Tag: #yoga

Hatha is Not the Sun and the Moon

by Rob Wilson

The Japanese martial art of Aikido is made up of three words: Ai meaning harmony, Ki meaning life force, spirit and universal energy, and do meaning the way.  Summed up, Aikido means The Art of Steven Seagal.  What?  No, Aikido is The Way of Harmony of the Spirit.  It’s actually much more complicated than that.  You know; like Steven Seagal.  But, you get the idea.

This binomial and trinomial nomenclature is pretty common in the martial arts, such as with Judo, Jujutsu, and Hapkido.  Two or three words coming together to name an art.  In yoga, we see this in the naming of poses, like Paschimottanasana.  Paschima meaning the back of the body, Uttana meaning straight or extended, and of course Asana meaning posture.

So, it seems natural and easily taken at face value when we hear that Hatha is two words, with Ha meaning Sun and Tha meaning Moon.  However, this is not the case.

So, how did this misconception begin?  Well, in traditional Indian medicine and spiritual knowledge, as well as yoga, there are two primary energy channels that flow through the Nadi. These are the Ida and the Pingala; sort of like yin and yang, Seagal and Acting, and solar and lunar with Ida being related to lunar qualities and Pingala being realted to solar qualities.

See where this is going?  Solar and Lunar, sun and moon, Ha and Tha.  So Hatha; sun and moon.

While there are many Sanskrit words for sun, none of those words is Ha.  Surya is the most common, like in suryanamaskaram (sun salutation).  There are also many words for moon, but none being Tha.  Chandra is a common one, as in ardhachandrasana (crescent moon pose).

But, Hatha is just one word and it means force or effort. When we’re in that balancing pose, our muscles are shaking, our eyes are focused on that one spot on the wall, and we’re controlling our breathing, concentrating our mental and physical energies to hold this posture.  It’s like our entire being is … “Under Seige”.  (Yep, I did that.)  Everything else goes away.  This effort brings us to a state of yoga.

This is Hatha.

Through this practice we create a shift towards relaxation, physical and emotional wellbeing.  We feel more connected and engaged; a relaxed greater awareness.  This is Yoga. This is Zen. It takes practice, training, and effort, but the rewards are priceless.

So, Hatha is NOT the sun and the moon and Aikido doesn’t mean the way of Steven Seagal.  That misconception is going to be … “Hard to Kill”.  Sorry, it was there.  Had to.

Photo by Matt Nelson on Unsplash

Stop Focusing on the Wrong Shit

by Rob Wilson

What if B.B. King had to pass a written, standardized advanced mathematics exam to be legally allowed to play guitar commercially?  Crazy, right?

What if Eddie Van Halen had to be able to write and decipher advanced music theory, such as in the photo above, in order for him to play and make music?  Well, we’d never know who David Lee Roth is and that would be quite a tragedy.

There was a TV show around 2005, called Tommy Lee Goes to College.  One of my favorite drummers of all time and he’s actually pretty good.  In one episode, he’s practicing with the drum corps of the school’s marching band and cannot get in the rhythm.  It was so difficult and frustrating for him to get in sync with everyone else, because it’s not what he does.  Just imagine, if he had to pass a standardized written and practical exam to be able to continue as the drummer for Motley Crue.

Insane?

How about this? Our college entrance exams place a huge focus on mathematics (Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and so on) and because of this, many students are not accepted, due to low math scores. In his book, The Math Myth, Andrew Hacker notes that of those who do go to college, nearly half leave without a degree; “Failure to pass mandated mathematics courses is the chief academic reason they don’t finish.”

In another study, it was found that the brains of advanced mathematicians activate a network involving bilateral intraparietal, dorsal prefrontal, and inferior temporal regions of the brain, while most of us mere mortals don’t work that way, no matter how hard we study!

There’s a chapter in Hacker’s book entitled, “Does Your Dermatologist Use Calculus?” in which he notes that many top medical schools require applicants to have taken calculus even though doctors never need it anywhere in their entire careers. We could be losing great doctors.

