James Walsh Yoga

Thursday, December 31, 2020 (Part I),  The final day of 2020 and the third day in a small practice rebuild.  Remnants of Christmas, and the foods that go right along with it, are everywhere, and being continually munched on throughout the day.  Days are laid back, and lazy.   Because of this, breaking up some of the tightness, stiffness, and inflexibility that has set in is slow; however, I've dealt with worse and know that daily upkeep is more valuable than a once-a-week-blitz. I despise the sugary "reflections" that people make at year's end but, in that same vein, I'll say that 2020 brought challenges, as every year does; 2021 will bring additional challenges, as will every subsequent year one is alive on Earth.  Don't ever hang your head for long...ever.  If you can't lift your head with your neck, lift it up with your hands...if you can't lift your head with your hands, have a friend lift it for you....if your friends can't lift it, prop it up...

Tuesday, December 29, 2020 (Part I), For a myriad of reasons, yesterday was the first time I hit my mat in several weeks.  Why?....general feelings of being under the weather, jogging more (which makes me feel like I've met some sort of "quota" for the day and, therefore, don't need to hit my mat), waking up later and later each morning (as late as 6:00am-6:30am which is a stark departure from my normally scheduled 4:15am). Before one knows it, a new habit is formed, and one is getting up later and later.   Today marks the second day on my mat.  Yesterday's practice was good, but was more "exploratory" than anything.  " Will this leg move the way I want it to or will I have to ease into things a bit more.....will my back fold the way I'm used to or will that tin of butter cookies I ate for my dinner last night prevent me from bending the way I'm used to", .....the usual issues.  Today's practice will be equally gentle and "expl...

Monday, December 28, 2020 (Part I), When I say "Never Solidify", I speak primarily about solidifying physically with muscle tightening, joint contracting, and a general loss of suppleness and flexibility. Like anything else, a yoga practice will atrophy if not routinely built up, evolved and executed.  I say to "never solidify" in the literal, and physical sense, but the same principle can apply to your non physical parts (your mind, your heart, your soul).  A mind and heart will solidify, " this is correct, and that is not.....this is so, and that is not so....they are wrong, and I am right", your soul will solidify as well, if you cut it off from prayer and meditation.   Due to a more robust running/jogging routine, which is great for heart/lung health, but tightens up one's body, today's practice will be gentle.  I'm going to spend more than the usual "5 breath hold" in each pose, and allow my body to roll around on my mat before b...

Wednesday, December 2, 2020 (Part I),  I've made reference to "Pickle Rick" before.  Stolen from an episode of the brilliantly crafted animated series, "Rick & Morty".  The genius/mad-scientist Grandpa (Rick) arbitrarily turns himself into a pickle to avoid going to family therapy.  While he gets out of going to the family therapy session, a series of mishaps occur to him while he's an inert pickle, and Rick has to figure out a way to save himself.  Rick ultimately ends up on the therapist's couch (still in pickle form) with his family, where he explains why he doesn't hold therapy, or therapists, in any high esteem.  The therapist replies, explaining that, due to Rick's brilliance, he would be bored senseless by therapy, as it's maintenance...it's work....it's not fun....and, as the therapist explains to Rick, there's no way to do it so wrong, that you might die; maintenance is not an adventure. I can't say how often I f...

Friday, November 27 2020 (Part I), Yesterday was Thanksgiving 2020.  Like all good parties, a Thanksgiving gathering (whether it be large or small), will contain food and drinks.   Gravy on everything.....champagne popped at 11:00am.....dinner rolls....some sort of icebox cake that has a layer of sliceable chocolate with another layer of, what appears to be, whipping cream with Kahlua in it......the whole schmear.... It feels great to enjoy a day like this.  Zero responsibilities, nothing to do but cook and eat and relax.  However, afterwards, it's important to work hard, after playing hard.  Friday, November 27, 2020 (Part II),  A deep, strong, and strenuous practice.   No time to post a secondary update.   Until tomorrow. Namaste

