There is a space

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." 

~Victor Frankl

From an excellent post at Zen Habits... check it out!

A yogini's advice: "Be inspired."

I am so happy to share this interview with Karen Harmelin Tropea, one of the most important yoga teachers in my life.

During my second year of medical school, Karen started up a morning Mysore program in Philadelphia. Almost every day before heading to class or the hospital, I would go there to practice yoga. It has been incredible to watch this community grow over the years and I can’t imagine my life in Philadelphia without it... it has been a constant and supportive space during so many of my ups and downs of medical school.

Karen is an amazing woman, yoga teacher, and role model. She has taught me tons about yoga, she has given me a lot of life advice, she has challenged me when I’ve needed challenging, and she has calmed me when I’ve needed calming. I decided to ask Karen some questions I’ve been curious about and I hope you enjoy her answers as much as I did.

Karen is also beautifully pregnant with her second child… so stay tuned for more from her about yoga and pregnancy!

***

Why do you practice Ashtanga yoga? 

I practice Ashtanga yoga because it is the most grounding practice for me. I am a physical person, I have always needed to be very active and have never done well in life (all aspects) without physical exercise. So Ashtanga was a good practice for this outlet at first. I connected to its very challenging physical practice, but soon discovered that the method was a gateway to the deepest center of who I am… my courage, my fears. It helped me meditate and it allowed me to be diligent and grounded. All forms of yoga can help individuals find out about themselves and go deeper within. Ashtanga just happens to do this for me.

How has your practice changed over the past 10 years and how do you see it changing over the next 10 years?

My practice has changed in so many ways. I think a regular yoga practice will naturally evolve anyway, but my physical practice has gone through ups and downs, strides and setbacks. Pranayama has gotten stronger and more focused and I am sure it will (along with bandhas) continue this path in the next 10 years. A steady growth and deep awareness have progressed within my pranayama and bandhas. These aspects of practice become solid with understanding and diligence.

The physical practice changes as one ages, gets injured, has babies etc. I definitely had a much more physically oriented practice when I was 27. Over the past few years having had a back injury and now two pregnancies, I have backed off the physical part and have focused more on the continuity of breath and connection to myself that comes with a more matured practice. I have learned that there is a lot more to a dedicated practice than just being able to get into postures or complete a series. It is most important to practice. Through backing off I found that breath and bandhas make the practice more efficient and actually allow a student to achieve more, physically. I have become more patient.

Over the next 10 years? I have no idea. I think women experience a resurgence of energy and physical ability in their 40’s. I have seen it in many of my students. I am excited by the changes my body will undergo in the next 10 years! Other limbs (of the eight) are a constant work in progress. 

How do you balance your yoga practice with all of the demands from the rest of your life? 

How does anyone balance a practice with life? I just have to make the time. If I have a busy day I practice for just a small amount of time, and try to dedicate another day in the week to a longer more focused practice. My husband and I both practice, so we trade off days or time in the shala.

I can honestly say that I took for granted the days when I attended a regular morning Mysore and was able to stay for 1.5-2 hours 6 days per week. I am sure there will be a time in my life when that happens again. Right now I would rather spend time with our son. Kids are little for such a small amount of time. I try to use the other limbs in raising and birthing my kids. It has been an amazing way to see how Ashtanga yoga has shaped my life.

Who have been your greatest yoga teachers and why?

I have had only a few teachers in my life. I have taken many classes and tried many practices, but only a few people who I consider to have been teachers for me. Richard Freeman was my first real teacher. I learned to practice daily from him. I learned a vast foundation while I was in Boulder, but I think I was too young to really get what I was experiencing there. Eric Powell was and still is a teacher for me. He impacted my physical practice and made my physical understanding of the practice real. He continues to do this for me. David Keil has taught me so much about being a teacher. David Garrigues has helped me to learn that there are times to push yourself and there are times to respect your body as well as what is happening in your life. Great yoga teachers will guide a student and give them a clear understanding of what they are learning. A great teacher also allows the student to make mistakes and helps them to learn from those mistakes through experience.

Tell us about your diet.

I eat a lot of greens. I LOVE kale and swiss chard and spinach. I pretty much like all vegetables. I prefer macrobiotic meals and vegan slow cooked food over quick foods (like snack bars) and junk. I eat junk once in a while, but it never sits well in me. I never eat fast food. I am a grazer. I eat raw nuts and dried fruit for snacks. When I am super active I can eat a lot. I love the farmers market and I buy most of my family’s food there. Eat local!

