tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post4635779418921644953..comments2023-12-16T20:19:41.067-08:00Comments on Christina Sell: Monday Morning MusingsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post-45485281802694542772008-09-11T00:33:00.000-07:002008-09-11T00:33:00.000-07:00In the "for what it's worth" column,...In the "for what it's worth" column, a request (after alot of opinion :-)...<BR/><BR/>My theology is something that I study in class, but the theology guides and lights my whole life. The ways of thought that I have learned "thinking God's thoughts after him" are the ways that I try to think as I live my life, whether I am doing overtly "religious" things or not.<BR/><BR/>I learned engineering in classes and from mentors, but I practice engineering at work, at home, at play, in the yoga studio, & everywhere - it is a practice of my life - the way that I understand, modify, and address the physical world.<BR/><BR/>Similarly, as a yogi, I love to bring my practice to all of my activities, whatever they are. When I gratefully say that I practice in the Anusara way, I mean that the core of my understanding of the way that my body/breathing/mind works is enlightened by the Universal Principles of Alignment & such that are distinctly Anusara.<BR/><BR/>Anusara is a Way for me. As Christianity is my spiritual Way and engineering is my earth Way, Anusara is my mind/body Way.<BR/><BR/>I'm just sure that if I was Navaho, I could explain this better :-).<BR/><BR/>So I lift weights in the Anusara way, and I walk in the Anusara way (because I have foot problems), and I try to address stress and anxiety in the Anusara way. And of course, the engineering way and the Christian way guide me in many of these activities or circumstances.<BR/><BR/>And I practice Ashtanga in the Anusara way - and Baron Baptiste flow & Shiva Rea flow and whatever other yoga activity or class or workshop I find myself performing, my yoga is that of the Anusara way.<BR/><BR/>And I'm not claiming that I am very skillful or consistent in this intention - I'm just pointing out that I think that my highest & best intention is (to paraphrase a guy named Paul who I respect very much) to be who I am :-). Part of who I am is a yoga practice that does not change from class to class or activity to activity.<BR/><BR/>So... this is all pretty obvious - we can do different kinds of practices & classes in the Anusara way.<BR/><BR/>I understand and applaud that John wants Anusara classes to be rich in teaching. It is a beautiful thing.<BR/><BR/>But now here's a thought. How do you learn how to do flow in the Anusara way? I don't think that John wants us to not do flow or Ashtanga or whatever. On the contrary, I think that he intends to equip us for a magnificent freedom to do any yoga activity, using the UPoA, and flowing in the path of grace.<BR/><BR/>I would like to spare folks some of the mistakes that I made while learning to practice flow correctly (in the Anusara way). I did not have access to a class that taught how to do transitions with proper alignment and energetics. So I took my UPoA to Ashtanga & Mike's Freestyle Vinyasa, & promptly started injuring myself in improbable ways. Of course some of this was my own lack of good sense, but I think that the main problem was that I had to figure this stuff out as I went, because I had no teacher.<BR/><BR/>My breakthroughs came after a couple years of thinking about movement, how the goals of a vinyasa are different from the goals of asana. I eventually set the UPoA aside & learned the Ashtanga way of understanding vinyasa. But ya know, Universal principles aren't very universal if they only apply when you aren't moving :-).<BR/><BR/>So I wound up working 1 on 1 with an extraordinarily gifted Ashtanga teacher, learning her ways of thinking and talking about alignment & energetics during vinyasa, and then translating into the UPoA.<BR/><BR/>And I think that I have the start of a good Anusara understanding of vinyasa, but I must admit that the concept of "udiyanna bandha" is alot more on my mind than "kidney loop" :-).<BR/><BR/>Soooo - I think that it would be a super-groovy-funtime goodness to have an Anusara class that teaches vinyassa. Not just offers an opportunity to do alot of jump-thoughs or whatevr, but actually teaches the techniques - breath, biomechanics, & energetics - for moving from one pose to another.