BarefootAndUpsideDown
Yoga as play, challenge, insight.
Yoga as art, music, poetry. Yoga as coming home.
.: Pages :.
.: Blogs I Love :.
Carolyn’s Tonglen Video
October 23, 2011
Holy Smokes. There’s been a huge shift and I have finally created a perfectly imperfect meditation video. My first ever. Oh such wonderful new areas for me to grow and improve upon.
Thank you to my sis (in law) who is bravely battling cancer. You have inspired me. And inspired healing in circles known and unknown.
Blessings to all of you who are still hanging out at BarefootandUpsideDown. Would love feedback regarding this new adventure.
Sensual Living
October 13, 2011
Do you wish you could live more fully present in your life? I sure do, so I am working on expanding my sensory awareness. There is so much that passes me by, that never registers in my consciousness every waking (sleeping!) moment
What is sensual living, but a life spent paying attention. It’s a physical life. A receptive awareness. It is presence. Experiencing all that is. Touching, feeling, seeing, smelling, moving (yes, the body has that kinesthetic sense), listening, tasting. Any and all of these modalities can become meditations if you ramp up your awareness and really open yourself to what you are experiencing. Yoga itself becomes a powerful tool for meditation this way.
I just finished reading A HOUSE BY THE SEA by poet, May Sarton. Sarton describes living a sensual life in on the coast of Maine. I feel as if I’ve lived at Wild Knoll and pulled goldenrod from her delightful garden and sipped chablis on the patio in her colorful tapestry of existence beside the sea.
Here is a video that I found inspiring and hope you will too. I can’t wait to make my own BOOK OF SENSES. I invite you to live sensually for one month. Maybe we can compare notes afterwards.
Cassie’s Workshop: Book of Senses from Cassie Oswald on Vimeo.
Community in Sound
July 21, 2011
This morning in class after we chanted OM ~ and the class is becoming less self-conscious and more vibrational as they grow accustomed to chanting ~ a student remarked how “good we sounded” as we had reached that exquisite blending of voices ~ that community of OMs.The experience reminded him of the Virtual Choir he’d seen on You Tube. Eric Whitacre, the composer and conductor speaks in the following TED video of what the process of group singing meant to him. He said that the first time he sang in a choir he realized that he was part of something bigger than himself.
In yoga, we’d say that we ARE something bigger than our conception of our individual selves. This is the beauty of chanting before class. We acknowledge and surrender to that energy, that grace, that love.
It is from that space that we twist and turn ourselves in the poses and that we sit quietly in breath work or in meditation or savasana. This is true whether we have chanted in a hall with hundreds of yogis or if we chant silently to ourselves while practicing. This is the sound of the universe. Of the primal energy that flows everywhere. The vibration that is.
In class at Panterra on Tuesday night, we were fortunate to have sitar player, Justin Scarimbola strumming his instrument while we fell deeply into savasana. As one note fell away, another appeared, then another and another. The evening raga grew a little “on edge” as daylight was fading to dusk and the notes picked up steam, coming faster, more insistent and then sliding back into quietude. The music took my mind along on its journey. Afterwards, I felt that somehow, I saw the world a bit differently. Time and space shifting in their tides just as the Indian raga grew louder, softer, faster, slower, smoother, rougher.
Today is windy and hot. Yesterday was hot and still. It’s all labile, change, flux, even when it seems to be static. Do not stay stuck, the music, the chanting, like our practice tell us.
We are capable of so much more love than we realize.
MANTRA for today: May I open to unknown capabilities within myself today.
Okra Eggplant Curry
May 24, 2011
Okra Eggplant curry (barefoot photos)
Though okra is very nutritious, I have detested it forever, until Mike discovered a way to make it not so slimy, by baking it in the oven before adding it to the dish.This dish has now become my FAV curry!
INGREDIENTS
Okra ~ 1 lb. frozen
Eggplant ~ 1 medium chopped into 1/4 ‘ cubes
Zucchini (optional) ~ chopped into 1/4 ” cubes
Onion ~ 1 large chopped
Tomato ~ 2 medium chopped
Green chili ~ 2 chopped or 4 small chopped
Fresh ginger ~ 1 ” cube peeled, grated
Garlic ~ 4 cloves chopped
Cumin seeds ~ 2 tsp.
Cumin powder ~ 1 tsp.
Coriander powder ~ 1 tsp.
Chili powder ~ 1 tsp.
Turmeric powder ~ 1/2 tsp.
Safflower oil ~ 2 Tbsp.