I also like to cook. My husband and I make sure to eat as a family at home most nights. We typically eat very little meat. If we do eat it, it is local, grass fed beef or fish. We do not eat poultry and will never eat veal or pork. I was vegetarian and vegan for over 14 years and experimented with a raw diet and macrobiotics. I started eating fish in my late 20's and after becoming pregnant with my first child, began to eat meat once in a while. I truly believe all bodies go through change every few years. It is super important to listen to what your body is telling you. What may work for you one year may not work for you another. Lifestyle changes, activity levels, etc all impact your daily needs. But in general, the body requires a variety foods at different stages of life. I have found that eating a variety of foods based around whole grains, leafy greens, nuts and fruit, and healthy fats has been most beneficial for me in my 30's and while having babies. I am sure my 40's will require much of the same with some added new twist!

Who has been the most influential person on your health habits?

My parents. They have given me the tools to be healthy and I have also picked up on their bad habits and have tried to steer clear of them. I have influenced my own health habits. I read a lot about current issues and I have experimented on myself. I know what works for me. Yoga is a huge part of being able to stay in touch with your body. Ashtanga Yoga can help you recognize what is “off” on a daily basis. There isn’t one right formula for health.

What is your biggest fear?

I fear what all parents fear. It is unspeakable. I can honestly say that throughout my life I have not had too many real fears… Nothing at least that would preclude me from doing or trying things. I wouldn’t say I was fearless, but I have never really experienced a deep fear until I had a child. If I ever had an anxiety or nervousness I was always able to move through it and process it. I guess I got lucky because somehow I managed to transcend this emotion. If you asked my parents I am sure they would have a lot to say on this about me. I just realized I have one more fear... having a child who doesn’t experience fear ;)

If you could tell a room of 10,000 young women one piece of life advice, what would it be?

Be inspired. Life is so unbelievably short. Seize opportunity. Sometimes the best and most important things in life happen because you were just having fun.

What do you wish you could go back in time and tell your 25-year old self? 

I would say, “See last answer” but I know I did that at 25. I would tell my 25-year old self to ask: “What do YOU want out of life? Sit and think about it, don’t rush into anything just because you think it’s a good idea or it’s what you should do. Its ok to take the time to figure out what will make you happy. Approach every major life decision this way. I tend to leap and deal with things later. I would tell myself to skip instead… at least once in a while ;) 

Yoga is freedom.

While googling "Ashtanga yoga in Seattle" (I head there next month for a conference and cannot wait to check out the mysore scene), I came across this wonderful quote by Richard Freeman (thanks to Troy Lucero's website):

“Yoga is freedom. It’s freedom from the fear of not knowing who you are. It’s freedom from having to present a face that isn’t your true face. It’s freedom from pretending to believe in something that you really don’t know to be true. It’s the return to the present moment, to the natural mind, to the state of complete happiness.”   

~Richard Freeman

If hungry for more, check out his new book!

Getting it back

In the movie Surfwise, Dr. Pascowitz defines health as:

“Not meaning the absence of illness but a superior state of well being. Above and beyond simply being but being everything a human being can be so that the brain can be everything that it can be.”

I think we all kind of know what Pascowitz is talking about. We all have times when we feel far from this "superior state of well being." We know when we’ve lost some of our zest and vitality for life.

Lately, my excitement for residency has been taken over by stress, fears, and uncertainty over the future.  I’ve been seeking ways to regain that “superior state of well being.” Here is my working list of things to do to help get it back: 

• Call an old friend. Old friends remind of us of who we are, what we want, why we’re doing what we’re doing, and what we might be missing. Call someone you haven't talked to in a while, call someone who "gets" you. 
• Meet a new friend. Meet up with someone you admire and want to learn from. Get inspired.
• Eat carefully. Food affects our mood and vice versa. When we're feeling down, the foods we often crave can end up making us feel worse. When feeling fragile, I try to stick to the basics: fruits, veggies, and grains.
• Learn something new. A new food, a new skill, a new fact.
• Create something. Try out a new recipe, make a collage, write a journal entry.
• Go for a run. Sweat it out. Get some endorphins circulating. 
• Do yoga. Get up early, make some coffee, and go practice. Hold upward facing dog for longer than usual and do lots of backbends. Remember how Iyengar said, “If you keep your armpits open, you won’t get depressed.” 
• Recognize your destructive thought patterns. Negative automatic thoughts spiral into more negative thoughts and doubts. Try not to get stuck in these thought patterns! First step is recognizing them.
• Do not wallow. Don’t keep sitting there thinking – get up and go do something! 
• Indulge in ‘me’ time. For me this means lighting a candle, taking a bath, and reading some Rumi.
• De-clutter your space. Clean up your clutter. I finally bought hangers and hung up all the clothes that were lying around my room... easy and instant gratification.
• Smile and laugh. Especially when you don’t feel like it. Fake it till you make it. 
• Keep a small journal with you wherever you go. The little pocket moleskine ones are perfect. Write down ideas, questions, quotes you like, lists of things you want to do.
• Go outside. Disconnect from your phone and computer.

