inspiration NOW

Step strong, know yourself first. Step through and beyond your wildest dreams. Let yourself go to the next level today, right this minute. A new spring has come, a pivotal year in a time of tremendous change. You are the leaders, the ones we have waited for.

- from Amo -- http://amoration.wordpress.com/

Bhagavan Das plays the Sitar

A sitar is a very complicated instrument. This one had dozens of strings, and I didn't know how to tune it. I didn't know where to begin, so I left it in the empty room next to Ram Dass' room. Every day I'd bring it flowers and worship it as Sarasvati -- the goddess of music, art, and letters. For weeks I sat with it and meditated.

One day, the sitar spoke to me and told me to pick it up. I picked it up very respectfully, as if I was holding a beautiful woman in my arms. Then it said, "Tune me." And I started tuning the strings. For the next couple weeks I spent hours tuning the sitar, never playing it. Finally, something happened and it all came together. I started to play. But it didn't feel like I was playing the sitar -- it felt like the sitar was playing me. Sarasvati was playing the sitar by using my fingers. I never had a lesson. I just surrendered to the Goddess. The music was sublime.

-- Bhagavan Dass, "It's Here Now (Are You?)

Practice

He explained how yogis and holly men travelled and how people gave them free food so they could focus exclusively on their inner practices. If you meditated a lot, people in India felt that you were doing good work that benefits everyone. You purified the psychic airwaves, so they took care of you. (Its not like in the United States, where, when people hear you're focusing on a spiritual life, they roll their eyes and tell you to get a job.)

In India, being a full-time meditator is a job, which comes with a great benefits package.

- from It's Here Now (Are You?),
by Bhagavan Das

chance and symbolism

Everything for a reason, everything with a purpose.

The other night I had a particularly depressing time on the town. The beginning of the 4th of July, around 1am. I got so flustered that I changed my dinner order to take-out, and sat there debating whether to pay cash or credit. I counted my cash and put my card on the table. Finally went with cash. And I was so done, that I just left the cash on the table (in Mew York City!), walked to the front desk, and told the waitress "I left it on the table" as I fled the scene of the crime.

he next morning I counted my cash. Something like $75 total, about $20 of that in 1s. I couldn't find my ATM card but didn't think much of it... until I had spent almost all my cash on a new pair of shoes, a new shirt, 2 slices of pizza and a drink. I had $8 left. And spent 30 minutes searching for my ATM card in vain.

I made it through the night through the kindness of strangers. The club gate girl who slipped me in, the girl who bought me bottled water.

Come the next morning, I had a single $2 bill and began to strategize how I might transform that and a metro card into a passage to the airport the next morning. It felt like Burning Man all over again, in a way.

Anyways, waltzed over to the restaurant, and asked the maitre de about a lost card. She was super sweet, checked the office, asked the bartender, even called the manager. No luck. I told the bartender "I lost my green card." He said "That sucks." And I replied, "Good News, Bad News... Who knows?"

Back to the homestead all 35 feet south, a renewed effort to find my card. It *will be* here. I *will* find it. A mere five minutes later:

bending three magazines (with a sneaking suspiscion), I sense something rigid inside one of them. Hmmmm... I grab them by their spines and shake. Low and behold, what falls out of, but my little green ATM card. Right behind the flap of "quiet your mind... 5 poses for inner calm," followed closely by "Transform your life with yoga of the heart"

This was a powerful message atop the Ram Dass Be Here Now, and Bhaghavan Dass' It's Here Now (Are You?) reading of the night prior. Slowly, but surely, a picture is forming...

soreness

My body still had not fully recovered from Monica's Sunday class when I went into the Acro Jam on Thursday. It actually shocks me that certain forms can now make my body sore for 4 days. Wow.

Now, 1 day post acro, my body is *really* sore. I wonder if professional athletes live in a state of constant soreness?

This might also have a little to do with alchohol and poor nutrition. I have been exercising like a banshee. So physical health is in good progress. My strength is better than its ever been... so is flexibility and balance. Drinking mildly. My diet sucks. I hate shopping for food, which basically reduces me to being a forager.

So this is my next goal: EAT RIGHT.

