"Whatever you eat..."

"Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer in sacrifice, whatever you give, whatever you practice as austerity, do so, O son of Kunti, as an offering unto Me."

Bhagavad Gita IX.27

 

This post may p@#* some of you off because it’s about food.  Specifically it is about eating. Most specifically it is about eating meat.  Now, if your initial reaction is “How could you! That’s horrible!” then not only should you stop reading, you should throw away your Manduka mat, your Lululemon pants, your (probably unread) copy of The Yoga Sutras and run screaming to  your registered trademark guru for some yoganastics or yogacrobatics or yogalaties or whatever ersatz spirituality dance lessons they’re trying to pass off (at a very high price) as yoga.

This post (and snarky attitude) is inspired, in part, by watching some of Julie and Julia this weekend.  Well, not by the movie, per se, but because it inspired me to pick up my butcher paper covered Les Helles Cookbook by Anthony Bourdain. This is not just a book of recipes, they are there to be sure, it is a book about technique.  Technique in cooking is totally based in attitude, the attitude that all that food you are preparing is a gift, you are a lucky son of a gun to have the opportunity to have any of it so you best use it all and make it taste good. Over and over again Bourdain screams this point. My favorite is “A highly intelligent animal died so you can have bacon.  So don’t overcook it.”  He reminds the reader that French food is based on transformation—they didn’t have much, so they used everything, transforming the grizzly bits into tasty meals.

Not many of us cook with this level of awareness.  We go to the store, pick up something in cryovac or on a foam tray, slap it in a pan, and viola! dinner. We are so far removed from the animal that gave of itself that we don’t even remember that our dinner was once breathing the same air as us.  Even fewer eat with this level of awareness—understanding that something died for your meal AND someone labored to make it possible—most just shovel it in without even bothering to offer thanks or even taste the food. Even worse, many of us complain when what we have been given is not to our liking, rather than <gasp!!> trying to appreciate what has been offered to us.

I have a great appreciation now for helping my Dad butcher deer when I was a kid.  Was it grizzly? Yes.  Was there blood and nasty bits everywhere? Yes. Did it smell pretty bad? Yes. But it was done 100% as an offering.  100%. 100%.  Hunting was (is) not done as a sport, but to provide food.  Any joy did not come from slaying the various beasties, but from being able to provide good food to the family when there really was no other choice. And before we dug in, we said grace, thanking the Lord for the food we were about to receive.  And it tasted good.

I don’t think my Dad has ever done headstand or chanted “Hare Krishna” or even thought about what a Lululemon is.  But he was my first yoga teacher, teaching about selfless service and devotion.  I regret that I was too stupid to realize it then.  At least I’m beginning to see now.  

Go eat your meat.  But only after offering gratitude to the selfless animal and plants that died so that you may live, and to the efforts of those who have transformed those beings into a palatable meal for your enjoyment and benefit. Join me in trying to remember to offer thanks before putting anything in your mouth, whether it be a lovingly prepared steak or cheesey poofs.  Your meal will taste better, and you might just begin to understand that yoga has nothing to do with contortions.

Happy Birthday Dad!

In gratitude.

 

The Two Most Important Words

With Molly Duncan at Hudson River Yoga

I’ve worked in the restaurant industry for nearly 20 years: as a cook, as a chef, as a sales-rep, and as an educator. Something we cooks learn very early on, which shapes us as professionals and as humans are the two most important words in the English language: “Yes, Chef!”

There are millions of methods to achieve the same culinary end.  The only correct way to do something is the way that Chef wants it done.  Not because Chef knows better (although they do), not because Chef’s ego needs to be stroked, but because, in a service industry, we need to remove our ego from what we do in order to serve our guests.  My opinions and ideas do not really matter, my duty as a cook is to follow the formula/example given so that the guest receives exactly what they ordered, every time.  And there may be a very good reason for doing it that way, but that does not mean that I need to know the big picture, I only need to do it.  NOW. CORRECTLY. WITH FINESSE. REPEAT.

We have a similar opportunity to quiet our ego when we approach our yoga practice.  Sri Dharma Mittra says “Copy the Teacher.”  Not because the teacher knows better (although they should), not because the teacher’s ego needs to be stroked, but because, as students, we need to respect the teacher by following their direction.  The teacher may not explain why they do what they do, nor should they have to.  It is up to the student to listen and observe, then practice and realize.