What else do you do? Please share!

Things to be desired

I’ve been spending the weekend at home with my parents, and rummaging through my old clothes and journals. This morning, I came across an old journal from college and found this poem (below) glued inside the front cover. I hope you like it as much as I did both today and 10 years ago:

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. 

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; 

and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant, they too have their story. 

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. 

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; 

for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. 

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. 

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; 

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. 

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; 

many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. 

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection. 

Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment 

it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly to the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. 

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. 

But do not distress yourself with imaginings. 

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. 

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; 

you have a right to be here. 

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, 

and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, 

keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

~Max Ehrmann c.1920

A dad's yoga lessons

We have many teachers in our lives, and often the most influential (and most overlooked) are our parents.

Though my dad may not tell people he does “yoga,” he is a yogi by my standards. He starts every morning with mindful exercises and a jog. He is disciplined. He works hard. He is compassionate. He eats healthily. He cares about the environment. Plus, he can do a pretty awesome handstand for a 63 year old!!! Check this out: 

He also just published a book (Shooting in the Wild: An Insider's Account of Making Movies in the Animal Kingdom) about the yogic principle of ahimsa (non-violence), though he doesn’t use that word. He writes about how through the process of educating people on important environmental issues, we can unintentionally tread a path of abuse, harm, and unethical behavior. And of course, this is not unique to his industry of environmental filmmaking – many industries cause harm in the hopes of creating benefit (i.e. food industry, pharmaceutical industry).

I never realized this before, but my dad has actually taught me a lot of yoga. I decided to ask him some questions I’ve never asked him before:

1. Who are your greatest mentors on non-violence and why?

Gandhi because he was extraordinarily fearless in confronting violence with non-violence. And Congressman John Lewis because again he was incredibly brave when it come to facing down the vicious and violent tactics of the racist police departments in the segregated south.

2. What are 3 things people can do right now to minimize the harm we cause the environment?

Stop eating meat. Buy organic fruits and vegetables. Live modestly and without ostentation.

3. What are some of your daily habits and routines that help keep you focused on your goals and purpose?

I assiduously follow my Personal Mission Statement. I exercise daily for at least an hour, including standing on my hands for one or two minutes. I plan my day meticulously and always work on paper (not in my head). I never drink alcohol and like to live ascetically, simply, and with intentionality. My diet is vegetarian with lots of fruit and vegetables. I virtually never watch television. I love smiling, laughing, being funny, and greeting everyone I meet with great warmth.

4. What is the key to achieving happiness, success and fulfillment?

Devote your life to helping solve one of society’s great problems (for example, environmental degradation, poverty, child abuse, and prejudice against women) so that your life has purpose, direction, and meaning.

5. What are some things you do to stay healthy while traveling?

I exercise daily when travelling (including swimming if the hotel has a pool), never waste time in the plane watching movies (instead I read), avoid any foods that might upset my stomach (including coffee), eat black or white bean soup whenever I can get it, stay closely connected with my wife and three daughters by phone and e-mail, and keep careful track of my commitments so I build a deep trust with my colleagues and friends.

6. What is your biggest fear?

My biggest fear is failing to achieve my goals as described in my Personal Mission Statement, and thereby dying with remorse, regrets, and disappointments.

7. If you could tell a room of 10,000 young adults one piece of advice, what would it be? 

Work hard, avoid indolence and idleness, be both serene and ambitious, avoid duplicity at all costs, and devote your professional lives to a cause that will improve society and help others.

"Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity"

Quote of the day:

Take care of your body with steadfast fidelity.

The soul must see things through these eyes alone,

And if they are dim, the whole world is clouded.

~Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

Who teaches us how to take care of our bodies? Our doctors? Our teachers? Our parents? Our coaches? Our spiritual advisors (if we have them)?

Does anyone have someone like this in their life? Please share!

Iyengar: "Health is religious."

I bought this book in India four years ago and just recently started reading it: The Tree of Yoga by BKS Iyengar.

