Serene Flavorful

Ashtangi First World Problems

mariavlong — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:52:00 +0000

Or in my case lack thereof because I got no more money for this one:

He is going to be 20 minutes away from my home, from April 9th to April 13th, But I already signed up for this at my local Shala:

I already mentioned that Chuck Miller is going to be At Pure right around then, as well. I have to keep my commitments and stick to what I signed up for. Yes you can sign up for just one day at Jois in Greenwich but it is 100 a pop, so I might do one led workshop in Manhattan which I understand is just 50 a pop. Sheesh. I hope next year it is not ratatat AYC-CHUCK-SHARATH-RAMASWAMI, But like I said, First world problems.

ADDENDUM

Jois Yoga in Greenwich is also 50 buck a pop NOT 100, so I caved in and bought Monday 4/9/12. Less than dinner & drinks right?

Matsyasana

mariavlong — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 17:12:06 +0000

This is probably not correct method, but Ima gonna use it till someone stops me. I don’t know if I mentioned how I injured my ITband (outside the knee stringy tendony thing) trying to show off in Supta Kurmasana (you do not know how hilarious that sounds until you see me) by slipping my hands where they don’t belong. It hurt right away and it has been months since I can do a proper Padmasana, and sometimes my leg pops out of it with a big bang on the floor during closing. Curiously, I am able to put my legs into lotus, preparing for Matsyasana with no pain and no discomfort, no I cannot bind, but that’s another story. Well today I thought: why not lay down again before Baddha Padmasana and fold without drama. Well, holy remedy! And I actually felt air pass through my lifted but in Uth Pluthi, which must mean that I lifted past the usual barely 3/4 inch, right? So guess what, same trick tomorrow, unless someone stops me.

Singularity

mariavlong — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:18:17 +0000

If you do not know what the term means, do move on because I can barely type today due to 68 degrees in the middle of February and what that does to my sinuses. Plus it requires/deserves a better explanation than the one I am able to give. I think I have an insight on how singularity will occur. Last night all my dreams had tool bars, and multiple open windows, and in a weird version of lucid dreaming I thought that I should move away form the laptop for awhile to reboot my synapses ( using the term reboot means I’m already too late for that), or accept that my neural passages have morphed into a new OS and it is evolutionary. I can only imagine what the dreams and neural passages of a 20 year old who communicates mostly through text/twitter behave like. Will try mysore as 6 PM tonight when it is dark and the light no longer hurts my face.

The Teacher and The Student

mariavlong — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:31:49 +0000

Read two beautiful blog posts. One last night and one this morning. This Morning’s post by teacher Angela Jamison is a testimony to the dedication and commitment an Asthanga yoga teacher pours on her students. We are very lucky. Last night’s post is a love letter to the practice, by Martha Marcom and I thought it was just beautiful. Here are links to both blog posts:

http://www.ashtangaannarbor.com/wordpress/2012/02/21/vroom-vroom/

http://yogaonhigh.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/why-i-love-doing-the-same-old-practice-every-day-why-i-love-ashtanga/

Popular Cultural References

mariavlong — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:36:25 +0000

I would like to start a list of popular cultural references enjoyed and mentioned by Ashtanga students. I do not have a Doctorate in Sociology, or Anthropology, and I’m terrible at math, so if you disagree with my pronouncements/choices, just call me something out loud from your comfortable spot, but don’t lecture me through comments because I have no plans to defend this thesis. So far I have in no particular order:

Star Trek
Star Wars
Fight Club
Like Water for Chocolate
David Foster Wallace
Inception

This last one was for a short period, but the others reappear constantly. If you think of others please do write me with your additions.

