James Walsh Yoga

Monday, February 28, 2022, Nothing to write about.  It's 5:14am. Part II: Start your Monday's on the best foot forward.  No hangover......strong workout......ahead of the game. Namaste

Friday, February 25, 2022,  After coming to my mat throughout this week (with more consistency than the past week), I can say that some of the muscular/G.I. tract/mental/spiritual "gunk" has been moved out or is being moved out.  Put in a plain way, the cogs of the machine are re-oiled, and functioning again.   It's amazing how quickly things can atrophy, and grow still (I neglected my practice for a week or so, and when I came back to my mat, I felt like there was no purpose to any of it, and I would rather be in my bed snoozing instead of in the yoga room).  Enough chit-chat....time to begin...  Part II: I start my mornings at 4:15am (the coffee machine is set to start brewing at 4:00am so, when I walk into the kitchen it's all ready for me....trust.).  I then spend a glorious hour enjoying coffee on the couch, watching brainless YouTube videos on TV (usually Judge Judy episodes), and then hit my mat at 5:15am. I start my practice with meditation and...

Thursday, February 23, 2022, I don't know why but, for whatever reason, my pre-practice posts (which is what you're reading now) haven't been very inspired for awhile; I typically just state the day of the week, and give a brief "I'm on my mat", before diving into my practice. My post-pratice updates (written after I've completed my practice) usually have a bit more "insight" to them. Ah well....it's 5:23am, and it's time to begin.   Part II Writing this post-practice update having just come out of Savasana.  It's 6:58am as I type this, and it's time to enter the world.  Namaste

Wednesday, February 23, 2022 More gunk......I'm on my mat at 5:31am, which is about 15 minutes behind schedule, and I'm still feeling like I'm full of "gunk".  Gunk in my muscles, gunk in my head, gunk in my G.I. tract, and gunk in my heart.   Nothing a bit of heat won't fix. Time to begin...  Part II Not totally "de-gunked" yet but today's practice absolutely helped; it's 6:57am, and it's time to enter the world.  Namaste

Monday, February 21, 2022 Nothing insightful to say; on the mat at 5:28am (a bit behind schedule. Time to begin. Part II: It's 6:53am as I type this and, while I started this Monday morning practice without much enthusiasm, I am always happy that I've started my day on my mat.  Having not hit my mat in about 2 weeks (longer than I thought), I didn't realize how much gunk had built up in my body.  "Gunk", in this sense is literal and figurative; gunk in my muscles, gunk in organs, and gunk in my head.  Heat clears out "gunk" (for me anyway).  Time to shower up and enter the world.   Namaste

Friday, February 4, 2022,  Woke at the usual 4:15am, and on my mat at 5:20am, ready to begin my practice.  For whatever reason, when my alarm went off at 4:15am yesterday, I got up, hit the snooze button, and went straight back to bed.  Don't know why that happened yesterday.....it's a bad habit to get into, however, so I'll finish out the week with a practice.  Time to begin... Part II: No time to dilly-dally...had a great, full practice, and it's time to enter the day.  Namaste

Wednesday, February 2, 2022, Nothing insightful to say these mornings.  Happy to be on my mat, at my usual 5:15am.  Time to begin... Part II: It's 6:56am as I type this, and I'm on my mat, having just come out of Savasana.  It's time to enter the world.   Namaste

Tuesday, February 1, 2022, On my mat, at the usual ~5:15am, and ready to begin... Part II: Event when I get on my mat on time, I rarely finish with enough time to write a proper post-practice update.  It's 6:54am as I type this, and it's time to enter the world.  Namaste

Monday, January 31, 2022,  For whatever reason, I got up at my usual 4:15am every morning last week and either went straight back to bed, or actually got up, had my hour of coffee and contemplation, and then actually crawled back into bed when I was supposed to be going to my mat at 5:15am........what a lazy lump.  It's a new week and, as I've often said to myself, put extra effort into making a Monday a great day to look forward to. Time to begin... Part II: On my mat, having just come out of Savasana. Time to enter the world. Namaste

Thursday, January 20, 2022,  Woke at the usual 4:15am and on my mat at the usual 5:15am.   Nothing inspirational, but it's time to begin... Part II: On my mat, having just come out of Savasana.  Nothing insightful to offer other than what I always say; the version of one's self that comes off the mat after a practice is always superior to the version that got on the mat in the beginning of the practice.  Namaste