Here's an excerpt that caught my attention: 

“Each one has to train himself or herself, for without discipline we cannot become free, nor can there be freedom in the world without discipline. Discipline alone brings true freedom. If you have to gain health, do you think you can do so without discipline? Moderation in living is essential. This is why yoga starts with a code of conduct which each individual has to develop. One who is undisciplined is an irreligious person. One who is disciplined is a religious person. Health is religious. Ill-health is irreligious.” 

Live the questions

Tomorrow I head to Boulder for the month for yoga teacher training!

The past few days have been a mix of everything… mainly excitement, nervous anticipation, and sadness to be leaving my life here. 

More to come from Boulder, but first one of my favorites quotes that I've been thinking about lately...

Live Everything

I want to beg you, as much as I can,

to be patient toward all that is unresolved

in your heart and to try to love the questions

themselves like locked rooms and like books

that are written in a very foreign tongue.

Do not seek the answers, which cannot

be given you because you would not be able

to live them.

And the point is to live everything.

Live the questions now.

Perhaps you will then gradually,

without noticing it, live along

some distant day into the answer. 

~ Rainer Maria Rilke

What makes us happy?

Check out this article Josh found on what makes people truly happy. It’s about a study that followed 268 men who entered college in the 1930’s… following them through war, careers, success, failure, love, relationships, marriage, divorce, parenthood, retirement, death.

For me, I don’t think any kind of research study could get it more right than Allan Chalmers when he says a person needs just three things to be truly happy:

Someone to love. Something to do. Something to hope for.

An inclusion diet

The New York Times had a great article yesterday about Scott Jurek – a vegan ultramarathoner. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s worth the read. 

Photo credit here  

I love seeing articles like this in the New York Times (thank you to the author, Mark Bittman!), because being vegan does not mean you have to be weak and wimpy… Jurek’s easy days are 40-mile runs! 

He says, “When you’re a vegan, to increase your calories as you increase training you need more food. This isn’t an elimination diet but an inclusion diet.”

An inclusion diet, I love that.

Jurek also says: “None of this is weird. If you go back 300 or 400 years, meat was reserved for special occasions, and those people were working hard. Remember, almost every long-distance runner turns into a vegan while they’re racing, anyway — you can’t digest fat or protein very well.”

Many people who get into yoga move in the vegetarian/vegan direction, but it's great to hear about other athletes doing this as well. 

I wonder if there have been any studies looking at how the switch to a vegan diet impacts people's athletic performance?

Questions, visions, missions

Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:

• I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
• I shall fear only God.
• I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
• I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
• I shall conquer untruth by truth.
• And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.
• ~Mahatma Gandhi's mission

Last night during dinner on the balcony with good friends, some ever-present questions surfaced: where we are going with our lives, who do we want to be in 20 years, are we on the right path?

The idea of creating a personal mission statement came up … we googled it and found this: Stephen Covey's mission statement builder.

We went through the 10-steps of questions and it churned out our own personal mission statements (totally nerdy but we loved it).

Anyway, I couldn’t help thinking that this is something primary care doctors should be doing with their patients. How great would it be to have this in the front of medical charts and be able to check back on it each time a patient comes in for a visit. 

Books and ideas

Food and medicine are not two different things: they are the front and back of one body. Chemically grown vegetables may be eaten for food, but they cannot be used as medicine.” ~Masanobu Fukuoka

I spent a lovely chunk of the day in the windy park with fun, thoughtful yogis talking about this amazing little book:

The One Straw Revolution, by Masanobu Fukuoka.

Some passages to remember... 

“Do nothing” stance to farming 

He talks about a “do nothing” stance to farming, teaching that the best methods for food cultivation are those aligned with nature -- minimal soil disruption (no tilling or weeding) and no application of chemicals (be they fertilizers or pesticides).

(This really resonates with me for thinking about medicine… what are we farming in our bodies? What are the best methods for health cultivation? Seems to be those that are aligned with our natural bodies - minimal disruption of bodily processes and no application of chemicals.)

Pursuing a subject in its wholeness

He condemned the “piecemealing” of knowledge by specialization; he believed that a subject should be pursued in its wholeness.

“An object seen in isolation from the whole is not the real thing. Specialists in various fields gather together and observe a stalk of rice. The insect disease specialist sees only insect damage, the specialist in plant nutrition considers only the plant’s vigor. This is unavoidable as things are now.”