Wednesday, November 25, 2020  A pyre is the large pile of wood (or other burnable material) where cremations traditionally took place.  Before modern methods of burial and cremation, a large stack of wood was built and remains were placed in, or under, the pyre.   Fire is a common theme used in cleansing, purifying, and death/rebirth.  You can create a "fire" by heating your body, and focusing your mind; the physical heating of one's body becomes cleansing; your mental focus becomes the pyre.  When thoughts and emotions that don't serve you flit through your consciences, place them on the pyre and offer them up.  You can select, isolate, and focus on individual emotions and thoughts, and burn through them.   Stressing out?......put it on the pyre Unhappy about how things are going?....put your unhappiness on the pyre Fearful about something you can't control or just feeling a sense of doom for no apparent reason?....put it on the pyre Allow y...

Thursday, November 19, 2020 (Part I),  The above title is a line from an excellent film called, " The Curse of The Golden Flower".  The analogy made to a yoga practice is that the time spent on your mat, can balance and re-adjust your perspective on yourself, and the value/non-value you bring to the world.   Facing your own insignificance, and non-value, is a bitter and humbling medicine at times.  Humility is a gift that can come from your practice, and your mat.  Humility, is a clarifying value, and clarifying mindset, to maintain.  If what many of us believe is true, and the planet, solar system, galaxy, interstellar cluster, quadrant, and known universe were  created by a conscience, omnipotent, being,....what do my actions, that occur on my little planet, in my little solar system, in my little galaxy, in my little cluster and quadrant, mean to that being?  They mean nothing.  This goes double if there isn't a conscience, omnipotent bein...

Wednesday, November 11, 2020 (Part I),  A good (but not great), movie called " Party Monster " is where today's title comes from.  Based on the life of James Clark, Party Monster details some of the uglier sides of substance abuse and night club life (think Studio 54 , in that there's a seductive and glamorous side to this lifestyle, but it comes at the price of your physical, and mental, health).  Taking place in the late 1980's, Party Monster has a memorable scene where, in full night club swing, a throng of people are enjoying a song that details out the age they're living in.  The lyrics specifically mention that: ..." We are living in the age, in which the pursuit of all values other than, money, success, fame, glamour, has either been discredited, or destroyed"... Golly....how could you argue that (and that was people in the 1980's saying that!).  In 2020, the focus of the world has not changed, and the world remains obsessed with money, s...

Tuesday, November 10, 2020 (Part I),  Literal silence is seldom present.  Whether in our homes, our cars, or our offices, noise, and other physical sounds, are almost always being generated from somewhere.  Try a little experiment next time the opportunity arises; turn off all music, all noise making devices, and make your environment as quiet as possible.  Then, close your eyes and sit for 2 minutes.  You’ll, very quickly, begin to hear things you weren't noticing before.  The same is true when you silence your own thoughts. You turn off the “noise” of your own brain, and you begin to notice and hear things that are always there, but that you simply didn’t notice before.   To “turn down the volume” in your own head, physically imagine a hand turning down a volume dial. Then, select an object of meditation (a loved one, a religious object, or something plain and innocuous, like a pineapple), and hold that image in your mind.  Within moments, your ...

Friday, November 6, 2020 (Part I),  " Luminous beings are we; not this crude matter "- Yoda #starwars4lyfe A yoga practice can bring the focus, and understanding, that your body, your mind, and your soul are all connected and all influence each other.  However, which one these is the leader?.....which is the "senior"?.....which one is most important? My opinion (that no one asked for), is that the only part of you that will continue on, is your soul.  Your body, and the Earth itself, will all be destroyed (the Sun will eventually expand into a Red Giant and engulf the Earth....think about that next time you're worried about your 401k). Since your body can, and will, be destroyed, it is inferior and subordinate to its counterparts.  It, therefore, needs to be tended to very frequently as your physical body can still influence your heart, mind, and soul.  Eat too much, and you become docile and listless....eat too little and you become edgy and hangry....breath to...

