Browse Month by June 2014
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Insane yoga practice

While watching the videos, I was struck with several conflicting emotions. First was awe. I couldn’t believe some of the poses were even possible, and they looked at times effortless. Then I felt respect, for the dedication and strength to achieve such poses. Then I felt discouraged, as a beginner to ever dream of having that flexibility even if I practice for a million hours.

Then I felt inspired, because in the end it’s not about the poses. It was a beautiful performance, and that is all it has to be. A vibrant, healthy, fit woman (in her 50′s no less) doing something she clearly loves. So what if I never reach quite so perfect.

Yoga is more about the internal journey towards spirituality than the external manifestation of a limber body. Although, it’s one heckuva beneficial side effect. I’m saying this to remind myself to seek inwards. I’m kidding myself to take on a physical challenge, and then shirk the mental work, which is just as, or even more, difficult.

Let us: soften and be less critical. Loosen the death grip on life. Go with the flow (because you’re going there one way or another). Relish in the balance of all things. Breathe.

General

Why Pinemint.com?

Purportedly, there are 84 lakhs of asanas out there, or 8,400,000 asanas! Clearly too many to aspire to practice. There are many smaller charts of classic yoga postures, ranging between 12 and 84 poses, that are good when first starting to practice yoga.

Master Chart of Asanas By Sri Yogi Dharma Mittra

But the mother of all yoga posters is the Master Chart of Asanas By Sri Yogi Dharma Mittra. Back in the 70′s, during the birth of Yoga in the West, Dharma Mittra posed for an astounding asanas. He created the poster as a gift for his master, and it has been a classic reference and gift for the aspiring yogi ever since.

In 2003, Dharma Mittra also published a book Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses which outlines 608 of the original 908 asanas, one per page in an exhaustive yoga reference book. I have ordered this book but not yet received it so check back for a full review.

So this poster, that hangs in my makeshift and mobile yoga studio is the basis of this site. The challenge is both daunting and epic: to learn and master all asanas. I give myself no time limit but I do aspire to get on the mat and do a little yoga everyday.

General

Kicking off the blog

This is my first post and I’m shivering with excitement and buzzing with anticipation like butterfly wings tickling my belly.

I’ve been traveling around the world this last year and written a blog called…and the net will appear. Now that the travels are over and reality is kicking in I have been wanting to start a new blog. I’ve come to realize that blogging is a bit like therapy. You can vent all your frustrations, share your hopes n’ dreams, design your own destiny. But it’s in that space of sharing a common experience that makes blogging infinitely more rewarding than, say, writing in a locked diary under the covers.

So I wracked my brain for the all-important concept. What will the site be about? Well, in a word: me. That”s all well and good but it isn’t very inspirational. Let’s not forget I’m thirty-something, unemployed, and virtually homeless.

Then I asked myself: who do I want to be? what do I want to be? what do I dream about doing? The answer was simple: I want to be a yogini. That is, to cultivate a peaceful mind through the disciplined pursuit of transcendence. I’ve always wanted to have a serious practice and I’ve never had the will or self-discipline to string more than five sessions together. Can you fathom that I’ve done yoga for over a decade and never (I mean never) held a regular practice?! Sometimes you have to really look at yourself, not the image you create of all the virtues you would have if you had the time, and say, “Bullshit!”

So enough is enough. I have to take a stand. I have to act, not think about acting in an endless gag reel in my brain. No more wistful daydreams. Being a naturally goal-oriented person, I had to come up with a challenge and a big one. Something to keep me motivated and moving forward for weeks, months, and years to come. I’ve tried the goal of one hour a day, and then done exactly one hour on one day and moved on bored beyond belief. I’ve tried smaller goals like touching my toes in forward bend or touching my heals in down dog, and that goal loses its luster in like five minutes.

Then it hit me: what if I learn and master every single yoga pose. There’s a challenge, folks! Surely, it can keep me busy for years to come and, potentially, a lifetime. I can blog daily and keep you apprised of my progress in riveting detail. We can talk about all things related to yoga and spirituality, that constant striving towards the center. That peace of mind and balance in our lives that we all seek.

Along the way I hope to share “the story of me”, whatever that may be. The ups and downs, and twists and turns of a little life lived out as lusciously and loquaciously as possible.