Through listening and following direction (especially when it is contrary to what you want to do/feel should be done) creates an opportunity for our growth.  For that one second we are allowing ourselves to experience that we are not in control.  And that is ok. For one second we stop thinking about ourselves and become receptive (another of Sri Dharma’s common phrases). 

And this teaching is immediately applicable off the mat.  How many times during your average day do you have to do something you don’t agree with, follow process you feel is silly, smile wink and nod when you would rather yell, scream, and shake your fist?  20 times before 9AM? 

By simply learning to listen, paying attention, and following directions we move forward.  Headstand provides this opportunity.  The DMV provides this opportunity.  Your place of work provides this opportunity. 

The easy mantra to remind you of these opportunities is “Yes, Chef!”

The Best Part of Waking Up

 

The original post disappeared at some point this morning, will do my best to re-create it.  

Mantra and chanting has become the most important part of my practice.  I don't do asana, pranayama, and seated meditation everyday (avg. 6 days/wk), but I do japa of mantra and recite the Hanuman Chalisa everyday.  

I have worked to train myself to do something that is much more difficult than handstand lotus: mentally repeat mantra as soon as I wake up.  Whether it is the middle of the night or first thing in the morning (with my practice schedule, it can be argued that these are the same time:); awakened by the alarm clock, my bladder, the cat, etc.; feeling happy, sad, or accepting the consequences of partying like it's 1992, I mentally recite mantra.

Does this make me a better person?  Fill me with Peace/Love/Happiness? Cure depression? Mainline God directly into my heart?

No.

Through my direct experience, I have realized that I have a better chance of making it through the day and possibly achieving these states if I start the day with "God Bless" rather than "God Damn."

"When the whole thing happened you can hear Ram say:

God Bless that Monkey, he made my day

God Bless that Monkey, he made my day

God Bless Everybody, Peace and Namaste."

~MC Yogi "Hanuman"  Download the song for free from www.mcyogi.com

Jai Gurudev! Guru Purnima 2012

On Guru Purnima, we honor the sage Vyasa, for his service to humanity, and the Guru, for their service in our development.

Vyasa is not a household name, yet his efforts touch everyone of us who study the science of Yoga.  Once upon a time, sages received knowledge directly from the Divine.  They then taught (remember this was an oral tradition) all of this knowledge to their students.  Collectively, this knowledge is known as The Vedas.  Imagine, if you will, trying to memorize (after only hearing) all of the telephone numbers in New York City.  Vyasa recognized that humanity was becoming unable to accurately remember the Vedas, so he categorized them into more manageable pieces.  Not that he made it easy, just easier—instead of learning the all the numbers in NYC at once, learning instead by area code.  This is all well and good, but a good many of us haven’t even begun to study the Vedas yet.

The ancients were a smart people, and they understood that the population at large weren’t ready to study the Vedas directly, so a specific class of literature (The Epics) arose which taught all of the lessons of the Vedas in the form of stories, easier to memorize and assimilate into daily life.  Only two works make up this category: The Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The Mahabharata was composed by Vyasa (it was actually written down by Ganesha, who, the story goes, broke off one of his tusks to write with while Vyasa chanted). At 100,000 verses it is the longest epic poem known to man.  The whole work may not be a household name, but a portion of it, some 700 or so verses which occur roughly in the middle, is widely known: The Bhagavad Gita.  The definitive discourse on Yoga spoken directly from an avatar of The Divine to Arjuna. 

Although Vyasa does not appear in the Gita, he is the reason we have record of it.  King Dhritarashtra was blind.  He was not able to see the great war between his sons and his nephews (Arjuna and his 4 brothers).  Vyasa granted the king’s advisor, Sanjaya, divine sight, so he could see all the action and relate it to the king as it happened. It is because of this gift that the Bhagavad Gita, the conversation between Krishna and Arjuna, was revealed to all of humanity.

