James Walsh Yoga

Friday, April 23, 2021,  Why does one douse certain foods in Sriracha when one knows it's going to upset one's stomach.  Why does one pop another White Claw when you  know you're already getting contrary, and you've had enough.......Why does one procrastinate?......Why is one lazy?.........Why is one selfish, angry, *fill in the blank*. I write, very often, about the act of practicing yoga, and bringing you closer to the realization, and acceptance, of our human imperfection.  This is good, humbling, and natural to be aware of.  As stated earlier this week, " we're evolved-apes encased in a meat-suit".  We will, therefore, always live alongside our own ugliness, and imperfection; don't think that a yoga practice will keep you above it...it will not.  It can however help you discern between choices in your life that are good, and choices that are ugly.  Even then, one will never get it right 100% of the time.  Why do I do that?..........becaus...

Wednesday, April 21, 2021,  Yoga could be practiced and studied for a lifetime, and one would only begin to scratch the surface; a practice is continually expanding, continually evolving the practitioner, and continually refining.  Personally, a practice of 10+ years has yielded imperfect physical poses (Asanas), imperfect breathing techniques (Pranayama), and inconsistent meditation abilities from a disobedient mind that will wander off as soon as I sit it down.   You make peace with your imperfections, however and, through your practice, you begin to extinguish the frustrations that come from noticing your own imperfection.  No, I do not give up saying, " I'll never be able to do XYZ, so why even bother * opens Dorito bag*" .   I do, however, have a more humble nature from the acceptance of imperfection.  This acceptance helps you understand at least a sliver more of truth; continue to practice and, sliver-by-sliver, one begins to accept, and un...

Tuesday, April 20, 2021,  Since day lights savings time (nearly a month ago), I've never fully adjusted to my usual 4:15am wake up call.  Having practiced my routine for many years, I know that I go in quarterly spurts of " I don't feel like it" *hits snooze button on phone alarm*.  I don't think anything catastrophic occurs when one says, " I don't feel like it" , and doesn't follow through with their routine; however, I'll say that, without a quick course correction, one can slowly begin to form a new habit.  Breaking a new habit, can be more difficult.  With some variance, I have been waking up at 4:15am for the past few weeks or so and, even after I've had my hour of coffee and contemplation, I can sense that I don't "feel" like hitting my mat, and going through my morning practice.  I'm on the couch in a lovely warm robe and a lovely warm blanket on top of that; I don't feel like getting up, preparing my mat, ch...

Tuesday, April 13, 2021,  On the mat at the usual 5:15am with nothing interesting to say. 

Monday, April 12, 2021, Starting off the week on the right foot, up at 4:15am and on my mat at 5:15am........with nothing interesting to say.  Time to begin...

Thursday, April 8, 2021 Third time this week getting up at the usual 4:15am for an hour of coffee and contemplation before hitting my mat.  Nothing inspirational for today's post (and that's perfectly ok), as routine maintenance is a part of every hobby, pursuit, relationship, etc.   Delighted, as always, to have made the effort to practice this morning, as it sets one up for the best day possible.  Namaste

Wednesday, April 7, 2021, Part I On my mat at 5:23am after an hour of coffee and contemplation.  Time to begin.  Part II Writing post-practice.  This is the second morning I've gotten up at my usual 4:15am and practiced.  I'll say that the brief hiatus from my mat wasn't good but, coming back after a period of non-physcial yoga practice does allow you to re-evaluate your body, mechanics, and how you approached asanas/physical postures.  Time to shower up and enter the world.  Namaste

Tuesday, April 6, 2021, The word "impertinent" isn't used much but, as a human, I believe we're all driven to feel a natural impertinence about ourselves at times.  " Aren't I grand.......those silly people who aren't like me.......I'm so lucky to have the answers"; thoughts like this will inevitably flit through a person's head at times.  To counteract this, one of the gifts your mat, and a consistent practice, can give to you is clarity and a humble nature.  One is not grand....bow to everyone.  

