Yama and Yelling for Dada
30 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
Yama, the first of eight limbs of Yoga
The Yamas represent a series of “right living” or ethical rules within Hinduism and Yoga. They are a form of moral imperatives, rules or goals in which to live your life.
http://brookshall.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html
According to the Yoga Sutras by Pantanjali (and summarized in yoga.com) the yamas are composed of five components including:
- Ahimsa, or non-violence is the awareness and practice of non-violence in thought, speech and action. It advocates the practices of compassion, love, understanding, patience, self-love, and worthiness.
2. Satya, or absence of falsehood. To be in harmony with mind, word and action, to conduct speech and mind according to truth, to express through speech and to retain it in the intellect what has been seen, understood or heard A truthful person is one who expresses in his speech exactly what he thinks in his mind and in the end acts according to it.
3. Asteya, or non-stealing upholds forgoing the unauthorized possession of thought, speech, and action. Asteya stands against covetousness and envy and advocates the cultivation of a sense of completeness and self-sufficiency in order to progress beyond base cravings.
4. Brahmacharya, or appropriate use of vital essence. In yoga, this term tends to take on a connotation of disciplining the use of and preserving sexual energy. Brahmacharya can be understood as being applicable as appropriate in different contexts (e.g. faith in marriage, celibacy for spiritual aspirants, etc.) and in more extreme cases, complete celibacy.
5. Aparigraha, or non-possessiveness or accumulation of unnecessary worldly objects, caused by covetousness and attachment. Aparigraha is attained when one remains totally detached from sensual pleasures of all kinds.
Most of these Yamas seem reasonable to attain on a higher level (i.e. don’t kill your neighbor), but how far are you willing to live by following the Yamas? Aparigraha, for example, how does this manifest in our modern ever consuming, ever “needing” world? How do we escape and resist this trap?! How deep can you go on each of these components of the Yamas? Sure, I am guilty and I struggle to live in accordance to the Yamas, but my intension is there and I am a student and I am willing.
Yelling for Dada
Mike (hubby) did his first Criterium (“Crit”) race right in our neighborhood. It’s a bike race held on a short course with the distance determined by a number of laps or a time. I have to say, it was super exciting to watch! Each lap was about two minutes long and the whole race lasted only 45 minutes. It was impressive to see the variance in positions of the riders – one lap, a rider could be in first place and then two laps later he is dead last. Due to the speed of the race and unpredictable spurts of acceleration, wrecks are an ever-present danger. The boys loved watching their Dada on each lap and were having a good time cheering him on. Mike did very well, especially for his first Crit, finishing 12th out of about 45 racers. I am guessing their superhero capes gave him good vibes.
Until next time, find peace and happiness in your day.
Sasha
Eight Limbs and Rubber on the Rocks
23 Aug 2010 Leave a Comment
Yoga’s Eight Limbs
So what are the Eight Limbs of Yoga you ask? If this is a new term for you, it is quite interesting and will take your daily/weekly yoga practice to a much deeper level once you grasp that yoga is much more than just striking a cool balancing pose or makes you break a sweat. Here is a concise explanation and one that you will hopefully find interesting…
Let me start with Pantanjali. Pantanjali is often thought of as the “father of yoga”, the man who compiled 196 sutras, or concise aphorisms, into what is known as the Yoga Sutras. The estimated time frame for compilation of works is wide, most commonly though it is stated that they were written in the second century BC.
Within the Sutras, Patanjali prescribes the adherence to the eight “limbs” or steps which basically act as guidelines on how to live a meaningful and purposeful life. They serve as a prescription for moral and ethical conduct and self-discipline. Additionally, they direct focus towards one’s health and help us to acknowledge the spiritual aspects of our nature.
For more on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, check out what Wikipedia has to say http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga_Sutras_of_Patanjali
The Eight Limbs include; Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. I will break down the Eight Limbs and discuss one limb per each blog post for further information about the Eight Limbs.
Rubber on the Rocks
And now on to the “other” stuff that makes my life balanced… One of these things being biking on the rocks!
My friend, Sarah, and I finally got to go mountain biking together after knowing each other for so many years! That is what happens I suppose when we live across town from each other – which brings us to be about 40 minutes apart. Add the fact that we have four little boys ranging from 20 months to 4 years between the two of us and the fact that Sarah is an engineer -working mama. I wish we had not waited so long to ride together because we had so much fun! It is always so fun riding with someone who challenges you but also you feel is a good match, ability wise. And of course, a triple bonus when this is a friend! Here is a shot of Sarah on Bergen Peak (near Evergreen, Colorado).
The following weekend, Sarah and I managed to get together to do some more biking! Here I am taking on some rocks at Alderfer Three Sisters trail, again in Evergreen, CO.
That was a lovely Sunday which included Sarah and myself actually riding with our husbands! Her Mum, Mary, watched all four kids for us – what a grandma. After the ride, we had a couple mimosa and delicious vegetarian strata in the Ander-Seitz backyard –ahhh!
Until next time, have a peaceful and beautiful day,
Sasha
Organic Gnocchi and a Midnight Ride
11 Aug 2010 3 Comments
Denver hosts an annual Moonlight Classic – essentially, a super fun bike ride that goes around Downtown Denver, hitting some nice spots (i.e. starts at Capital building and meanders through well-known popular neighborhoods, Washington Park, Botanical Gardens, etc.) that starts just before midnight and ends a few hours later. We got overnight babysitters lined up and hooked with a bunch of friends to join the thousands of Denver-ites on such a fun ride. If you have not experienced it yet, it is a must! For the fun and rowdy, families, serious riders, casual riders, you name it. And for a good cause too! Check it out http://www.moonlight-classic.com/
Here is a shot of our team…
Before our midnight ride, Mike and I got suited up to ride to our dinner date at Root Down, a fantastic local restaurant featuring an interesting amalgamation of ingredients that you would not believe would be so delicious together. Not only was their menu wonderful, Root Down prides themself to focus on sustainability. In their efforts, they usw 100% wind powered energy, locally farmed, sustainable and organic foods wherever possible, 70% of Root Down was built and finished with reclaimed, reused and recycled materials, just to name a few. http://www.rootdowndenver.com/menus
Leaving one of our very dearest friends, Jeff and Adrian’s place, riding bikes to dinner – gotta love urban living!
What we ordered:
- MadrasCurried Corn & Tempura Asparagus salad, with organic avocado, micro basil, and harissa vingagrette,
- Steamed mussels in a Thai red curry broth, Israeli cous-cous served with grilled bread
- Sautéed organic carrot gnocchi with seasonal wild mushrooms, asparagus, and parmeggiano, and carrot coriander sauce (wow! Wow!), and
- The delicious veggie burger with red pepper jam, sprout salad and a side of organic sweet potato fries.
Our waiter, Chinadu, was really cool guy from Nigeria. We chatted up with him a bit, learning about how his name is like “Mike” in Nigeria and very common. Learned about his family and the food they eat and a bit about the culture. His shift ended with such a sweet gesture – he sent over two specialty drinks on the house for Mike and I – watermelon, gin, fennel, salt and pepper. It was actually quite tasty!
Me, reflecting about such a delightful meal and great eating spot.
The amazing organic gnocchi from Root Down. Yummmmm…
The next day, we all slept longer than I had ever slept in since college, probably! The morning welcomed us with a terrific urban view from Jeff and Adrian’s place.
After that night’s spectacle, I was in desperate need of some detoxing, sleep and yoga!
Wishing you a beautiful and peaceful day,
Sasha