Wednesday, January 19, 2022, First time practicing this week, as I broke from routine on Monday and Tuesday. Nothing too inspired to blather on about; time to begin... Part II: It's 6:42am as I type this, and I'm on my mat, having finished my practice, and having just come out of Savasana.  Not much time to write up an insightful post-yoga update but, needless to say, the version of one's self that come off the mat at the end of a practice is always better than the version that came to the mat in the beginning of a practice.  Namaste

Friday, January 14, 2022, Other than Wednesday of this week (where I slammed down on my phone alarm as it was going off at 4:15am), I've been on my mat at a reasonable time (5:15am is my goal), and completed a reasonably strong and complete practice (backbends were a part of each day's practice......that, for me means it was complete).  For whatever reason, the practices have felt uninspired; I've practiced long enough to know that, feelings like this should be recognized, but feelings have no bearing on reality.  In other words, I can feel   that my practice isn't inspired, but just because I feel that, doesn't make it so.  Feelings are feelings......they're important to recognize, but feelings can change with the wind, the weather, the food you just ate, etc. Enough blather.....it's 5:21am as I type this, and it's time to begin...

Thursday, January 13, 2022, Not an inspired, or inspirational, week on my mat but, none the less, keeping a routine, even when you're uninspired, is good practice.  It's 5:20am, and I've been up for an hour enjoying my coffee and contemplation, and it's time to begin... Part II: During weekdays (which is what today is), I very often don't have much time, post-practice, to elaborate.  It's 6:44am as I type this, so I'm going to take this refined, post-yoga version of myself out into the world.  Namaste

Tuesday, January 11, 2022,  Nothing insightful, but on my mat at a regularly scheduled time of ~5:15am (ish). Time to begin.

Monday, January 10, 2022,  I need to stop lolli-gagging in the mornings......I woke at my usual 4:15am, but I'm on my mat, typing this, at 5:32am......in general, that's behind schedule.  Time to begin...

Friday, January 7, 2022,  On my mat a bit later than usual, at 5:28am.  I've definitely lolli-gagged around every morning as I need to be on my mat promptly at 5:15am to stay on routine.  Nothing insightful to say, other than it's time to begin....

Thursday, January 6, 2022 On my mat at my usual 5:15am (but I've lolli-gagged around for about 15 minutes), so I'm starting this at 5:33am. Nothing insightful to say; and that's ok.   Time to begin my practice.  Part II: On my mat, having just come out of Savasana, and can say that, like yesterday, the version of one's self that comes off the mat is always superior to the version that got on the mat to begin with.  Even if you practice isn't amazing (today's wasn't), and you weren't feeling very good in your head, heart, mind, and body (I'm not), you're still a better version of yourself while you rebuild your routine.  Time to bring this better version of myself out into the world today. Namaste

Wednesday, January 5, 2022,  First post, and first practice, of the new year.   Nothing too profound to say, or feel so, instead of trying to force it, it's time to begin... Part II: Post practice, I can say that I'm always pleased when I start my day on my mat.  The version of me that comes off the mat afterwards is always superior to the version that got on the mat at the beginning.   No time to dilly dally.  Time to shower up, and enter the world.  Namaste

Tuesday, December 28, 2021, The image shown in today's post is a famous photograph where, in June of 1963, a Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, named Thich Quang Dur, self-immolated, burning himself to death as a protest for religious freedom in his country. It's a frightening image and it's a frightening thought, but this now famous photograph commands respect for the monk who did this as a form of protest, and makes one reflect on one's own life (and how feeble one's faith, resolve, and conviction is compared to this holy man's faith, resolve, and conviction).  What would he have been thinking knowing he was going to do this....." what happens to my body is irrelevant"....."what happens to me is meaningless"....."my death will force change"..... and it did.  A shrine to this monk was erected on the streets of Saigon on the very location where he self-immolated. Accounts of the event describe the crowd, shocked as they were, as being mostly...

Wednesday, December 22, 2021 On my mat a bit behind schedule at 5:27am as I type this.   Today's title (and yesterday's title), is something that I plan to talk about more, but the concept of being indifferent to pain isn't necessarily tied to a yoga practice, or to the art/science of yoga as a whole; indifference to pain is merely something that I've personally connected to my practice as a benefit that I receive.  Why would anyone want to be indifferent to their pain? There are 8 limbs to the tree of yoga; Asana (or physical postures) are what most of us think of when we think of "yoga", but Asana is only one of the 8.   Pratyahara is the 5th limb, and it is the withdrawal from the senses.  I won't expand too much on this concept because, even after 10+ years of a practice, this is a difficult concept to understand but, at its core, I believe this principle is meant to focus our mind.  Your mind controls your body (where pain originates from), and ...