I've been doing yoga for about five years now. My very first yoga class was a Bikram class and looking back on that I'm not sure what I was thinking. Bikram is a California-esque version of hatha yoga (which is a lot of holding poses or what seems like forever) and is pretty much the opposite of what I now look for in my current practice. I get bored pretty easily so I like constant movement and flow in my yoga practice as well as a non-torture-chamber-like room temperature.
I heard about Ashtanga from a few people and was intrigued. They had all warned it was a much more rigorous form of yoga. I'm not one to shy away from a physical challenge so I signed up for led=Ashtanga class downtown. I got there 20 minutes early and lay my mat down in the middle of the class, off to the side, my 'safe' place where I can follow the person in front of me and get lost in the crowd. But as the class started I realized there was different set up than what I'm used to. Everyone faced the middle of the class, the instructor didn't ask if there were any beginners, everyone looked serious, intense, not ready to tolerate a 'beginner'. I was nervous. Should I tell the instructor I had never done ashtanga? I don't speak a lick of Sanskrit? I'm not sure I'm physically able to do this? I'm really really scared, help me????
I faked my way through the class. As people were doing what seemed like advanced acrobatics, I kept a steady pace a few breaths behind everyone, tried to breathe and tried to maintain my sense of humor. And to the instructor's credit, she did too. She helped me with many adjustments and maneuvering and created a calm and supportive atmosphere. I could barely make it through the class but by the end I knew I was hooked. I wanted to learn the sequence and what 'shabta' meant and I wanted to be absorbed into that meditative state without worry of what comes next.
I went home and did a youtube search and found a great retro video of Sri K. Pattabhi Jois (the revered ashtanga guru ) leading the primary series. There's a bunch of western students in the video who all have insane bodies and 80's style lycra outfits. Jois instructs in Sanskrit and it is tranquil and meditative while being intense at the same time. It's everything I hoped for in a yoga class right in my own living room! I'm hoping to really focus on Ashtanga once I get to India.
When I was growing up and occasionally these days so many people told me I had 'weird thumbs' and I didn't really understand why. I just thought everyone's thumbs looked like mine. But it turns out I have what is officially known as 'clubbed thumbs' and, only about .4% of the population has this genetic trait. I found a blog dedicated which contains some interesting facts about us clubbers. Apparently it used to be a sign of European nobility. Also palm readers call it 'murderer thumbs' because a disproportionate number of killers have this trait. Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Anyway, it's good to know I'm not deformed.
This is a such a perfect song. It's a really catchy David Byrne'seyesque little tune that has all of the instruments and vocals doing something different but they sort of weave around one another and it comes together perfectly. I also like the feeling of the resolve once the verse starts after the chorus. It's subtle but it's a great release.
How could he possibly know that this information could have been obtained in other ways? What if they couldn't obtain the information in other ways? Will he be held accountable for the deaths of Americans if G-d forbid they occur when it could have possibly been prevented?
I also noticed that when Obama made the statement that waterboarding is torture, he followed it up with 'And I'm not the only one who thinks this way' or something to that effect. It sounded so juvenile to me. As if he isn't confident enough in his own views and feels he has to prove that people are backing him up.
If by any chance you are female and are in a self hating kind of mood and you want to be treated like the dumbest girl on the planet, bring your bike to get repaired. Wow. Those skinny bike shop guys really treat you like an imbecile. This probably works for car repairs as well.
god I'm sick of this 'going green' sh*t. Last night I was wandering around my old stomping grounds - Avenue A where Peter and I used to party till the break of dawn and then at sunrise get potato perogies at odessa's. There was this cafe we loved called Alt coffee right next door. I brought lots of visitors there because it was a great place to catch up on a Sunday, had lots freakos and of course great coffee.
One Sunday about six months ago I went back but it just wasn't the same. I was talking on my cell phone and the barista came up to me and flashed a sign that said 'no talking on the cell phone'. WTF? Can a cafe really do that? Tell you not to talk on the phone?
Then last night I realized it was completely renovated and under new ownership and is now an organic/eco friendly/sustainable/green/recycable/biodegradable friendly cafe/store. Seriously. It says that on the window. One of those places where people feel really good about themselves because they bought a change purse made out of plastic that would have otherwise ended up at a landfill. I had to text Peter the news.
Me: Alt coffee is now an organic/eco friendly /sustainable/green/recycable/biodegradable friendly cafe/store. Peter: That's good to know. Happy belated earth day.
I've been playing this song over and over today. What a beautiful line - 'Try your wings'. I hope to move out of New York and when I do, I will be playing this song on the way out.