Salt to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Place okra on flat baking sheet and heat in 250 degree oven about 20 minutes while completing the next couple of steps
2. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in large skillet
3. Add cumin seeds. When they begin to sputter add chopped onions.
4. Add turmeric powder, fresh grated ginger, and garlic.
5. Stir for 1 minute and then add eggplant and chilies.
6. Continue sauteing and add 1/2 cup water if it sticks.
7. After 5 minutes, add coriander powder, cumin powder, chili powder, tomatoes, zucchini and okra.
8. Saute fro 3 more minutes, add salt to taste, correct seasoning as needed; cover and co
ok on low heat for about 5 more minutes for flavors to meld.
9. Remove from heat.
10 Serve with crisp poppadom and coriander chutney.
Elder care and yoga practice
May 12, 2011
Rolling Brook Restorative (barefoot photos)
I am so sorry dear readers that it has been sooooo long since I’ve posted.
This is the thing, my father-in-law who moved into assisted living in Fredonia last fall, fell out of bed and clunked his noggin’ at the end of February. Ten days of hospitalization were followed by a transfer to a nursing home-the locked dementia ward. This man, who two months ago was enjoying homemade dinners and classical music concerts with us, can no longer walk, barely eats, is in diapers, has leg sores, and hardly knows who his son is, much less who I am. At nearly ninety years old, where is the dignity? What effect does my yoga training have on my response to his suffering…and the family’s grief and suffering?
Well, the first thing I rely upon is the breath. I take long sessions of ujjayi to assuage the grief that he is leaving us.
The second practice I engage in is TONGLEN meditation. I will write a page about that soon. Fortunately for me, my teacher, Mahala of ten thousand bodhisattvas dot com offered a Tonglen class shortly after Ben went into the nursing home. Did the universe know that I needed this? I can hear my yoga teacher muttering karma, carolyn, karma!
As a caregiver of a ninety year old with end stage dementia, I now know that I need to learn how to take care of myself first because at present I am suffering from a very nasty case of the flue, probably due to exhaustion. So restorative yoga, here I come. The third practice. Pull out the bolsters and blankies, cause I’m resting, deeply. It’s the core practice of compassionate caregivers.
Cauliflower Soup
March 17, 2011
Mike enjoying cauliflower soup & salad dinner (barefoot photos)
This easy easy soup is a delight to make as well as enjoy.
If you cut the milk portion in half you can use it to replace a side dish of mashed potatoes.
This is Mike’s recipe; I like to use even less oil. As the onion begins to cook, I then add a bit of water to the pan which helps to steam cook the vegetables.
INGREDIENTS
1 large cauliflower chopped
1 onion chopped
1 T. canola oil
Abt. 2 C. rice milk
Salt & pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Saute the onion in the oil.
2. Add chopped cauliflower and continue to sauté for a few minutes.
3. Add rice milk and boil until soft.
4. Use immersion blender or potato masher to whip it until smooth.
5. Add more milk to desired consistency.
6. Season with salt and white pepper to taste.
Spinach and Tofu, Saag Paneer
March 13, 2011
Spinach & Tofu (barefoot photos)
In my continual quest for GREEN dishes, I have been enjoying this fairly simple spinach and tofu meal. Saag aka Palak Paneer, is a delicious and satisfying staple of vegetarian Indian cuisine. Unfortunately, we live over an hour away from the nearest Indian supermarket, so don’t often have fresh Paneer (a type of Indian cheese) available. Tofu is substituted in this recipe, and while it is not a taste equivalent, it is nonetheless delicious in its own right.
INGREDIENTS
3 cloves minced garlic
1 chopped onion
2 T. canola oil
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 lb. chopped fresh spinach
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 lb. frozen spinach
14 oz. tofu, cubed in 1/2 inch cubes
2 tsp. arrowroot p[owder
1 C. rice milk
DIRECTIONS
Saute 3 cloves minced garlic with 1 chopped onion in 1 T canola oil and ½ t. turmeric until soft.
Add 1 lb. chopped fresh spinach. Continue to sauté.
Add 2 t. ground cumin, 2 tsp. ground coriander (freshly ground preferred), ½ tsp. ground ginger, and ¼ tsp. cayenne. Cook until spinach wilted.
Add 1 lb. frozen spinach and continue to cook on low heat.
Meanwhile, sauté 14 oz. (container) of firm tofu, sliced into ½ inch cubes in 1 T. canola oil in no-stick frying pan until brown. Combine with spinach mixture. Cook 2-3 minutes for flavors to meld.
Mix 2 tsp. arrowroot powder in 1 C. rice milk and stir into spinach mixture. Cook an additional 3 minutes.
Serve alone, or with fragrant basmati rice, or heat up a couple of spicy papaduum to eat alongside the “curry.”
