Archive for the ‘East & West’ Category
For those of you who missed the story, Boston was under a “Boil Water” order for the past few days.
Basically, a pipe burst & the water was contaminated. Folks in Boston & surrounding areas had to avoid using tap water for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes etc. A run on bottled water ensued.
And everyone became [...]
I’ve been workin’ a home practice alot this week — combination of feelin’ poorly Sun/Mon & then getting really interested in some specific aspects of my attitude & technique that I wanted to focus on. Today I went back to a favorite 2 hr Forrest Intensive CD, Day 4 of the 5 day set to continue to practice working gently with myself as well as lifting up out of the lower back & keeping sacrum stable, especially during twists. Ahhhhhhhhhhh…… 
The morning blog reading added another book to my “must read” list. It crossed my radar awhile back, but got back-burnered (for someone with a lot of respect for language, I do abuse it terribly somedays 
. It’s called “My Stroke of Insight: A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey” by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D.
Basic synopsis is that a young neuroscientist had a stroke & is able to recount her experience through both the eyes of a patient & a scientist. One nugget from the book was highlighted in an eating disorder recovery blog I read by psychotherapist Karen Koenig, excerpted & linked here:
http://www.eatingdisordersblogs.com/healthy/2009/08/the-90-second-emotion-rule.html
“Taylor says it takes “less than 90 seconds” for an emotion to get triggered, surge chemically through the blood stream, then get flushed out. She goes on to assert that within this brief period of time, the automatic emotional response is complete, so that whatever we feel after that is our choosing. Stunning information! Her take is that we need to be present and open to the feeling at whatever intensity it comes. If we short-circuit it, we won’t receive the full impact of the message it’s delivering. Alternately, if we continue to stoke the fires of the emotion, we’re holding on to discomfort unnecessarily. ”
Koenig then recommends: “Next time you’re stressed or distressed, grab your watch or keep your eyes on the clock. Watch the second hand go ‘round one and one-half times. Notice how you feel. Get in the habit of observing how long the physical part of experiencing an emotion takes. Pay attention to what you’re feeling and see if you can simply allow the emotion to wash over and through you. Do nothing, just let it flow.
Koenig continues: “If you allow yourself the full 90 seconds of experiencing a feeling while staying mindfully in neutral, congratulate yourself. If you distracted yourself before the chemicals were able to naturally flush through your system, be compassionate and remind yourself to try to do better next time. If you’re still hanging onto your feelings after 90 seconds, gently pry yourself away with the reminder that you no longer need to hold on. You felt what you felt and hopefully gained insight or information from the experience and now it’s time to let go. Ninety seconds, that’s all it takes.”
One of the many things I find interesting about this is that it looks to be another instance of science supporting what yogis & meditators have observed for centuries. And I love that.
What’s true & worthwhile in any of these methods will stand up to scrutiny & what doesn’t can be continued or not by its practitioners as they choose.
So my standing assertion regarding double-blind, full scientific method examination of yoga, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine, meditation, acupuncture, you-name-it alternative therapy remains simply this: BRING IT.
I’ve had long discussions with friends on what the ideal role is of classical Indian cultural/philosophical roots in modern yoga as practiced in the West. Big question. Short answer: totally dunno.
As mentioned, yes, I’ve read the texts (Hatha Yoga Pradipika anyone? Now that’s a page turner… and spent some time in India. But… but… better example: I moved to Tokyo with my family when I was ten years old & spent a better part of a decade there. As an adult, I lived in Germany for six years. Neither experience made me an expert in either place. Far from it. Rather, it taught me deep respect for all I DON’T know about other cultures, their histories, philosophies, and deep sense of ownership or identity.
I miss being 18 and knowing everything. I also miss being new to yoga & sure that there was One Right Way & if I just found it, I would be Magically Fixed. Yeah… flawed assumptions one & all.
The lens through which I see & interpret the world is species American Redhead, known for its stubborn nature, bright plumage & sharp tongue. Best solution I have is to integrate all I can from ancient & modern resources, East/West/Middle Earth, if I could just get Gandalf to answer my emails.
Looking forward to teacher’s practice today & assisting again tonight. With gloves & love. And pretty sure that whatever tools show up, whether its cognitive behavioral psychology, physical or energetic anatomy, chakra or sutra or Ana Forrest quote, what I’m trying to express remains the same: my truth in the moment.