Author Archives: blevine32
Megatron and the Detroit Lions Practice Yoga
Calvin Johnson, who recorded an NFL-record 329 yards in the Lions’ most recent game, does yoga as part of his pregame routine. The specifics of it vary based on what he wants to stretch out, but he definitely believes it is beneficial. He was no stranger to yoga but started doing it consistently when quarterback Drew Stanton was with Detroit from 2008 to 2011. Stanton’s wife, like Raiola’s, was a certified yoga instructor.
With Stanton gone to Arizona, Johnson’s pregame yoga routine is now done in solitude with his yoga mat and a yoga video. Johnson, the best receiver in the NFL, now sees yoga as a way to maintain some flexibility and improve his overall health.
“Whatever I’m feeling, if I need to work on my hamstrings, if I need a full-body deal or if I just need to work on my hips, whatever needs work,” Johnson said.
“I’ve seen definitely a positive impact from just being loose in my hips, hamstrings,” Johnson added. “I know it’s something that worked for me. I’ve just been doing it ever since.”
Click to read more about Nate Burleson and Calvin Johnson benefitting from yoga.
Image via Jason Miller/ESPN/Getty Images
“Patience is also a form of action.”
~Auguste Rodin
Ai Wei Wei’s bronze representations of the animals of the Chinese Zodiac
Currently on display at The Cleveland Museum of Art
11/12 Art: Ai Wei Wei’s The Fountainheads
The Yoga Sutras: 1.1 to 1.4 Exploration of Yoga
Samadhi Pada (Contemplation)
The traditions of yoga were passed down orally from teacher to student. In fact, it is said that Pantanjali (author of the Yoga Sutras) was the first to codify the science of yoga. Students were expected to memorize the correct pronunciation of the sutras before they were able to learn their meanings and applications.
In terms of the yoga sutras, book 1 is more the theory of yoga. Pantanjali begins with the more esoteric concepts for the experienced yogis. Book 2 is the more practical application of the yoga philosophy for lay people like me, and possibly you:). I find it helpful to have a general understanding, however, so I like to start at the beginning. In this weeks article, we are asking the question, what is yoga.
We are reminded in sutra 1.1 that without practice, we will remain stagnant. One of the concepts that I, personally, appreciate in yoga is the necessity for direct experience. It is here that we set the intention (sankalpa) to learn, to peel back the layers of ignorance, and reconnect to our True Nature.
Click to read more of the yoga sutras.
Image via Carrie Hensley
Dialogue between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Fr Laurence Freeman about the Teacher and Disciple
Via Dalailama.com
One of them asked about truth and His Holiness replied, “Once you are familiar with the truth, it has an effect on your mind. In his own teachings the Buddha described reality in different ways because of different dispositions and temperaments among his followers. When Christians and Buddhists come together we can say we have two versions of the truth, if a Muslim joins us there are three.”
Asked whether religion is necessary he said, “Religion is a kind of instrument for transforming our minds into something positive. Everyone wants to be happy and here in the twenty-first century material facilities are highly developed. Indeed since there are still so many poor people we need to have material development. However, a great deal depends on our becoming aware of the limits of material values and our beginning to look inward. So far material development by itself has failed to produce a happy society. “We are all human beings. When I meet someone I think, ‘Here’s another human being who like me wants to be happy.’ Formality just creates unnecessary barriers between us. As members of one human family we don’t need formality between us, so if I have something to say I’ll do so.”
Fr Laurence began to share his thoughts: “I think of Jesus as a human being, a historical person later understood as the Son of God. I relate to him as a natural Jesus, an extraordinary human being, one of the few who have become universal teachers. We know little about his early life, but we know that he had an awakening when he was baptised by John the Baptist and that the spirit of it led him into the desert for forty days. Jesus taught by example, so his life is consistent with his teaching. I asked you years ago how you remain so calm and peaceful and you replied ‘I try to be the same on my own as when I’m with close friends or in public.’
“All Buddhists accept that the Buddha was the son of a local king. When he realized that even for a prince life is full of problems and difficulties he sought a deeper meaning of life and an understanding of reality. He left the palace and spent six years meditating, fasting and living in hardship. In his own life he observed morality, concentration and wisdom. He attained enlightenment and came here to Sarnath to begin his teaching. He had no regard for social status, considering kings and beggars as equal; the important thing was practice.
“The simple thing is that while we are still alive, we should lead a meaningful life from day to day. That means helping others wherever we can, but at least avoiding doing them harm. Then when death comes we will have no regret and can feel confident of going to heaven or to a good rebirth. This is what I do myself. Even in my dreams I remember that I am a Buddhist monk, never the Dalai Lama. If death comes tonight, I’ll have no regrets and I hope this confidence will continue to prevail.”
Click to read more of the conversation between the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis.
NYT: Mindfulness: Getting Its Share of Attention
We’ve written about the yoga benefits for coders and programmers and here’s an excerpt of another interesting article about mindfulness and benefits. Mr. Gordhamer started Wisdom 2.0 in 2009 to examine how we can live with technology without it swallowing us whole. The wait lists for his panel talks and conferences now run into the hundreds.
The “Disconnect to Connect” meet-up was typical. The audience was mostly young, mostly from the Silicon Valley tech scene and entirely fed up with taking orders from Siri. “There was a time when phones didn’t tell you to do everything,” said Mr. Gordhamer, 45, as the conversation got rolling. “What’s work, what’s not work, it’s all become blurred.”
Mr. Gordhamer said the desire is rampant for “non-doing,” as he put it. “What the culture is craving is a sense of ease and reflection, of not needing to be stimulated or entertained or going after something constantly. Nobody’s kicking out technology, but we have to regain our connection to others and to nature or else everybody loses.
It is interesting that Wired and the NYT have both run seperate pieces on the Wisdom conference and mindfulness in Silicon Valley. Read the rest of the article about the growth of mindfulness and meditation in Silicon Valley.
Image via NYT and Roman Muradov