Savasana, aka corpse pose
March 9, 2011
Savasana, corpse pose (barefoot photos)
I am an experimental yogini. Lately, I have been approaching savasana, the pose of deep relaxation that I “do” at the end of my asana practice to see what I can learn from ten or twenty or thirty or sixty minutes reclining in a prone position.
The physical aspects of savasana are quite simple: stretch out on the floor on your back, roll the palms up to face the ceiling, allow the legs to flop away from each other, gently lower the eyelids, part the teeth slightly, cover yourself with a light blanket, place an eye pillow on your eyelids, use a folded blanket beneath your head and neck and a bolster beneath your knees, if you’d like. There are other variations and possible supports that can be used to induce a greater level of comfort, but I’ll cover those in another post.
Here are my journal notes after a savasana “lab:”
10 minutes: a sudden drop into physical relaxation. The body felt as if it were melting into the floor
13 minutes: another drop deeper ~ a deeper release down
17 minutes: Oh, now this drop felt nearly blissful ~ a tumble into bliss ~ so lovely
I was shaken out of it when hearing voices upstairs talking loudly and I picked up the phrase: “She’s really in bad shape.” Felt my mind turn on with adrenaline ~ thought maybe I should get up ~ racing thoughts, but felt my body still relaxed, so decided to drop back down into the deep relaxation, knowing the alarm was set and I could get up in three more minutes. Later note: this was an amazing realization: that I could CHOOSE whether or not to relax deeply!
20 minutes: the alarm rang and because I had already “come back” a good way, I decided to remind myself to come back s-l-o-w-l-y and resist the urge to run upstairs and find out what had happened (what had happened was in fact, a continuing deterioration of an 86 year old relative’s condition, and certainly not an emergency in the immediate sense of the word)
I’d love to hear of your experiences in savasana!
BLISS
February 24, 2011
I exist in BLISS when I exist in Reality
Bliss is an integral part of existence
Bliss is not euphoria or ecstasy
Not sadness or anger or self-loathing (duh!)
Bliss is deeply related to Equanimity
It resides in Not-Wanting
Not-Avoiding
Not-Moving
Bliss is found in STILLNESS
(that stillness that always exists in motion)
In Stillness
we enter the reality of THIS moment
Moving into THIS moment
and This one too…
I feel the embodied spirit
energy
prana
THAT I AM
and slowly
over time I feel
how everything is made of
BLISS
Happiness
February 10, 2011
Dianthus (barefoot photos)
Are you holed-up and snowbound today? Home with the flu? Just plain lazy, lethargic, tamasic? Sounds like a good opportunity to watch an inspiring TED talk.With grateful permission, I am reprinting this post from Online classes.org.
15 TED Talks to Help You Find Happiness
Everyone finds happiness in something. Whether it be the exhilaration that swoops in after the completion of a new creation, or enjoying the cool air of a sunny autumn day or learning anything and everything about the world, even those who struggle with their moods still occasionally enjoy the concepts of joy and satisfaction. Though nobody’s journey completely parrots that of others, this eclectic selection of TED Talks showcases how nearly all people work towards one almost universal goal.
1. Stefan Sagmeister: The power of time off: Everyone knows the value of rest and respite — it recharges the mind, body and spirit and maximizes productivity. For designer Stefan Sagmeister, closing down his studio for a year and spending the time traveling and conceptualizing actively stimulates his creativity. Without it, he says, he never could have produced some of his favorite works. This TED Talk showcases some of the different projects he conceived while on sabbatical, and discusses how to make the most of scheduled downtime.
2. Philip Zimbardo prescribes a healthy take on time: Renowned Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo delves deeply into how cognition and perception play a role in establishing happiness, comfort and stability. He cites the “time paradox” as one of the major stress factors in peoples’ lives, suggesting a shift in understanding how it works can alleviate a goodly chunk of the problem. Awareness of one’s mental and physical orientation in the past, present and future makes it much easier to set firm priorities and goals. Based on his research, Zimbardo outlines what he believes to be the healthiest, happiest, most productive strategy for time management.
3. Nic Marks: The Happy Planet Index: Although the old adage dictates that money rarely purchases happiness, nations still tend to rank their success more on economic productivity than the true satisfaction of its citizenry. The Happy Planet Index attempts to juxtapose resource consumption and overall personal contentment, and the most joyous locales on Earth are not necessarily what one would assume. Through complex statistics and painstaking research, Nic Marks challenges many of the common myths regarding the relationship between finances and emotions.
4. Srikumar Rao: Plug into your hard-wired happiness: Persistently questioning and pining away for possessions and affections remains one of the most common roadblocks to discovering happiness. Most people never seem to realize that sloughing off such a mindset significantly improves their outlook on events both major and minor. Fortunately, Dr. Srikumar Rao makes a compelling case that most (though not all) people are born with the capacity to forge their own individual sense of satisfaction — largely free of over-preoccupied thinking.
