Skip to main content

My Television Gets Me

Friday, December 17, 2021

I don't typically watch any network TV but, on occasion, I'll switch over to traditional network television.  I was watching Wheel of Fortune last night (as one does), and the commercials/advertisements during this show always give me a chuckle.  The commercials are, very obviously, geared towards an age demographic.

Advertising, and advertisements, have always been interesting to me but, at its core, advertising is the art of manipulation.  In 30 seconds or less a commercial can show us a harrowing tale of loss, resilience, and overcoming challenges; you can be brought to tears with the emotional surge that a well-crafted advertisement creates.  29 of those 30 seconds are designed to build you up emotionally, and make you feel and think a certain way and then, BAM!......in that last second, the veil is dropped, and you're told to, "try the new bacon double cheeseburger"......"take this years SUV out for a test drive"......"stop spending your money on those other other skin care routines, and try this skin care routine that's totally different from those other skin care routines".  It's like my television understands me, and gets me.

Screens (our televisions, phones, desktops, tablets, etc), can be wonderful educational tools, or can be hypnotizing bear traps that track your clicks, your dwell time on a site and, more than likely, your facial expressions through the cameras installed on your devices (#conspiracytheory).  

How does all of this tie into a yoga practice?  I've said it many times, that a daily practice can help you sort through what is real and what is fake.  Your practice will train you to keep your mind still, while the world bounces on around you, like a pinball machine.  Don't expect the world to change its course anytime soon (if ever).  That's not cause for despair, but it should be a cue to anyone that you will never find peace in the world...the world will try and sell you things to get your money and then forget you.  One can find peace within, with the aid of your practice, on your mat.

Time to begin....

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rebuild

Tuesday, July 10, 2018 Woke at my usual 4:45AM this morning for coffee and contemplation. Feeling wonderful this morning, and not terribly sore at all.  There's a bit of stiffness in my back from yesterday's backbends, but that's to be expected. Ready to sweat it out on my mat. Tuesday, July 10, 2018 (Part II) I'm writing this off my mat, already showered up for my day. I love going to my mat.  The physical challenge alone is reward enough, but, while I've said it many times before, the mental and spiritual adjustments that one can make are priceless.  Physically, I already see a difference in my body.  Arms are still re-building their stamina, but the twists and forward bends I incorporate are already helping with digestion and elimination and the general "deflating" of my body and G.I. track (TMI, I'm sure, but this is one of the main physical reasons why I practice). Mentally, I feel prepared for anything that comes my way today and fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

Sleeping In

Wednesday, August 24, 2017 Woke at my usual 5:00 AM and then slept for another 20 minutes.  No big deal. I'm feeling grounded, stable, and balanced, even before hitting my mat. To stay on schedule, I'll hit my mat in about 30/40 minutes. Wednesday, August 24, 2017 (Part II) I not only slept in this morning, I didn't hit my mat until 6:30 AM (30 minutes after my normal time).  I was productive, however, and used my coffee fueled morning motivation to tidy up around my place and take care of some chores that I'd been putting off for a while. When I finally did hit my mat, I began with my standard 5 minutes of prayer and meditation.  After that, I began my standard warmup.  I moved into my formal practice feeling wonderful; no aches and no sluggishness, as I felt yesterday. I finished with 3 beautiful Upward Bow poses and am writing this after having just come out of Savasana. I feel balanced, strong, beautiful, content, solid, gentle, and indestructible. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rebirth and Regrowth

Friday, December 28, 2018 Still enjoying the marvelous holiday break from my normal routine. I still wake around a normal time, but I'm writing this pre-yoga-post at 10:06AM. I already feel the positive effects of my practice.  My mind, and its thoughts are more stable and reliable, I'm physically seeing changes in my body (even after two days), and, even though I'm still eating a fair amount of unhealthy food options, I'm not feeling as "sludgy" as I was earlier this week. I'm going to meditate, pray, and warm up before I begin my practice. Friday, December 28, 2018 (Part II) Three days. Three consecutive practices. Three completely different experiences. The title of today's post is "Rebirth and Regrowth" but I only really felt that way at the beginning/Part I of my post.  As I write this Part II section of today's blog, I feel very different from how I was before.  I feel solid and steady.  I feel like I'm galvani...
Post a Comment
Read more