Parameter · 13 May 2008
Still my fingers on the keyboard the time is out of joint. The aught years have been hurricaine season in academe and even as one of the lucky I’m catching the gale. There is nothing cute about our governor of Kaleeforneeia. The hypermasculinization of the political sphere cracks me up—McCain rippling his jowls and telling Jon Stewart he’s gonna be Hamas’ “worst nightmare,” and the governor pumping up the collective state identity with weird biceps, a spray tan, and stuttering contempt for higher ed. What is a stupider windmill for the insecure boys of the daddy state—Hamas or the ivory tower? Am I making sense? I’m saying the posturing meathead politics of anti-education are monkey theatre and, when they play out, highly inconvenient to my life. Meh.
Ok that’s my best grousing. Fussing is boring, especially when its object (the Republicans’ onslaught of antisocial legislation, which is just the self- attacking side of the party's bellecism) is so insulated from your backtalk. Besides, the truth is I do better—so much better it’s funny—without a net. The truth is the current adversity is energizing and oddly sweet for me, even if I deeply resent the way it hurts saner loved ones.
Anyway. I’m all for using the web to bring my selves together, but for a while I’m going to use it—if at all—to clear my head.
What could be the most content-free, boring, potentially narcolepsy-inducing blog subject?
(this?)
Maybe I will actually write an ashtanga journal for a bit.
Topics coming up on that channel…: revising everything I said earlier about EPB; subscapular tendonitis (oh my god! The man needs yoga); stretching your intercostals from the inside (because people keep complaining about ribcage soreness?); stamina and ways I suspect it’s mental; how I’ve sort of put off going in to my shoulders and why I don’t get to put it off now; third series hands.
This could get literal and mechanical but fast, perhaps upping the ante on my impatience. For now, what is usually play takes a turn at being methodical. Writing can be like that, supposedly... but I don't feel like I ever do ANYTHING deliberately or step by step. Maybe I can still amuse myself within this rubric. Or subvert it, like with the practice itself.
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Categories: astanga yoga
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It occurs to me to refer readers to this oddly beautiful multi-genre masterpiece. Yes, it’s called In Praise of Blandness!
Posted by: (0v0) · May 13, 06:02 PM · #
Hi (0v0)
For some reason that link didn’t work, but I went to the site and looked it up; it referred to Taoism and Buddhism
How does one stretch the intercoastals from inside? My teacher said my ribcage and upper body in general where very stiff during practice on Sunday. Actually, I think it was due to some weight gain, so I’m taking more care with my diet since then.
Cheers,
Arturo
Posted by: arturo · May 13, 07:39 PM · #
I can relate to feeling most alive when dancing on the edges.
I loved your narcolepsy post, and agreed/agree with all of it! You don’t evoke the narcoleptic, tune-out reaction though. Soulful, your practice is.
Hope that your subscapular tendonitis is better. It hurts to hurt.
Stamina, mental, yes. I’ve noticed that when I really need to do things, I can do them, despite how overwhelming they seem. The mind does curious things with respect to energy.
Posted by: Anna · May 14, 05:10 AM · #
Stamina is indeed mostly mental. Not 100%, but pretty darned close, and certainly in regards to ashtanga.
Posted by: LI Ashtangini · May 14, 05:26 AM · #
Hope you’re feeling better.
One topic that I’d love for you to ashtanga journal about (if you’re willing) would be the purpose/benefits/effects of the advanced series. We’ve all heard the reasons for 1st and 2nd. Is 3rd only comprehendable when you’re in it? Is it working on different layers?
Posted by: cody · May 14, 06:50 AM · #
I thought there was no yoga journaling . . . please advise. Maybe it’s just for newbie’s who aren’t hard core.
Posted by: RE · May 14, 08:06 AM · #
It would seem the conservative side of the house are feeling a bit insecure these days. But they always are, anyway.
