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Come As You Are

 Monday, June 23, 2025,  "Come As You Are" has been used by me as a post title before.  While I can't remember the specifics of why I may have posted with this title before, I would bet that I used the phrase "Come As You Are" due to feelings of being inadequate, ugly, not worthwhile, or generally indifferent to myself and my practice.  If you're feeling any of these things, practice anyway.   Time to begin today's practice... Part II: Having just come out of Savasana after a vert gentle "Yin" style practice, I'll say that, when one is feeling ugly, unlovable, inadequate, etc., all the more reason to hit your mat.  You'll come out of your prayer, meditation, and practice knowing that you are none of those things.  Time to bring this version of myself out into the world.  Namaste
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Time

 Friday, June 13, 2025, Has it really been since April since I've had a dedicated practice? Time to begin, right where I left off.....on my mat.  I've had breaks and hiatuses in practice before and I've learned a few things about getting back into the swing of thing....... Taking a break from something you do as a routine is actually a good thing.....I expect that I'll find and discover new and unique ways of moving and new and unique parts of me this morning that I may not have discovered or been aware of as easily in my day to day.  Ease into it but don't ease into it for too long- I'm going to see if I can do a 3 day run....that usually gets things back on track.....today's first practice will really just be about checking in on my body and mind and seeing where things are.  Time to begin... Part II: Great practice.  Physically strong, and mentally acute.   Time to enter the world.  Namaste
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Oh So Bizzy

Thursday, April 3, 2025, Oh so bizzy.  Life makes one feel like there's "lots to do" all the time and, candidly, sometimes, there is  lots to do, and lots to manage.  How should one approach this? I know that, for me, taking exceptionally good care of my body during these busy periods is key (eating well, sleeping adequately, no drinking, etc.); those three keys right there set me up for more success when my "to-do" list seems too long.  Another element to ensuring that one's "to do" list can be well managed, is to pause from it all (very difficult sometimes), separate from it all ( incredibly difficult at times), and focus one's energy on slowing oneself down.  The yoga mat, paired with prayer and meditation, are the perfect key to this kingdom of "zooming out" to give one perspective and help strategize the best path for success in tackling the "bizzy to-do-list". In the vein, it's time to begin today's practice......
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Sludgy

Tuesday, February 25, 2025, I've been feeling a tad "sludgy" for the past few days.  What does that mean?.....for me that means I've felt heavy, "stuck", and sloppy.  For me, this is almost always a sign that I've eaten junk that I shouldn't have.  My practice (and your practice) will help speed up and balance the process of elimination. Part II: Feeling way less sludgy after my practice.  Time to enter the world.  Namaste 
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Offer It Up

Thursday, February 6, 2025, "Offer it up" is something I was always told to do when faced with something terrible or miserable.  Often, misery is unavoidable in one's life.  What do you do in your misery?  Offer it up.  Time to begin... Part II: Offering it up, difficult as that can be, remains the best path forward in troubling situations.  Namaste
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Lost

Thursday, January 30, 2025, On my mat at the usual time 5:15am, and looking forward to today's practice.   The title of "Lost" doesn't mean I believe myself to be lost.  However, after spending an hour in my phone reviewing social media, it's easy to feel lost and it's easy to feel hopeless and it's easy to feel like the world is spinning out of control (for some reason, those behind social media want people to feel hopeless....a very telling desire on their part, if you ask me).  Even though I might feel a certain way, I can change how I feel (and so can you) but implementing a few simple practices in one's life....this yoga practice is one of those things that helps me feel "un-lost" again.  Time to begin... Part II: Writing this Part II update on my mat having just concluded my practice.  It's time to enter the day.  I am "feeling" much less lost.  Namaste
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Good Enough

Thursday, December 19, 2024 Feelings and emotions (in general) are things that I advise anyone to be aware of, but to never let them control you (a feeling isn't real and an emotion isn't real either, despite what Pixar and Inside Out, etc. all have to say to us about emotions).   The emotion/feeling of being "good enough" can work for us and against us (some days we feel more than good enough and some days we don't); whether "good enough" is working for us or against us, it should still be observed, but never focused on much.  I woke up not feeling "very good" and or "good enough" and or blah blah blah...... I am happy that I'm on my mat, and beginning my practice as I know I will feel better afterwards.  Time to begin... Part II: As always, I write the initial post before my practice, and I write the Part II immediately after I've concluded my practice.   My perspective and outlook has changed so much from a few hours ago.  ...
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Mind Over Matter