Happy 4th of July

This is my fourth public performance. (following Hollywood, Bryant Park NYC, and Central Park NYC)

So as midnight neared last night, I had to celebrate in some way, so I threw on a pair of shorts, scrambled up some batteries for the iPod amp (Music was a required part), lit up my flowtoy glowpoi, and headed for the rooftop. A couple was romantically perched on the ledge, and I said a brief hello but decided not to intrude (breath). I cranked up my music and proceeded to spin a really nice set to Michael Franti (Love, Why did you Go Away?) and then to Bassnectar (Underground Communication). Franti was heartbreaking. Bassnectar was mildly reassuring. I spun a pretty good set. And the whole time I could see the big mis-numbered clock on the rooftop nearby, so I knew exactly the moment we entered July 4. I imagined how my performance would look from the eyes of the couple. I thought, properly done, this could be excellent romantic fuel for them. I hoped it was. I concluded my set and gave them a bow and a polite good night and a "Happy Fourth!". And went back to my own personal independence day in Apt Om.

The Purpose of Yoga Asana

I've been thinking more and more of my Sunday session with Monica.

As noted (a few blog posts) below, I think I lost 5 pounds of water weight during her teaching. And at the start, and the middle, and the end, she repeated the same wisdom:

"The entire purpose of asana is to bring our minds to a state of stillness. Some can achieve this in simple lotus. Others need to completely physically exhaust their body forms before their mind can come to rest."

Me, I'm in the latter. But lately, I've been practicing in other places. Like on the plane up here today. I was sitting next to a sexy young girl, and obviously I desired to communicate with her (and I did), but there were also times in the 3 hours of flight and tarmac that I wished to turn inward deeply (and I did). To get to that deep inner place, I thought of Monica's teaching.

And I did it again today walking through Central Park. And again tonight in my apartment. remain calm. seek inner peace. it will all be OK. :)

G

We be AcroJammin NYC!

Well, Jake started the AcroNYC Google Group, which takes up on the text-messaging foundation that Mary built, and perfect timing since I just joined this community.

So now we have a NY city-wide acroyogi superhero community building / flash mob decentralized communication hub! YES!

Via this mechanism, I was able to participate in the playtime in Central Park today. It was ultra-fun, very challenging, and by the end, I was ready for both a nap and a beer.

Participants included Jake, Mary, Metta, Jules, Wendy, and me. We warmed up for about 15 minutes then paired off for some basics. But pretty soon, we were into some *crazy* moves, including a daring inverted twist into full flip!

I put Wendy through a fairly advanced sequence including the flip and a jumping inverted flying handstand start, and we practiced it three times to make sure it was recorded in our bodies. it just got better and better each time.

In this sense, AcroYoga is incredibly similar to rock-climbing; it blends elements of balance, raw strength, improvisation, and serious problem solving skills all together in a spontaneous partner-based art-form.

In all we jammed for about 5 hours straight. The high is so good, I often found myself just drawling post-sequence, especially after flying.

Jake was a genuine ambassador to the arts, and not only gave me great training, but just by watching him I learned a lot. There were admirers all the while (the meadow we were playing in prolly had about 2000 people in it), but one group in particular started doing basic gymastics about 200 feet from us. Dear Jake just called out to them and said "wanna play and learn?" and the best of them came over with his two girl friends, and Jake proceeded to base him into a pretty badass sequence... this was this kids very first time doing acro. Afterwards, coming down, with a stunned look on his face, he asked "Is there somewhere I can learn how to do this more?" A card was given. I knew the look in this kids eyes. He was hooked.

Many more hours and water, and some poi spinning, and some hooping, later, we all joyously parted ways... until tomorrow, the 4th of July Jam :)

PLEASE GOD LET ME PRACTICE ACROYOGA AS A HAPPY FULFILLING LIFESTYLE!

How to Fly

Just had the most incredible yoga / flying dream ever. It was a deep profound vision. In it, Deven and I and some of the AcroNYC crew were in central park meditating in lotus position. Strong strong strong winds whipped up. Tornado force winds. We extended our arms and our bodies became like sails. The wind lifted us up and into the air. With ever so subtle (and some not so subtle) gestures, we were able to "reap the wild wind" and navigate through the storm, using nature's power as our flying power.

It took genuine courage to do this. In fact, we time / space shifted a bit between central park and the playa, as significant dust storms kicked up with the force of the wind. I found we could both breathe and see in the dust without irritation; it simply took willpower and faith.

This dream was such a powerful vision and yet I find I have no more words for it. I awoke excited and aware and awake, my heart beating fast in a purely passionate and pleasureable way.

In 10 hours I will be in Central Park (in real life) playing Acro with my new flying friends. May all our dreams come true!