I read excerpts from Newt Gingrich’s book on, of all things, environmentalism. Now that the world is clearly seen to be susceptible to damage, despite all the beautiful delusions, conservatives try to fold progressive environmental ideas into their own shtick. They keep plenty of room for divisiveness though. They’re just so damned unimaginative.
Posted by: Carl · May 14, 08:45 AM · #
Here is the link to the book by Francois Jullien.
Intercostals-inside, layers… requests? Hmmm. CP, could you restate the question and say exactly what you mean by layers?
But first I have to answer RE’s question about yoga journaling. She’s right… I actually think that there is a specific way that journaling your practice can fuck with your stamina, because (as A and S agree) stamina is so mental.
So why would it be ok to journal 3S? I don’t think it is. If I’m talking physical practice, It needs to be in a way that doesn’t turn on my planning mind in practice. Seriously. I won’t tolerate that compromise of my mental state.
Lamp trimmed and burning. Not lamp looking casting about for reflections.
Hmmm…. Now I have to reconsider and make sure I’m not going to infiltrate my own daily practice with discursive thought. If I’m “saving things for later” mentally that will DEFINITELY get in the way of my focus and stamina.
Not journaling keeps you focused on the breath.
At least this is what I told RE initially when we did a private last month.
I am rambling and need to turn this one over a few more times…
Meantime, newbies are the most hard core. I’m just sailing on taken-for-granted routine at this point… it’s far easier to practice than not to. But getting to that point, where the taken-for-grantedness carries you, requires a powerful sustained outpouring of curiosity, bravery, love and power that humbles me every time I see it.
Your are pretty hardcore, RE.
Posted by: (0v0) · May 14, 10:08 AM · #
you busted me. I was trying to say koshas without saying koshas.
I get 1st and 2nd. I don’t understand the purpose of advanced. In your opinion, do people practice advanced because the ashtanga approach requires a “stuck point” or because of other emotional, physical, energy, breath challenges?
to a hack like me, it seems like alternating 1st and 2nd every day would be a perfectly balanced practice.
Posted by: cody · May 15, 01:07 PM · #
Zing! Of course I will say: “WTF is a kosha?”
We are such an old couple.
This is a really good question.
As I’ve said, my teacher says advanced builds your will. He also says it gets you grounded, which for the first year made no sense to me since I was just practicing through UKKA and felt like I was flying away. Today I realized that for about a year, if a big old stiff guy would walk in the room, I’d tell him in my mind to come set up next to me because I wanted that grounding energy. I love the stiff old guys. But now I don’t need for them to anchor me like I did a while ago.
Now, in terms of my experience, I still don’t know that I have an answer. I’m not as crazy about 3S as I am about 1 and 2. But… I might fall in love with it when I am practicing the entire thing. Right now, finishing with a string of gratuitous arm balances after 2S and the hip openers of third (both of which passages I love very much and both of which make perfect sense to me) seems a little ridiculous.
But it occured to me last week, when I started practicing koundinyasa and realized that the hard part is really over, that it’s a great idea to finish the series. I’d like to have the entire thing in my repertoire. Still, even though I’ve been doing a large chunk of it for 17 months, I really am not ready to contrast it with 1S and 2S. Eventually I can say more.
Right now I find a lot more benefit in 1S and 2S, but knowing me, I might come out the end of this with an enthusiastic love for 3S.
What was that you said a while back about the song Fooled around and fell in love?
That says a lot about my ashtanga experience.
Posted by: (0v0) · May 15, 01:27 PM · #
I will not me expanding on that comment about stiff old guy mind control. That’s in the hard-to-find Book 6 of the Yoga Sutra.
Posted by: (0v0) · May 15, 01:30 PM · #
I can see there must be all sorts of interesting benefits to the different advanced series but, really, isn’t it all just busy work? Everybody has to have barriers to push against; having completed the primary and intermediate series, maybe you just need a different sort of barrier to keep you engaged.
Posted by: Carl · May 15, 05:00 PM · #