Cheryl Thomas, RYT
www.cherylthomas.com
yoga@cherylthomas.com
415-308-3377
|
|
Why Not You?
So much sadness and suffering lately. Well, not just lately, but always. It's not hard to find someone or someones
that just have bad, bad stuff happen to them.
Recently, the earthquakes, the
violence in Mexico and the suicide bombings are enough to want to pick up your knapsack
and move to . . . well, Mars, I guess.
Is there a difference between the pain a mother feels when
she's lost her child under rubble in Santiago, or to dysentery in Calcutta or to SIDS in
London? Why me, why my child? Why did God do this to me? Everyone's suffering is unique. A unemployed 55-year old SF business man who
can't pay his mortgage feels just as distraught as the migrant farm worker in
Napa who can no longer send money to his family in Mexico. Their situations may be vastly different, but
they don't feel different? When you really look at it, we are all the
same. It's easy to internalize pain and it
feels as if I'm the only one suffering. It's
super hard to keep things in perspective, isn't it.
Here's a beautiful Buddha story that I love and it's stuck
with me. I'm going to summarize it the
best I can, but if I've butchered it, you really should read it here. http://hubpages.com/hub/buddhistblog.
A
wealthy woman, Gotami, lost her
child. Distraught she carried the child
to all the doctors and healers in order to find a cure. They all told her the same thing-I can't help
you, your child is dead. Refusing to
believe them, she carried her dead child from place to place pleading for
someone to find a cure. Finally, she was
told a there was a medicine man who could help her, Buddha. The Buddha indeed told her he could save her
child, but needed a bit of mustard seed to make his medicine. He asked the woman to bring him some mustard
seed, but only from a home that had not known death. Ecstatic, the woman went to from house to house
seeking the mustard seed. They all had the
seed, but she was unable to find a home that had not lost a loved one. She continually heard the stories of pain and
loss from each home she visited. Returning
to the Buddha, she had realized her selfishness. The Buddha responded: " Be prepared, Gotami, for you will suffer
many other deaths in your time, and some day, your own. Destroy the attachment that causes your grief,
and you will lead a better life."
So, our problems, losses, pain, are unique to us, but not
unique at all. If moving to Mars is not
an option, then I think we're stuck right here to feel discomfort, pain, sadness, suffering and grief. It's the attachment to the grief that's the
suffering.
|
|
Q&O
A: The guy next to me in yoga class makes a weird breathing sound. It's like I'm practicing next to Darth Vader. It it some yoga thing?
O: Yes, it is a yoga breathing thing called ujjayi pranayama, also referred to as victorious breath. It's practiced as a breath exercise (pranayama) or used throughout an entire class, like ashtanga. It is said to be both relaxing and energizing. Because it is loud in your ears, it can help you keep your attention on the breath and it is more obvious when your breath has gone astray.
|
Week of March, 21, 2010
Wednesday
5:30 - 6:45 p.m.
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
www.yogastudioganesha.com
Vinyasa Flow + Restorative
All Levels
Thursday
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Graton Community Center
Gentle Yoga - All Levels
Saturday
9:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Yoga Center of Sonoma County
www.yogacenterofsonomacounty.com
Vinyasa Flow- All Levels
Week of March 28, 2010
Tuesday
9:00 - 10:30
Yoga on Center, Healdsburg
www.yogaoncenter.com
Vinyasa All Levels
Tuesday
11:30 - 1:00 p.m.
Westside Yoga Studio, Sebastopol
http://www.westsideyogastudio.net/
Gentle Yoga
Tuesday
9:00 - 10:30
Westside Yoga Studio, Sebastopol
http://www.westsideyogastudio.net/
Gentle Yoga
Wednesday
5:30 - 6:45 p.m.
Yoga Studio Ganesha, Sebastopol
www.yogastudioganesha.com
Vinyasa Flow + Restorative
All Levels
Thursday
8:30 - 9:30 a.m.
Graton Community Center
Gentle Yoga - All Levels
Thursday
11:30 - 1:00
Westside Yoga Studio, Sebastopol
http://www.westsideyogastudio.net/
Gentle Yoga
Thursday
5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Westside Yoga Studio, Sebastopol
http://www.westsideyogastudio.net/
Gentle Yoga
|
|
|
Hope to see you soon!
Namaste,
Cheryl
|
|
|
|
|
More Affordable Yoga
The Yoga Center of Sonoma County is running a special right now: 5 class package for $50 (expires 30 days from date
of purchase). Check out their schedule at www.yogacenterofsonoma county.com.
Mandolin, Sarod and Tabla
Listen to Americana old time tunes and
Indian
music by Phil Lawrence and Lisa Sangita
Saturday April 3, 2010
7:30pm
- 9:30pm
at Yoga Studio
Ganesha
$10-20, Want more info? Contact Devorah at (707) 824-1198.
|
|
|
