Wanderlust has been a great experience and being here in the OTM house is a great time. It's really super to be surrounded by like-minded people who are engaged and engaging. I've really enjoyed all of my interactions here, from stealing Amy's contacts, to cooking a great dinner, and perhaps the highlight for me was making a very special appetizer-dessert for Davian last night. Yeah!!
The altitude is an issue for me, and that is the only drag. I've got company in that, and I won't say we're miserable, but it's nice to know that I'm not the only one struggling. Yesterday morning, the 8am class was fantastic Suzanne Sterling leading "Sing Yourself Awake" and shit if we didn't!! It was incredible, we were in the dome tent and the resonance and volume we could build in there was incredible.
Funny enough, I had great pipes for singing and chanting and vocalizing - then we went into practice, and I may have taken child's pose over a dozen times! I just could not string that flow together, but enjoyed the experience and that 'micro-tribe' immensely.
What could follow singing at high altitidue - how about a pranayama session with Rod Stryker? He gave a really concise view of some of the pathologies of the breath, then we did some experiential work followed by some partner work with an interesting 'vayus' component, and again, it was great just to be focusing on breath, with minimal asana.
Then, I headed to the OTM YOGAVOTES booth to hang and meet folks, talk values and engagement, play, graffiti up people, and get folks to pledge to vote!! Not to vote for him or her, or this or that - just get out and vote. And when you vote, vote your values!! By having folks pledge to vote, we begin to really quantify and illustrate what a community we are. And, that our community is very involved in issues of consciousness.
If you read me often, you know I'm a big fan of asana practice and yoga as tool for discernment. Many of us come to the practice and then begin to very subtly and incrementally change. It may be about choosing what we eat or drink more thoughtfully, to who or what we give our attention, or to coming to a clarity on our values and embodying them.
They say there are some 20 million yogis - simply having folks pledging to vote (almost everyone I've talked to is already registered and a voter!) allows us to really quantify that. When a constituency can be counted and identified and are values driven, it creates a responsibility to the governing bodies to understand and relate to that group. We've seen this effect in the political discourse, in both good and bad ways. I trust in the individuals in this community to work towards the good. Let's stand and be counted!
Do you feel like your voice and your values are represented or validated? Have you felt alienated and turned off of the process - understandable, but in yoga, we look to find the resiliency to approach our practice again and again, and do the work. Can you take that off the mat and into your community?? And, like in the practice, do you fall one day and never come back? Of course not! Holy blue-faced Krishna, get a good Warrior 3 class going and fall ten times, get up eleven.
Didn't get what you wanted in the last election? Get involved and get your voice into the process, and just replace your resistance with persistence. We need that, individually, as a community and collectively. And, to be frank, we have a responsibility to the folks all over this globe who are struggling and being killed in their attempts to create real democracies.
We need to set an example and to embody the ideals that the citizens of the world aspire to. It's a big responsibility, but rather than the world's disciplinarian, wouldn't it be better for us to be their mentors? In words, ideals and deeds. Think about it, we have a lot of privilege, we should be aware of that and work to support those who don't have a voice in a democratic process.
So, it's been a great trip thus far. The bunny is getting a lot of shut-eye and she's been eyeing the hot tub. We had a great dinner together and are hosting a party up here at Kokomo tonight, should be fun. Then, Beats Antique... But really, what I'm most looking forward to today is Seane's Yoga LIght FM - I need the cheese!!
Want to 'stand up' and be counted?? Show me your best Tadasana, and hit this link to head to YOGAVOTES.org, where you can do everything from register to vote, to pledge your vote or even become a leader in your community! Go big, or go small, just GO!
Oh, and give thanks and praise!
The altitude is an issue for me, and that is the only drag. I've got company in that, and I won't say we're miserable, but it's nice to know that I'm not the only one struggling. Yesterday morning, the 8am class was fantastic Suzanne Sterling leading "Sing Yourself Awake" and shit if we didn't!! It was incredible, we were in the dome tent and the resonance and volume we could build in there was incredible.
Funny enough, I had great pipes for singing and chanting and vocalizing - then we went into practice, and I may have taken child's pose over a dozen times! I just could not string that flow together, but enjoyed the experience and that 'micro-tribe' immensely.
What could follow singing at high altitidue - how about a pranayama session with Rod Stryker? He gave a really concise view of some of the pathologies of the breath, then we did some experiential work followed by some partner work with an interesting 'vayus' component, and again, it was great just to be focusing on breath, with minimal asana.
Then, I headed to the OTM YOGAVOTES booth to hang and meet folks, talk values and engagement, play, graffiti up people, and get folks to pledge to vote!! Not to vote for him or her, or this or that - just get out and vote. And when you vote, vote your values!! By having folks pledge to vote, we begin to really quantify and illustrate what a community we are. And, that our community is very involved in issues of consciousness.
If you read me often, you know I'm a big fan of asana practice and yoga as tool for discernment. Many of us come to the practice and then begin to very subtly and incrementally change. It may be about choosing what we eat or drink more thoughtfully, to who or what we give our attention, or to coming to a clarity on our values and embodying them.
They say there are some 20 million yogis - simply having folks pledging to vote (almost everyone I've talked to is already registered and a voter!) allows us to really quantify that. When a constituency can be counted and identified and are values driven, it creates a responsibility to the governing bodies to understand and relate to that group. We've seen this effect in the political discourse, in both good and bad ways. I trust in the individuals in this community to work towards the good. Let's stand and be counted!
Do you feel like your voice and your values are represented or validated? Have you felt alienated and turned off of the process - understandable, but in yoga, we look to find the resiliency to approach our practice again and again, and do the work. Can you take that off the mat and into your community?? And, like in the practice, do you fall one day and never come back? Of course not! Holy blue-faced Krishna, get a good Warrior 3 class going and fall ten times, get up eleven.
Didn't get what you wanted in the last election? Get involved and get your voice into the process, and just replace your resistance with persistence. We need that, individually, as a community and collectively. And, to be frank, we have a responsibility to the folks all over this globe who are struggling and being killed in their attempts to create real democracies.
We need to set an example and to embody the ideals that the citizens of the world aspire to. It's a big responsibility, but rather than the world's disciplinarian, wouldn't it be better for us to be their mentors? In words, ideals and deeds. Think about it, we have a lot of privilege, we should be aware of that and work to support those who don't have a voice in a democratic process.
So, it's been a great trip thus far. The bunny is getting a lot of shut-eye and she's been eyeing the hot tub. We had a great dinner together and are hosting a party up here at Kokomo tonight, should be fun. Then, Beats Antique... But really, what I'm most looking forward to today is Seane's Yoga LIght FM - I need the cheese!!
Want to 'stand up' and be counted?? Show me your best Tadasana, and hit this link to head to YOGAVOTES.org, where you can do everything from register to vote, to pledge your vote or even become a leader in your community! Go big, or go small, just GO!
Oh, and give thanks and praise!