5. Paula Scher gets serious: For creative types especially, designer Paula Scher’s lecture perfectly sums up the oft-lauded joy to be found in the human imagination. In spite of the title, her “serious” work nevertheless resulted in a gratifying life, and she shares with viewers some of the projects that proved the most enjoyable. Though many compartmentalize their lives into “fun” and “career” designations, it is entirely possible to fuse the two together for the ultimate happiness experience.
6. Nancy Etkoff on the surprising science of happiness: While it’s relatively common knowledge that emotions directly impact human physiology, most popular discussions regarding happiness tend to focus more on the more abstract mental health components. Nancy Etkoff looks at the ever-elusive concept through the lens of cognitive science, exploring how the body conditions itself for negativity and oftentimes compromises its own satisfaction. Though despite biology and cognition’s hold, there are still a few things people can do to work around them.
7. Matthieu Ricard on the habits of happiness: Religion and spirituality are not necessarily everyone’s preferred route towards discovering happiness, though millions still find them an indispensible facet of their lives. Former biochemist Matthiew Ricard discovered his calling as a Buddhist monk, and the lecture pulls from this eclectic background to offer some personal thoughts on one can achieve personal satisfaction. He makes a case for clearer consciousness and self-awareness as the cornerstones of forging the best life possible.
8. Laura Trice suggests we all say thank you: Some days it seems as if the tenets of common courtesy have emulated elderly elephants and disappeared to perish in some secret, mysterious locale. This counselor earnestly believes that a simple resurgence in pleasantries such as “thank you” can make a massive difference in society as a whole. Both the speaker and the recipient walk away from those two seemingly small words feeling gratitude and harmony — feelings that can very easily carry on to others they encounter.
9. Stuart Brown says play is more than fun: It’s a thesis sure to satisfy pretty much everyone — taking time to relax and play around makes for one of the very best things anyone can do for his or her health and sanity. Juxtaposing animal behavior (including macaques and polar bears) with human habits, Stuart Brown illustrates how taking time to indulge the imagination opens up plenty of paths towards the ever-elusive happiness. Children especially benefit from such leisurely jaunts, as playing pretend games help strengthen the skills needed for success once the realities of adulthood descend.
10. Aimee Mullins: The opportunity of adversity: Aimee Mullins was born without shinbones, but in spite of this setback, she still managed to enjoy an eclectic, exciting life of sport and art. She cites the physical challenge as the single most motivating factor in her pursuit of modeling, activism, acting and participating in the Paralympics. Without it, she claims she never would have discovered such a profound satisfaction with her life — proving that sometimes the darkest moments result in the greatest personal triumphs.
11. Nick Bostrom on our biggest problems: Death, aging, “existential risk,” poor motivation and depression formulate the core of humanity’s greatest roadblocks towards happiness. Oxford’s Nick Bostrom finds hope and solace in transhumanist science and philosophy, explaining how many of the emerging technologies might very well reverse some of these serious ills. For viewers interested in amazing leaps in science and engineering, this lecture offers up plenty of intellectual questions to ponder.
12. Alex Tabarrok on how ideas trump crises: Plenty has been said about the role creativity, innovation and an active imagination help combat more negative emotions and mindsets. With the rise of a global economy and free markets, some believe that today’s economic climate — tempestuous as it is — actually provides some exhilarating challenges for those who derive enjoyment from such things. From a broader perspective, one can easily see how tragedies can slowly turn to victories with some hard work and even harder thinking.
13. Benjamin Wallace on the Price of Happiness: Many old proverbs and folktales warn against placing too much satisfaction in money and material goods, but that still doesn’t stop many people from trying. One particularly interesting study revealed that when the same wine first presented with an average price, then again with something higher, the latter garnered much more praise. Benjamin Wallace makes a compelling argument for pulling away from pursuing money and possessions as anything beyond means to caring for one’s needs.
14. His Holiness the Karmapa: The technology of the heart: For the more spiritually inclined, this lecture by one of Buddhism’s most revered clerics fuses religion and science in a manner that he claims maximizes happiness. No matter the myriad progresses made in the technical sector, he believes that true joy comes from peace of mind and body — though there exists plenty of pleasures to be found externally. And, of course, in forging loving and mindful connections with others.
15. Eve Ensler: Happiness in body and soul: Vagina Monologues scribe Eve Ensler found fulfillment in protecting women from abuse and marginalization. Both her writing and her activism brought happiness and peace to numerous victims, serving as an inspiration to those hoping to promote justice. She also believes that embracing one’s body and sexuality as something lovely rather than shameful will also help forge a positive personal pathway.