Monday, March 8, 2021,  What a spooky title for a yoga blog that focuses on peace, clarity, and personal growth.  Don't let that spooky title fool you, however, it's a line from the Gita (the Hindu Bible), and was supposably uttered by Dr. Oppenheimer (co-creator of the atomic bomb) upon seeing the first detonation of his new weapon (and realizing that nuclear weaponry was, in fact, possible and the potential implications this would have on the world).  Dr. Oppenheimer may, or may not, have uttered this while watching the first nuclear explosion, but the original line was uttered in the Gita by the Hindu god, Vishnu.  The line, and its meaning, could be interpreted many ways, but a constant thread of death and rebirth are present in the religions of the world.  We're meant to shed the old, imperfect, and unsuitable versions of ourselves daily, and call ourselves to a higher standard than the one we naturally gravitate towards (lazy, gluttonous, etc.).  In t...

Monday, March 1, 2021 If you've ever been camping, you'll know that there's nothing   more frustrating than trying to start a fire that doesn't want to start. Getting a fire lit, after a period of being dormant, is uphill.  This holds true for a literal fire around a campsite, and the figurative fire, and drive, of a yoga practice.  As far as the physical side of yoga (Asana), even with a consistent practice, taking two days of rest on a weekend, can set you back a bit physically (as can the tin of butter cookies one eats while binge watching The Crown on Netflix).  You come back to your mat on Monday morning, as I am now, and question the value of the whole things...." why am I even doing this.....". "Embers" are leftover from the previous night's fire, however.  So the fire starting tools are there (both in the literal fire and in the figurative fire).  With the starting tools/embers there, what's needed most often is patience with yourself...

Friday, February 19, 2021, When you distance yourself from something, or abstain from something, for a long enough period of time, it appears all the more shocking and jarring when you finally see it, or experience it again.  The inverse of this occurs as well; stay immersed in something for a long enough period of time, and you become accustomed to it, and accept it as normal.    

Tuesday, February 16, 2021 Part I, Practiced without posting a few times last week, as my sleep schedule was getting wonky for some reason.  Back into the swing of things, and up at the usual 4:15am this morning for 1 hour of coffee and contemplation before beginning.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021 Find joy in the monotony of life.  Find joy in the mundane nature of daily tasks, chores, and maintenance.  How does one find this joy, excitement, etc.  My subjective opinion, that no one on planet Earth asked for, is that you need to constantly "calibrate the needle" to ensure you stay balanced (a daily practice will assist with this).  A balanced person sees challenges and disappointments, and views them with clarity.  A balanced person sees joy, fun, and opportunity in everything they do.   

Monday, February 8, 2021,  Suffered a slight injury to my left shoulder on Friday by pushing myself into an overly deep backbend.  For me, these kinds of injuries don't occur immediately, in that there's no " oh my goodness *collapses to the ground*, my shoulder!"; it's way less dramatic.  The "injury" or "tenderness" occurs after the practice when you reach for your 5lb laptop and, while extending your arm and applying weight to it, something "catches" or "pulls" in the shoulder that just got the workout, and a level 7-8 pain flare up occurs while your arm goes "dead" for a few seconds.  Waaaaay less dramatic, and leaves you sullen and pouting (like after biting your tongue), as you feel foolish for inflicted this pain on yourself.  All this to say, it's 5:26am, and I've been up for an hour enjoying my coffee and contemplation #strangerthings , and it's time to begin.....

Thursday, February 4, 2021, It's an old saying but, whenever one is dealt a blow or disappointment, whenever one feels tired or defeated, one should rest, not quit. 

On the mat, later than usual at 5:54am; time to begin. 

Monday, February 1, 2021 Nothing inspirational.  5:12am, and it's time to begin.

Thursday, January 28, 2021 (Part I)  No pre-practice wisdom/arrogance/piety to impart; time to begin. 

Monday, January 25, 2021 (Part I),  This morning is a rainy morning, and a Monday, and I'm feeling energized and purposeful on my mat.  It's 5:21am as I type this, and it's time to begin....

Friday, January 22, 2021 (Part I),  Time on your mat will help one discern what is, and should be, important in one's life.  When you have identified what is important, use the time on your mat to align your mind, heart, body/soul, to the important areas of your life.  Your work, family, health, and relationships are important.  Yes, like anything, they will all go away one day; your health will decline, your relationships will end, you'll retire from work, and (after many years, God willing...), your family members, and you, will all pass.   Keeping that in perspective can help you see the un- important, and trivial, nature of the majority of the things that your phone, tv, and computer try to keep you interested in.  Stay aligned, and use the time on your mat as a tool to help you.   Time to begin....