Thursday, November 5, 2020 (Part I),  The world we live in, which asks you to be obsessed with money, fame, success, and glamour, isn't real.  No, I don't mean that it's all a hologram, or that the things you read in the "news" aren't actually occurring; rather, I mean that the events shown to us through our screens are filtered so many times, through many different "filtering agents", that the end product that comes through our device isn't anymore "real" than a hotdog is beef.   Delicious, satisfying, and easy.....you can't have too many hotdogs before you start to feel ill, and out of balance.  The same is true for "news" and other nonsense that comes to you via a screen.     Enough chit-chat. time to begin today's practice.  Thursday, November 5, 2020 (Part II),  I was trained, and normally practice, a style of yoga called Ashtanga yoga .  This style is regimented, "faster" in its transitions (usually onl...

Wednesday, October 28, 2020 Part I, I will always be torn between hour+ runs, deep/athletic yoga practices and my natural inclination towards junk food.  If I had a weakness, it's that.  I usually eat properly, and balanced throughout the week, and do whatever I want on the weekends.  Sometimes, that weekend "extends" itself a little bit into the weekday; as it has this week.   Food is meant to be enjoyed, so I regret nothing, but I'll say that, for someone with sensitive digestion, I quickly become aware that my diet has gone off the rails.  Pair that with a neglected yoga practice, and you get that awful feeling of shame, and laziness paired with guilt.  Enough chit chat, time to begin.  Wednesday, October 28, 2020 (Part II),  Let's see if I can practice what I preach, and keep the momentum going to hit my mat tomorrow and Friday, to round out the week.  Got flung off my normal routine over the weekend, and stayed up to an eye-watering...

Thursday, October 22, 2020 (Part I) Woke at 4:30am this morning, a little later than normal, and I'm on my mat at a shockingly late 6:00am.  Far too much time dawdling, and watching re-runs of Great British Baking Show on Netflix (#maryberry4lyfe).  Today is the third morning of practice this week.  For whatever reason, I've felt decreasing amounts of enthusiasm for my practice as the week's progressed (shouldn't I be feeling more enthusiastic as the week goes by, and my flexibility and strength grow?).   One of the tenants/rules/principles that I've learned through my practice is that discipline beats motivation.  In other words, forcing yourself to do something you're not motivated to accomplish is an exercise in good mental health, as your "feelings" and "motivation" will fluctuate with the wind. Time to begin... Thursday, October 22, 2020 (Part II),  No mojo in this morning's practice,....and that's ok.   Prayer, meditation, Asana...

Wednesday, October 21, 2020 (Part I),  On my mat at my usual 5:30am(ish).  As per yesterday's post, I'll begin, as always with my prayer, and meditation practice before going into my warm up.  Time to begin... Wednesday, October 21, 2020 (Part II),  At times, the contributions we make in our professional, and personal lives (work, family, health, etc.), can seem as though they're not making any difference one way or the other; " I've been chipping away at this low-carb diet for days now and I'm not skinny yet....", or, " I've been trying to learn more about this process/procedure at work but it still seems confusing, and daunting to me", or, specific to a yoga practice, " I've been practicing every morning this week, and I still can't get my heels to touch the ground in downward dog".   It's wise to step back to a "higher level" at this point of thinking, and try to remember that perseverance and discipline win...

Tuesday, October 20, 2020 (Part I), A physical warm up is an essential part to my morning routine and, especially when colder weather moves in, can be as important as the Asanas/Physical Poses themselves.  That's it...nothing profound.  It's 6:00am as I type this, and it's time to begin.  Tuesday, October 20, 2020 (Part II),  I'm writing this post practice.  I'll say that, if I had to do a time breakdown, I spend the time on my mat as follows: 5-10 Minutes - Pranayama/Breathing Exercises, Prayer, Meditation 5-10 Minutes- Warm up before going into my Surya Namaskar/Sun Salutes This warm up can be whatever I want it to be, but it usually includes rolling back and forth on a curved spine to warm up my back, neck, and abdomen, followed by some gentle inversions to "status check" where my legs, and back are that morning.  I do this with the utmost of caution, as the point of a warm up is to see where I am that day; not to push myself to my limits just yet....