Hacker also notes that engineers and scientists rarely need the math they are required to master.  Now the fun part …

The United States is currently ranked somewhere between 36th and 41st in the world in Mathematics. Singapore, China, and Japan take the top rankings. Because of this, the US government is and has been pushing advanced mathematics through our public schools, college entrance exams, and universities.

However, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization, the United States is ranked 4th in innovation. Switzerland, Sweden, and the United Kingdom are 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Not Singapore, China, or Japan. In fact, Singapore is 6th, China (Hong Kong) comes in at 14th, and Japan in 16th.

What’s up with that?

In an effort to catch up with the world leaders in subject matter that doesn’t convert to reality, we’re stifling our production of potentially great field specific leaders.

As you can see, innovation, invention, entrepreneurial spirit, and getting things done in reality and seeing projects through to fruition doesn’t take advanced math. It takes desire, passion, soul, work, ingenuity, creative thinking, people skills, communication, flexibility, belief, sacrifice, risk, practice, trial/error/success, feel, intuition, and everything that makes us human.

Whether we’re a yoga instructor, musician, public speaker, professor, doctor, app developer, or painter, the receiver of our work, our art, our science, our expertise is a human.

Stop focusing on the wrong shit!

Some People Just Want the Address

by Rob Wilson

In the 110th episode of Seinfeld, entitled “The Understudy”, J. Peterman is sitting in a restaurant with Elaine and asks, “That Shirt.  Where did you get it?”

Elaine, not missing a beat, “Oh, this innocent looking shirt has something which isn’t innocent at all. Touchability! Heavy, silky Italian cotton, with a fine almost terrycloth like feeling. Five button placket, relaxed fit, innocence and mayhem at once.”

Peterman responds, “That’s NOT bad!”

Sure, Mr. Peterman asked where she got the shirt, but why?  If Elaine just named a store, that would’ve been that.  But, she recognized and responded to his interest, not his question.  He hired her on the spot and it wasn’t even an interview.

Peterman’s character is based on an actual clothing company of the same name. The following is taken directly from the J. Peterman website about just one of the many articles of clothing they sell: “Thomas Jefferson disliked stuffy people, stuffy houses, stuffy societies. So he changed a few things. Law. Gardening. Government. Architecture.  Of the thousand castles, mansions, chateaux you can walk through today, only Monticello, only Jefferson’s own mansion, makes you feel so comfortable you want to live in it.  I think you will feel the same about his 18th-century shirt. Classic. Simple. Livable.”

It’s a damn shirt!  But, I want one.

We’re human and we respond to the “why”.  The what and how comes after our limbic system is lit up with interest.  Once that is fed, our neo cortex is ready to process intel.  It doesn’t quite work the other way around.

Imagine this instead: “That Shirt.  Where did you get it?”  “Dillards.  It was on sale.”

Interest destroyed.

How about this?  “You practice yoga?  Where?”

It’s not about the address.  Not yet.  It’s about what the place feels like, instinctively and intuitively:  “Want to hug it out with the universe?  This is the place. You instantly feel the energy of this ancient science and the comfort of acceptance.  Inner and outer strength, flexibility, peace, and wellbeing, harmonized with breath, focus, wisdom, and effort.  Yes; this is your journey.  The one you’ve been looking for.”     

Whatever the conversation, if someone shows passionate interest, don’t slam the door with rote information.  Take them on a journey.  Give them the story, the “why”, the soul.

But, then … some people just want the address.

Photo by DeMorris Byrd on Unsplash 

Life: Let’s Not Be So Guess-So About It

by Rob Wilson

“Walk on the road.  Walk right side, safe.  Walk left side, safe.  Walk middle; sooner or later, get squished just like grape.  Here, karate same thing.  Either you karate do yes, or karate do no.  You karate do guess-so, squish, just like grape.  Understand?”  Mr. Miyagi; circa 1984.