(This is why I like Family Medicine -- a pursuit of medicine in its wholeness) 

Seeking the essential nature of man

“Various religious groups have come to take up natural farming. In seeking the essential nature of man, no matter how you go about it, you must begin with the consideration of health. The path which leads to right awareness involves living each day straightforwardly and growing and eating wholesome, natural food. It follows that natural farming has been for many people the best place to begin.”

(Yes! Just like how the practice of yoga leads people towards these ideas of eating whole, local, natural foods) 

Human tampering

“Human beings with their tampering do something wrong, leave the damage unrepaired, and when the adverse results accumulate, work with all their might to correct them. When the corrective actions appear to be successful, they come to view these measures as splendid accomplishments. People do this over and over again. It is as if a fool were to stomp on and break the tiles of his roof. Then when it starts to rain and the ceiling begins to rot away, he hastily climbs up to mend the damage, rejoicing in the end that he has accomplished a miraculous solution.

It is the same with the scientist. He pores over books night and day, straining his eyes and becoming nearsighted, and if you wonder what on earth he has been working on all that time – it is to become the inventor of eyeglasses to correct nearsightedness.”

(Sounds similar to the huge cost of medicating people for problems we create through our poor lifestyle choices -- including the food we eat and the way we treat our bodies)

The four principles of natural farming 

1. No cultivation: no plowing or turning of the soil... the earth cultivates itself naturally by penetrating plant roots, microorganism activity, animals, etc.
2. No chemical fertilizer or prepared compost: this interference drains soil of nutrients… if left to itself the soil maintains its fertility naturally.
3. No weeding by tillage or herbicides: weeds are important in building soil fertility.
4. No dependence on chemicals: weak plants, disease, and insect imbalance develop as a result of unnatural processes. 

(I think these principles could similarly be applied to medicine and health of the human body) 

Naturally grown fruits and vegetables
“No matter how hard people try, they cannot improve upon naturally grown fruits and vegetables. Produce grown in an unnatural way satisfies people’s fleeting desires but weakens the human body and alters the body chemistry so that it is dependent upon such foods. When this happens, vitamin supplements and medicines become necessary. This situation only creates hardships for the farmer and suffering for the consumer.”

The Western Diet

“One might suppose that Western dietetics, with its elaborate theories and calculations, could leave no doubts about proper diet. The fact is, it creates far more problems than it resolves. One problem is that in Western nutritional science there is no effort to adjust the diet to the natural cycle. The diet that results serves to isolate human beings from nature. A fear of nature and a general sense of insecurity are often the unfortunate results.” 

(So true... we may talk about eating nutritiously but we rarely talk about eating with the natural cycle... this is one reason I am so drawn to the idea of eating locally)

Sickness

“Sickness comes when people draw apart from nature. The severity of the disease is directly proportional to the degree of separation. If a sick person returns to a healthy environment often the disease will disappear. When alienation from nature becomes extreme, the number of sick people increases. Then the desire to return to nature becomes stronger. But in seeking to return to nature, there is no clear understanding of what nature is, and so the attempt proves futile.”

“Doctors take care of sick people; healthy people are cared for by nature. Instead of getting sick and then becoming absorbed in a natural diet to get well, one should live in a natural environment so that sickness does not appear.”

Death
“When rice is planted in the spring, the seed sends out living shoots, and now, as we are reaping, it appears to die. The fact that this ritual is repeated year after year means that life continues in this field and the yearly death is itself yearly birth. You could say that the rice we are cutting now lives continuously…

The same thing that happens to rice and barley goes on continuously within the human body. Day by day hair and nails grow, tens of thousands of cells die, tens of thousands more are born; the blood in the body a month ago is not the same blood today. When you think that your own characteristics will be propagated in the bodies of your children and grandchildren, you could say that you are dying and being reborn each day, and yet will live on for many generations after death.”

Ben Franklin, a yogi?

At the age of 20 (in 1726), Ben Franklin developed these thirteen virtues. He wanted to cultivate his character, and he practiced these for the rest of his life:

1. Temperance. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. Industry. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
13. Humility. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

He sounds like a yogi! I think Ben would have loved our little mysore community here in Philadelphia.

Perspective

I’ve been buried in research... recruitment, enrollment, and running to and from the lab. Today was a much-needed day off to regain some perspective.

Looking at this picture helps too (that little white dot is our earth!):

Photo credit here 

“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” 

~Albert Einstein 

Guest Blogger, Josh Beisler: The Struggle to Practice

I hope you enjoy this piece as much as I did… written by friend and fellow Philly Ashtanga practictioner, Josh Beisler.

