwise we might wander off, get lost forever, and never find the beginning."
Actually, I had been laboring at meditation without even realizing it. I had Jon Kabat-Zinn's CDs about mindfulness meditation, but it seemed like such hard work to do the exercises. In December I started doing the gentle yoga exercises. I could not focus my mind on the meditations. I'd go through the motions, and scratch my head about what I was doing wrong.
But after I started getting more serious about my yoga practice and started seeing the benefits of my AOL kriya, I suddenly got the knack. The key lay in my breath -- once my breath was let free, unfettered, expansive, it was a much bigger target for my mind to focus on. I could focus either on my belly moving up and down or the air going through my nostrils or the sound of my breath. They all worked.
Once I tasted the release of meditation, I was a convert. Just one session turned into a daily practice. Now I practice meditation for about 10-30 minutes every night. I never really had a problem with time -- I started out at 30 minutes and only drop down the time when I'm really tired. Meditation slows down my brain and stills my body. I usually find myself going to bed earlier because I take my medidation time and then go straight to bed. I usually hit my pillow and am out like a light -- I used to toss and turn in bed for hours.
I also find myself grabbing short sessions during the day -- riding the Metro, after lunch in a quiet room at the OAS, waiting to pick up my daughter.
I am looking for a chance to approach meditation more systematically. I will take some classes at the Insight Meditation Center or the Shambhala Center, both of Washington. Of course, with the Web, there is lots of help online to get you pointed in the right direction. Have a look at my resource gateway.