This brings us to Guru, who is also celebrated along with Vyasa.  A Guru is not the workaday yoga teacher in every studio next to every Starbucks.  The Guru is the total driver of one’s spiritual development, whose words are taken with the same weight as the words of the Divine.  The word “Guru” comes from “Gu,” darkness, and “Ru,” one that dispels.  The Guru is the one who dispels the darkness. The belief is that even though we are all a direct extension of the divine, and carry the entirety of this knowledge with in us, we have forgotten our true nature.  It is only by the light of another that we are able to recognize the Truth that we carry with us.  The Guru pulls back the veil of ignorance which covers our eyes.

Don’t have a Guru? No problem!  Swami Sivananada counsels taking a saint or your conception of the Divine Lord as your Guru—learn and abide by their teachings.  It is no so much the physical form that matters, it is the student’s faith and devotion which matters. 

David Life writes “The Guru is no one person, it is a force. A force which is operating all around us and in us.  It is up to us whether we are open to what it is trying to teach us.”

On Guru Purnima, Swami Sivananda encourages us to:

“Generate fresh waves of spirituality. Lat all that you have read, heard, seen and learnt become transformed, through sadhana, into a continuous outpouring of universal love, ceaseless loving service, and continuous prayer and worship of the Lord seated in all beings…The best form of worship of the Guru is to follow his teachings, to shine as the very embodiment of his teachings, and to propagate his glory and his message” (Sivananda. Hindu Fasts and Festivals pp. 15, 18)

Om bolo sat Guru Bhagavan Ki Jai!

The Correct 'Why?' to Ask

In my  teaching career I have heard students ask, and in my own practice I found myself asking: “Why can’t I do [fill in the name of pose here]?”  Usually the answer (at least mine do) strays into technical sounding pseudo-anatomy speak “The medial rotation of the kneecap spiral is impeding the colloidal suspension of the hyoid bone…”

Speaking only from my own practice (I’ll spare you the hyperlink to my Nemesis posts, find ‘em if you want to read ‘em), I have given this answer to myself:

Q: Why can’t I do Urdhva Dhaurasana?

A: Well [all answers sound more authoritative when they begin with ‘Well…”] the external rotation coupled with the extension of the psoas is impeded by……”

That may be all well and true, and it may not make any sense, but it is much easier to grasp than the REAL answer. 

Because the real answer is also a question:

“Why do you feel that you are not doing the pose correctly right now? Because you are, you know.”

Allow me to play the Patañjali card again:

“Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind.” (I.2)  For a practice to be called ‘yoga’ it must be focused on the mind, its fluctuations, and the methods to cause their cessation. 

The physical expression of the pose is relatively unimportant (excepting that it does not cause injury “The suffering that is yet to come is to be avoided” II.16); it is the mental state in the pose which defines success: “Postures should embody steadiness and ease” (II.46).  This describes mental, not physical states, but if there is not steadiness and ease in the physical state, that is a sign that there is not steadiness and ease in the mental state.

Here comes the tricky part.  Yes, physical and mental are related.  Yes physical state is easier (more tangible) to grasp than mental state. So, do we help the student (and ourselves) MORE by focusing on the physical or the mental?

From my own direct experience, focusing on the mental leads to infinitely more sustained benefit and growth than does focusing on the physical.

My practice for many, many years focused around Urdhva Dhanurasana.  First being very frustrated (putting it in “safe harbor” terms) at not being able to match my thought of what the pose should be, then to consciously trying to block the pose out and do it as a matter of course (ie. “Ok, let’s get through this and move on.”) 

When my practice began to evolve away from the strongly rajasic Ashtanga System, which includes this pose, I had to confront my attitude toward this pose.  “Why can’t I do this pose?”  Because my ego is telling me I have to do it and I am pushing myself to the point of constant injury to satisfy my ego.

Practicing this pose is causing fluctuations in the mind.

Ego is causing fluctuations in the mind.

Yoga is the cessation of fluctuations of the mind.

Therefore, practicing this pose (for me) is not practicing yoga.

That is a hard effing pill to swallow. But swallow it we must, if we are practicing yoga. 

At some point in our practice, we need to apply this level of analytics to what we are doing.  Self-analysis is actually more ‘yoga’ than asana (see again I.2). 