Bizarre Rest Day

mariavlong — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 15:48:28 +0000

8 AM- at the iron triangle in front of Citifield with husband leaving his car with Pandit so he can fix some dents form hurried parallel parking. Walk to Flushing and look for coffee, and successfully avoid all the street food temptation. 10 AM- husband goes to get a haircut/head massage, I go to the Skyview mall to window shop. Car should be ready at noon. 11 AM I have bought a bathing suit(19 bucks!) my husband is back with a bleeding ear but happy with his 45 minute head massage. Instead of going to all these wonderful noodle shops which are teeming with humanity we slip into 5 guys burgers(??!!) I have not eaten meat in months, and I inhale it. Noon, car not ready so we sit in these leather couches at the Skyview mall in front of the giant TV that is streaming Whitney Houston’s funeral. We watch this while all these little kids run around screaming and climbing on these couches, while their parents visit with each other in this public living room. One PM, and the car is still not ready, so we watch more funeral because now we have bags from the Asian supermarket. Now I’m hanging out with loud grandmas. Finally 2:30 and car is ready, so of to Ikea in Red Hook to buy shelves for my basement walls. Another sea of humanity, and 5:30 rolls around so time for cocktails with my daughter whom I haven’t seen in weeks. I was going to club soda it, but we met at this bar where the bartender made the most amazing cocktails and my nerves are frayed, so I end up having several vodkas with muddled tangerine and rosemary. And for dinner we continue to this Spanish restaurant where we wash down a bottle of Bierzo with a parade of Tapas, including Jamon Pata Negra, and finishing of with Asturian cider. Unable to practice today. You understand.

Flushing The Red Hook

mariavlong — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 12:19:51 +0000

A little Borough tourism today. Flushing for car repair (long story) and giant Asian grocery store. Then Ikea in Red Hook, plus a little something to nibble on with the kiddies. Happy rest day all.

Body Parts On Board

mariavlong — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:56:37 +0000

With Intro to 2nd. Shocked but grateful mind cooperates and follows body parts. I kid you not. Straight leg pointing UP! on Krounchasana with teacher assist, but still. Rolls on both sides of Parsva D without teacher push. Head on the floor on Laghu, because my thighs collapsed, but so what. Plus an optimistic this ain’t so bad attitude through out the practice. Totally unheard of. I blame it on the jack hammers and all the other heavy equipment playing a loud chaotic orchestra right outside our windows. You have to buckle up and focus for that ninety minute ride.They were also responsible for a very focused and expansive pre practice sitting meditation. Some Fridays, wow, even the weather which although weird as hell for February is a pleasure.

Doing It Wrong

mariavlong — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 18:52:32 +0000

One of the most unpleasant verbal habits we humans have is pointing out the perceived mistakes being made when somebody is trying something new. It is a perfect combination of desire for superiority and fear of inferiority that renders whatever comment we make in that state completely ineffective and pointless. Extreme example: the person who told my husband he was “swishing” is glass of red wine incorrectly (?!), But lately, I find most people trying to demonstrate their command of the situation with their own rules on the dos and don’ts of using new social media. Someone said that it is quite possible to be emotionally stuck in Junior High, and boy was there plenty of danger of doing it wrong in 7th and 8th grade. The rules changed every 12 or 15 minutes didn’t they? I stopped writing a monthly post on my favorite things because I started to “pin” them on Pinterest. I find filing an image I like and want to remember, profoundly satisfying. Well, today I read a post by someone who wanted to advice, no, more like legislate the correct use, the appropriate intention, and the amount of time spent on Pinterest. What is the fun in that?? Oh and the ultimate diss these days (more like since eternity really) which is that it is mostly used by women. Which of course instantly diminishes its value to shallow right? girl toys are always lame right? That is the first lesson a boy learns. I say lets keep our drishti on our own sources of enjoyment, use them to the best of our present ability, may we progress in skill and ability, and stop comparing our level of coolness and hipness to the other practitioners, shall we?

Possesive Obssesive

mariavlong — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:55:02 +0000

I am sometimes constricted with my reliance on good manners to maintain order and peace in my territories. So here is my latest peeve with social media. On Facebook in particular, I like to mention the person who showed my the photo, article, post, what have you, when a share it on my wall. I notice that not everybody does that, and besides it being like not thanking you for the share, it is also like pretending that they found it with nobodies help which is deceitful. Carrying on with this possible pettiness on my part is seeing things I shared on FB as entire subjects on the Blogs of some of my newly accepted FB friends. Frequently. I can say this because I do not combine Blog and FB, unless you figure it out by yourself. So. Am I being extra cranky because now my right wrist cannot take any pressure whatsoever and I’m sidelined for today, or do I have a point?