Tuesday, December 17, 2024 I haven't practiced in a while and I have a theory that, with the other physical trainings I've been undertaking (for running, and other competitions), my body has stiffened up (especially the corset-like muscle groupings of my back/torso).  I believe this could be affecting my mental acuity.   Mind over matter is something we hear a lot but is the reverse ever true; does our physical body (the "matter"), ever get the upper hand over the mind?  I believe it can (unfortunately) and has and it is up to oneself to reverse and un-do this so that the mind is always in control over the body.  Enough chit-chat....time to begin... Part II: Writing this update post-practice.  I have a lot of things to work through physcially but, the mind is superior.  Always.  Namaste
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Are All Emotions Good?

 Monday, November 4, 2024,  A line from one of the latest Disney/Pixar films, " Inside Out 2"  is the title of today's post.  I'm not trying to drag Pixar and Disney into the dirt, but their overall approach to content over the past decade or so has led to multiple satires of their work (watch SouthPark's season opener "the pander-verse" to understand more).   The actual line from the "Inside Out 2" movie is, "... I've learned that all emotions, are good.." .  This really isn't true.  Contemporary approaches to emotions and mental health are heavily flawed (in my humble and untrained lay-man's opinion).  Are emotions good?.....Are all emotions good?  Absolutely not, and what a thing to say and suggest.    My say is that emotions (of any kind) are actually not good.  Emotions, above everything else, should be ignored and have minimal influence on one's thoughts and actions.  If eating a meal or drinking a glass of...
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Human Nature

Wednesday, October 23, 2024,  Human Nature is something one hears a lot.  It can be a blanket response to anything a human does actually, and can also be dangerous to label our actions/words as " that's just human nature".   One could argue that, while all humans are bound into their physical bodies, are our bodily driven desires (food, breathing, sleep, etc.) "human nature" or are they "animal nature"?  Any animal craves the same things of abundant food, sleep, mating partners, etc., but are we, as humans, meant to bring ourselves beyond this bottom tier of Maslow's hierarchy of needs? Time to begin today's practice... Part II: Great practice, but it's time to enter the world (thinking about my flawed and imperfect human nature). 
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Tuesday Yoga

Tuesday, August 20, 2024, Haven't hit the mat in awhile as other physical pursuits have been taking more of a "center stage".  Let's see if I can get back in the groove of things.... Part II: A soft gentle practice.  Time to enter the world.  Namaste
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Who Am I?

Tuesday, July 30, 2024,  24601.......just kidding (little Les Miserables joke for ya there....).  In seriousness, asking oneself " who am I" , can be an interesting exercise in self-reflection.  First and foremost, in the spirit of humility (which is grossly lacking in our world), one should initially answer, " I am no one". The response of " I am no one", meaning you're a nobody from nowhere, doesn't minimize you as a person, but it implies that you're humble and realize that you're nothing special (because you're not and neither am I).   Time to begin today's practice....  Part II: Great practice.  Time to enter the world.  Namaste
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Monday Yoga

Monday, July 22, 2024,  Late to the mat, time to begin. Part II: I'm unwell, so spent today's time on the mat rolling around, moving softly into stretches, etc. and it was marvelous.  Namaste
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My Feeble Life

Wednesday, July 3, 2024, There's a great line from an Anne Murray song (or from an old Religious song that Anne Murray did a cover of), that alludes to what will occur when we die and, if there's an afterlife, what our initial thoughts/feelings and experience, in general will be, when we pass. " when my feeble life is over" No one, myself included, wants to view their life as feeble but it's important to remember that, if Religion is correct, what we're planning for ourselves and structuring for ourselves in this world (careers, aspirations, 401k amounts, etc.) are feeble and will ultimately disappear; they'll disappear if there's an afterlife or not actually. Given that fact, I try to remind myself everyday to extinguish my feeble will, my feeble wants, my feeble thoughts and feeble plans......they're all made by a feeble and flawed mind.  Extinguish your will, wants, and desires daily and align yourself with the Divine.   Time to begin today'...
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