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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Day 32

10:00 AM

My knees are sore this morning. More than before... I felt both of them as soon as I woke up. Oh yeah, I woke up at 7.15, by the way. Just to throw it out there... I asked the teachers about it, and they all say it normal to feel that way after 30 consecutive practices. The knees are changing on the inside, realigning, and the pain is normal. It will go away... The good thing is that both of my knees hurt the same, so I know its not an injury. I heard one of the teachers say that, during the teachers training, they would see people with ice packs on their knees. It is really an unknown land for my body, so it has to go through a painful phase before it settles into a new environment. As long as it stays just sore, and it doesn't become, as they like to call it, red flag pain. During the class I don't really feel it, its more in the evening and in the morning. Maybe I should take a day off, to give my knees a break... Yeah right... Suck it up...

2:00 PM

I came across a very interesting story today. I was talking to a friend of mine, and she pointed out this yoga book, where they had some really interesting thoughts about yoga. Really interesting... At first, I thought it was just an old way of thinking. The old times, old attitudes and values... However, the more I think about it, the more I start to agree with it, in a way...

" In the old days in India, yoga was considered an esoteric practice suitable for monks, sadhus, and sannyasis, but not for the householder, who might lose all worldly interest, and abandon his family by undertaking the practice..."

How about that...? Old way of thinking. Nowadays is just different. We are different now, so this can't apply. Really...?

First of all, we are not different than the people from the ancient times. We were supposed to be more civilized, smarter, open, in touch with the world around.  Supposed to be... In reality we are exactly the same, in some cases even worse. Our connection with the world around us is nonexistent. We are smart enough to build anything, but even smarter to destroy it. Open and civilized, yeah... Today we just have better cell phones.... There is truth in this statement. True yoga is moving meditation, capturing the moment. It paves the road to real life, universal love, one energy... It teaches one how to live a life in one single breath, it constantly reminds us of the most important lesson: "Don't forget to breathe..."  Just like meditation, yoga is a limitless practice, with enormous benefits... On the other side, spiritual practice, both yoga and meditation, is usually a narrow road that fits only one person. Greatest yogis and zen masters are single people. Your love for people increases greatly, your compassion rises every day, you glow with positive energy, but this path is still a car with one seat. Spiritual practice is a road heading inward, deep inside the self, and usually you can't take two or more people on that trip. And slowly, without ever wanting or noticing , you isolate yourself in a way. Not so much physically, but mentally. The deeper down the rabbit hole you go, the more you start to see the truth, the way, the self. You start to see how upside down our world actually is. You still swim in the same ocean as you did before, but your eyes are more open now. You get to feel people, not just see them... Feel them drowning in their own ocean, feel them trying to swim as hard as they can. And your heart is full of love for all of them, so you reach out to everyone. You try to take their hand and help them swim. You are not a good swimmer yourself, but you know a little bit at this point. At least how to float on the water... So you try. You arm yourself with love and compassion, and you reach out... Soon you realize that most of the people don't want to learn to swim. They like drowning. You start to feel that these same people are dragging you down to the bottom of the ocean. No matter what you try, their eyes do not open. They like them closed... Eventually you let go. You swim back to your own ocean, and continue on the narrow road. Alone... You love those closed eyes, and you are there for all of them, but you enter the rabbit hole by yourself...

11:00 PM

What did I blog about today... Is it true? False? I don't know. Dooooon't knooooooow.... Like a mantra. So why even blog? Why even go to yoga tomorrow? I don't know... I do know one thing. I am going to yoga tomorrow...

1 comment:

  1. The tone is kind of lame but he makes some good points. Your knees don't hurt in class because it's hot and you have better lubrication. Once you cool down, any damage (or re-alignment, as your teachers say) you did will start to yell at you. Knees are fragile.

    http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/02/how-to-ruin-your-knees-with-yoga-running-tennis-or-skiing/

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