The next time you find yourself (or your students, if applicable) asking why then ‘can’t’ do something, avoid the easy out of focusing on the physical and turn the focus inward. Assure them (as long as they are not leading toward injury) that they ARE doing the pose.  The absolute correct version which is right for them at that specific time.

You’ll be both scared and amazed at what you will find.

And you will continue to define the practice which is correct for you rather than adapt to the ideals of someone else.

“Full effort is full victory.” ~MKG

Last Stop!

All the workshops—Arm balances, Spring Training, Inversions, Gita, and even the Student Training Program—have led us to the pinnacle:

Creating a Home Practice.  Saturday June 23 2-4 pm @ Hudson River Yoga, Poughkeepsie

I will hand you everything you need to practice at home: A method, motivation, visual aids.

The only things you will need to put this method into practice are:

You. 15 minutes. A timer of some sort.

That’s right—you only need 15 minutes.  You can find them. 

Practicing at home enhances your group classes—you’re not sore for days because it’s been a week since you’ve moved those muscles/joints.  You will be better prepared to face your day—by removing stiffness in the body and focusing the mind. You will build discipline and resolve by doing something you thought you couldn’t do—and if you can do “the impossible” in one area of your life, “the impossible” in other areas of your life become more probable.

I know this method works because it is what I do 6 days a week.  And have been doing 6 days a week for nearly 8 years.

The hardest part of this practice is showing up.  But when you show up once, the next time is easier. Show up to the workshop and you have already succeeded.

See you there.

Sense of Urgency

This is a picture of a clock in the kitchen of The French Laundry, one of the top restaurants in the world. (Caveat and apologies-I pulled this image from Google and do not have photo credit info). Every time someone in that kitchen looks at the clock, they are reminded that time is valuable.

I have paralleled before the attitudes which make successful cooks and successful yogis and will continue to plow forward with that theme today. 

Swami Sivananda writes anecdotally that he has known some students who focus totally on asana practice and neglect meditation, saying they will do that when they are older. Swami S chastises this attitude and encourages students not to wait because there is no guarantee that tomorrow will come.

How many times have you approached your practice and said “I don’t feel like it today, I’ll do it tomorrow?” How many times have you thought “Well, I really should practice,” or “I wish I had practiced?” 

I have been there, too. 

I can say with complete honesty that there are days I did not practice and wished I had, but I have never once come away from practicing thinking “Boy I wish I hadn’t practiced today.”

We have a very short time to do a very large amount of work.  In a restaurant kitchen, especially a 3* Michelin kitchen like the French Laundry, there is so much work to be done.  Perfection is a requirement, not an option, and the guests are waiting.  Every dish must be executed with speed, precision, and finesse. We need to cultivate this mindset with our yogic practices as well.  The main difference though: Cooks know what time service starts. The deadline is well defined.  In yoga, we do not know when ‘time’s up,’ so we need to take advantage of every opportunity to build our practice.

We can make great strides by cultivating a home practice.  A little bit every day will move us much farther along than practicing a lot one day a week, or practicing a lot during one yog-acation then not doing anything for weeks.

Practicing at home, on your own, with no teacher watching or motivating you is the single best thing you can do for your practice.  A little movement—no need to try handstand lotus, Sun Salutations are quick and easy—and a little sitting still, that’s all you need to start with.

I have a great idea.  Why not come to my workshop on Saturday, June 23^rd and learn how to create a home practice?  We’ll talk, we’ll do, and I’ll make sure you have a nice little tool to take home with you.

How do I know my method works?  Because I do it. I have been practicing at home, near daily, for about 8 years.  The method I’m presenting is what I do 6 days a week, only shorter—this is only a starting point, a seed which will grow with time.   No untested theory, no flavor of the month sequencing, nor a blind retelling of a celebri-yogi’s dvd.  This workshop is based in my own direct experience which has been cultivated and has evolved over time. My sincere hope is that by creating a habit, you will find enjoyment and the motivation to make this practice a part of your life.

Do not wait! Start to build your home practice today!

“Practice and Detachment are the means to still the fluctuations of the mind…And this practice will become firmly rooted when it is cultivated skillfully and continuously for a long time”

~Patañjali’s Yoga Sutras I.12,14