 Tuesday, October 13, 2020,  More than anything, a life of balance should always be achieved.  Balance goes out of whack very easily and, for many of us, we can live that way for a time, but it ultimately catches up. I'm speaking today of the very tangible balance in our physical bodies; mental and spiritual balance are a bit harder to grasp identify, and adjust.  For the first time in 2.5 weeks, I'm beginning my day on my mat.  The small hiatus came for several reasons but, in the interim, I've gotten back into a solid running/jogging routine.  This blog is focused on the practice of yoga, so I won't drone on about my uninteresting hobby of jogging, but I will use it to discuss physical balance. After running outdoors, and enjoying the last bits of warmer weather, I've began to notice a very familiar sort of dull, odd, "achey" feeling in my right hip/lower back.  I have grown very familiar with this feeling, and know there's only one thing for it; str...

Thursday, September 24, 2020 (Part I),  The 1 minute video clip above is one of the best analogies I've seen to describe the natural, untamed state of a human mind, and the still, meditative state that can be achieved with practice.  In essence, meditation is as simple as focusing on an object (usually something beautiful, like the face of a loved one, a religious image, or even something obscure and innocuous, like an orange, or apple), and holding the thought of that object in your mind; directly in front of you, like a projection screen on the back of your forehead.   Try doing that now...as you read this....find an object to focus on, close your eyes, and hold the image of that object in your mind.... Within seconds of focusing, your mind will, more than likely, start to stir around, and other thoughts will begin to creep into your head: I have that thing tonight.... That meeting today is going to be monstrous.... I'm worried about this.... I'm worried about that...

 Wednesday, September 23, 2020 (Part I),  Like many, I was initially drawn to yoga by the breathtaking physical poses/Asanas.  I had to try it, and wanted to learn to be more like these magnificent men and women who showed physical strength, endurance, and beauty, all in one.  However, as I began to grow into my practice, and into the understanding of what yoga is, and what it can do to a human, the benefits to my "non-physical" being (my head, my heart, my soul, etc.), have kept me coming back for more.  The physical postures, formally referred to as Asanas, are one of the eight limbs of yoga.  You could study one limb of yoga for the entirety of your life, and still only scratch the surface of it (in my humble opinion).   Today's practice will begin, as all of my practices do; sitting on my mat, meditating, praying, and beginning breathe techniques (formally called Pranayama), to prepare myself for my Asanas, and the day ahead.  Time to beg...

 Tuesday, September 22, 2020 (Part I),  Anyone who reads this blog will know that, on many days, I speak about the monotony and ordinary nature of a yoga practice.  To some, referring to a yoga practice as "monotonous" and "ordinary" may sound disrespectful and unenlightened.  However, I want to break the stigma that a yoga practice means that you're floating in the clouds and living a serene, uncomplicated life and you're eagerly on your mat every day effortlessly connecting to the Divine.  No....I sneer at the price of gas like everyone else.....I overindulge on junk food on the weekends like everyone else, and, very often, I'd rather do anything  but physical exercise....like everyone else. I've written before that discipline beats motivation.  Motivation will be there some days, and not there on other days.  Forcing yourself to go through with something, even when you don't feel motivated to do it, is discipline.   Time to begin...

  Friday, September 18, 2020 (Part I),  If you're new to yoga, and are looking to gain experience, my humble opinion (that no one asked for), is that you head to youtube, buy a DVD, or get some other form of media that helps you understand how to begin.  I've linked the 13 minute video above several times into this blog, as it's an excellent example of how I, and many practitioners, begin their physical/Asanas; you don't need to look like this guy (I certainly don't), but he demonstrates the flow, and the technique of Sun Salutes/Surya Namaskar, flawlessly.    I've maintained a practice for well over decade, and will always consider myself a beginner.  If you're a beginner too, but looking to expand into the world of yoga, buy a yoga mat and, if you're invested, buy at least two foam support blocks and a strap (I keep these accouterments next to my mat at all times, and still use them occasionally, especially if I've been neglecting my practice, and ...