Some backbends

Okay, a few things backbend-related: Here’s the post on Arturo’s site where Bindi made an interesting comment about how to stack the arms/shoulders in urdhva dhanurasana. Arturo is also hosting a lurkers’ amnesty week, where people who read but don’t comment are invited to say hi. I promised Wyrdbyrd a while back that I would [...]

Ground of being, Yoga rodeo, Backbends

From The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi: In chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra, a rich man, in order to lure his unwary children out of the burning house where they are playing, offers them a beautiful carriage drawn by a white ox, promising to give it to them after they get out of the [...]

Engaging my husband in dinner conversation

“What’s your favorite pose?” “I hate them all.”

Counted practice. Not so much.

This morning I decided to use Sharath’s CD to count practice for The Cop and myself. Figured it’d be good to have him hear the names of poses and adjust to the metronome of a counted practice. Plus he could hear all of the “inhale” and “exhale” commands. I was concerned it might be too [...]

Oven woes, funny bone, Lydia

The second cake of the weekend, made to prove that the first cake’s flop was due to expired baking soda and baking powder, was also a flop. Sigh. I’ve sent away (yes, to Amazon) for an oven thermometer so I can check the temperature calibration of the oven. The Cop and I ate some of [...]

Blender and other kitchen issues

Just ordered a blender from Amazon. Sorry, Carl. It wasn’t an easy decision, going Amazon. I worked for a decade in independent bookstores, so it hit close to home. But their business model is pretty impressive. And my Prime membership means I pay $75 bucks up front and they second day ship everything I buy [...]

Zee’s Farewell

Zee left a comment on the previous post. There seem to be some issues with the links he embedded running from the comments section, so I’ve included them in this post (although Ursula’s link in the original comment was empty, so I can’t fix it). *** I just dropped by to say Arrivederchi…. in grand [...]

Today: a list

Sit Read and take some notes for poetry project Get massage Make carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for The Cop Housework Listen to RF podcast (“Philosophical Extremes” — how serendipitous!) Review a document for work (i.e., get a head start on Monday) One significant upside to practicing Ashtanga every day for ~90 minutes is [...]

Morning Lecture

Over at Owl’s site, there is some ongoing discussion about practice and its relationship to realization or “awakening.” I read a little this morning and then when I turned to my morning reading, I had to laugh. Lately I’m reading The Zen Teachings of Master Lin-Chi. Master Lin-Chi — also translated as Linji (Chinese), and [...]

Cryptic & short on time

When Hokaku yelled, ‘Wake up!” in the midst of zazen, he meant the physical, too. And it’s not a melting away so much as straight through. This morning: palate/moolabandha link clicks in. The motion of the breath. In asana, using the curled tongue to access that deep “just spine,” and limbs go off the radar. [...]