<BR/><BR/>Cheers...........DaleDalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02789755679554213814noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post-75225123344471114762008-09-09T12:51:00.000-07:002008-09-09T12:51:00.000-07:00great post.great post.Leannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13272730128459982428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post-45019018775060597862008-09-09T11:27:00.000-07:002008-09-09T11:27:00.000-07:00I loved this post....lots of great morning musings...I loved this post....lots of great morning musings:)<BR/><BR/>When I first started teaching yoga I played music all the time. However shortly after I stopped because I was struggling with finding "my voice". By turning of the music I challenged myself to know when to speak, how much to speak, and then when to be silent......and most importantly be comfortable with the silence. So for me turning off the music was teacher training and I have to say that it was quite effective. But yes I still love to practice to music and when it's feels appropritate to play it in class.<BR/><BR/> On a sidenote I have had countless students actually thank me for not playing music in class. Music has such a variety and a lot of peoples tastes don't always match up with "yoga music". Sometimes the choice of music and leave just as bad of a taste in someones mouth as the over usage of flowerly language. Also we are in town with a lot of musicians and it's very easy for them to get a beat or melody stuck in there heads.....this has also been brought up by students before and these students prefer the gong or bells or drone type music in Svasana. <BR/>Thanks for letting me share.mandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06210878998284732897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5257811012678007955.post-51304866974901888302008-09-09T08:49:00.000-07:002008-09-09T08:49:00.000-07:00In terms of your defining the most appropriate que...In terms of your defining the most appropriate questions to ask, you might be interested in this draft copy of the Introduction to Through The Wilderness. When I complete drafts for Chapter 1, I'll it and the Introduction on my blog.<BR/><BR/>The signed lease on the Sun City duplex is in the return mail as I write.<BR/><BR/>Love and blessings,<BR/><BR/>AP1<BR/><BR/>INTRODUCTION<BR/><BR/>For many Judeo-Christians, modern society has become much like the wilderness through which our Hebrew theological foreparents traveled during their Exodus journey from Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. “Wilderness” in the ancient Hebrew context referred to a disorderly and dangerous place where demons existed beyond the limits of human settlement and government control. Similarly, the original English meaning of “wilderness” was a terrifying wasteland where travelers became confused and disoriented. The competing interests, differing claims on our religious and political affiliations, and rapid technological advances of our present society often bewilder and perplex us. Our modern wilderness journeys, therefore, require that we, like our Hebrew foreparents, follow valid pillars of cloud and fire to keep us on the correct path. We must travel with the same clear headedness, courage, and trust as did the ancient Hebrews, once they understood what God expected of them. In this way, we can exhibit a defining Judeo-Christian characteristic: We can be at our best when times are at their worst.<BR/><BR/>Through The Wilderness attempts to provide insights into obtaining relevant answers to important questions dividing and causing animosity within the Community of Believers in Jesus Christ. This division comes about because we frequently do not frame our questions properly. Importantly, the nature of the questions we ask determines the answers we receive. For instance, asking the question, “Is abortion equivalent to murder or simply a legitimate outcome of a woman’s reproductive freedom?” does not yield helpful answers. Focusing exclusively on the question, “Who created all that exists, seen and unseen?” precludes any profound exploration and understanding of how creation came to be, that is, the mechanism by which God created and maintains the cosmos and all therein.<BR/><BR/>Judeo-Christians who are neither “professional” theologians nor scientists, but who have open minds about theology and science, make up the primary target audience for Through The Wilderness. I hope theologians and scientists might find this book interesting and useful; however, I have purposefully tried to minimize the “jargon” associated with these disciplines. I do not flatter myself by assuming any non-Judeo-Christians readers will be converted to the faith. This book presupposes at least a familiarity with the principles of the Judeo-Christian faith and the concepts embedded in the Community of Believers.<BR/><BR/>Through The Wilderness should not be viewed as scholarly work; hence, the text is not extensively footnoted. The Bibliography contains a list of books I have found helpful in my faith journey. Additionally, any reader wishing more information to support what I have written or who desires to discuss the thoughts expressed in Through The Wilderness may contact me directly:<BR/>Mike Frosolono<BR/>197 Rue Chalet<BR/>Lavonia, GA 30553<BR/>frosolono@gumlog.netMike Frosolonohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07644743755809132304noreply@blogger.com