The Struggle to Practice

Josh Beisler

The Ashtanga practice is deliberately designed to remain perpetually challenging. The way that you respond to these obstacles will teach you a lot about yourself. It will mold you in ways that you never expected and which are often life-changing.

All of this is great. But, more mundanely, sometimes it’s really hard to get out of bed in the morning and go to practice. Or to miss hanging out with good friends so you can get to bed early enough to wake up at 5:30 in the morning. Or in general to be ever-vigilant about what you eat and what you do over the course of the day because of how it affects your practice.

It's difficult and unpleasant to practice Ashtanga casually because the practice is so physically demanding that anything less than a three times per week daily practice gets painful. You have to stick with it to keep your strength up and this can create stress when your resolve wavers because it can very quickly feel (whether it's true or not) like you're on the verge of losing your practice altogether, or at least risk losing the ability to do that new cherished asana that you finally twisted into last week after months or years of trying.

I felt my left hamstring pop in kurmasana a couple of weeks ago and slowly things have started to change. It's not a particularly bad injury but obviously I have had to take it easy and not push anything, especially forward folds, which is potentially dispiriting and tough on that ever-fragile ego that we're all trying to transcend. Right around the same time a wave of awesome concerts rolled through town and I missed a couple more classes. We've been having heat issues at one of the studios where I practice and it's made it harder to stay warm and so I've felt the injury more distinctly. All of these events have come together at more or less the same time and so recently I have skipped classes, slept in late, or showed up late and only practiced half primary. Which is very unusual for me.

The question is where to go next. Do I let go of my practice a bit by going to class more infrequently and by cutting my practices short so I can stay up late and be more social and do more of the things I've been missing, or do I redouble my resolve to maintain the status quo? I'm not sure but right now my gut is saying back off.

~Josh Beisler

An evangelist for wellness

I learn a lot from people by seeing the way they live their lives… their habits and routines. That’s why I loved reading this article about Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Dr. Oz is a well-known cardiothoracic surgeon (who went to Penn med school!). He is also an author, TV show host, husband, and father.

The article describes him as “an evangelist for wellness” who practices what he preaches, “demanding as much of himself as of others.”

My favorite wellness habits that Dr. Oz practices:

• Carries around bags, containers, and thermoses full of food: yogurt, fruits, nuts, fresh vegetable juices. “Roughly every 45 to 60 minutes, as if on cue, he would ingest something from his movable buffet, but only a bit, his portions assiduously regulated, like an intravenous drip of nutrition. It was the most efficient, joyless eating I have ever seen.” (That does not sound “joyless” to me!!)

• Practices a morning exercise routine: this includes a minimum of 7 minutes of fast-moving yoga, pushups, and sit-ups (7 minutes is better than nothing!) 

• Takes the stairs in the hospital (won’t wait for the elevator) 

• Holds the Oz Family Olympics: this entails “tennis, wind sprints, competitive stair climbing: anything to push back against the forces of, and tropism toward, sedentary living.” (Wow I LOVE this idea! That’s going on the ‘things to do with future family’ list!) 

• Creates spikes in his life-productivity curve: rather than living out the normal person’s life-productivity graph (which is an inverted U with peak productivity in late 30’s/early 40’s), Dr. Oz wants “to delay that summit by taking on new challenges at determined intervals, thus creating vertical spikes in his own productivity graph.”

Lessons from Gandhi

“You may have occasion to possess or use material things, but the secret of life lies in never missing them.” ~Gandhi 

Really loved this Zen Habits blog post about lessons we can learn from Gandhi... I think these are also practiced through yoga.

They include the following:

1. Accumulate little (Gandhi had fewer than 10 possessions when he died)
2. Eat simple food (Gandhi ate vegetarian and local food out of a small wooden bowl)
3. Dress simply (for comfort and purpose, not to impress) 
4. Lead a simple, stress-free life (Gandhi meditated daily and kept his life simple while being a powerful world leader) 
5. Let your life be your message (Gandhi spread his message by the way he lived his day-to-day life)

Idea generation

“If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it.” 

~Albert Einstein

I have heard it said that it is our 20’s and 30’s when we are most creative, when we come up with most of our ideas, when we ask the new questions. Later in life is when we refine them, write about them, teach them.

I like how 12-year-old (!) Adora Svitak says in this TED Talk that the world needs more “childish thinking”… more unburdened free thought, more creativity, and more dreams of perfection.

The most daring thing

"What should young people do with their lives today? 

Many things, obviously. 

But the most daring thing is to create stable communities 

in which the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured." 

~Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.