This is true everywhere in our lives, right?  We get up from the couch to go to the kitchen to do whatever, but our mind is on a completely different subject and we slam our shin into the coffee table.  Squish, like grape.  When we’re not fully present, we burn ourselves while grilling, spill our drink, and forget to get off at our exit.  Sometimes  we end up in a room and forget why we went there.  Relax, we’re not losing our memory; we were never fully engaged in the first place.

While we like to think we can multi-task, there are a number of recent studies showing that we actually suck at it.  Our brains just don’t work that way and things go sideways.  But, we continue to try at our own peril.

To get the most out of an experience, keep our shins intact, and actually complete a project that doesn’t need to be redone due to errors, we need to be there completely.  Or, at least the greater majority of our brain does.

We should never do karate guess-so, which is why we need to center ourselves.  At the beginning of Hapkido class, before physical warm-up, we practice Ki breathing.  Ki, in Korean or Japanese, is like Qi or Chi in Chinese.  Hapkido, Aikido, Qigong, Tai Chi.  Ki is the universal energy that binds all things.  It is our life force; our breath.  In yoga, it is Prana.  And pranayama is the controlling of the breath.

At the beginning of yoga class, we take a few minutes to center ourselves by focusing on our breath.  It switches our brain from the strobe-light effect to just on, while getting our brain ready for the practice to come.

To balance on one foot or to hold a twisted pose takes concentration, effort, and attentiveness; complete presence in the here and now.  These poses (asana), along with controlled breath, brings the mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects of our being into a state of harmony.

When performing Ye Ma Fen Zong in Tai Chi, Osotogari in Hapkido, Vrikasana in yoga, or the infamous crane technique in Miyagido Karate, that physical task demands our full mental focus.  This brings a stillness to the mind, allowing our consciousness to expand and access a higher state of awareness.  Strength, flexibility, and other health benefits come as byproducts of the practice.  Bonus!

Wait: A higher state of awareness?  Expanding our consciousness?  Am I getting smarter?  Uh …

Does it always work?  No.  “What was that move John Wick did to that guy?”  “What are we doing this weekend?”  “Ooh, frozen yogurt sounds good.”  And … it goes on.  This happens in martial arts as well.  It happens in basketball, driving down the highway, and playing poker.  “Why did I go all in with a Jack-Seven off-suit?!”  Well, at least now you’re out of the game, giving you freedom to think about that crap you were thinking about when poker was getting in the way, right?  Jack-Seven off-suit gets you squished, like grape.

Guess-so is okay, when its okay.  But when life matters, let’s not be so guess-so about it.  Squished grapes aren’t bad either.  I like a nice red blend.

Photo by Tianshu Liu on Unsplash

What Do We Do When Passion is Half Dead?

by Rob Wilson

Half-life is a term commonly used in the world of nuclear physics and pharmaceuticals; the time required for a quantity to reduce to half its initial value.  And from there, it’s all downhill at an exponential rate.

But what about that doughnut.  Yesterday it was fresh, last night it was edible, but today its dried wood.  Other perishables like thoughts, emotions, and leftovers have a half-life as well.  I was going to use milk as an example, but that just seems to die the day after the expiration date.  It’s good, good, good, then bloody horrific.  No half-life on milk.

Passion has a half-life.  It’s an intense and barely controllable emotion.  It burns like a new star; a sun engulfing our thoughts, responsibilities, and our lives with heat and light.  Nothing escapes uncompromised.

Some advice from Ben Franklin; “If passion drives you, let reason hold the reins.”  Just sayin’.

But then … the fuel begins to run out, the core contracts, and things begin to cool.  Now what?  What do we do about this?  Can we do anything?  Should we do anything?  Passionately speaking.

There are so many articles, books, and blogs on how to stay passionate, but they use words like dedication, work, perseverance, and goal-setting.  What?!  Logical advice to fix and emotional problem?  That’s like flipping the light switch on the wall to get water from the faucet.

Other advice from these same sources, address dwindling passion in terms of you as if you are the problem.  No shit!  Of course we’re the problem and its natural.  Even skydiving can get mundane and routine after the one-thousandth jump.  Nothing has changed with the activity.  Everything is exactly the same as day one, except us.

But our passion didn’t die, it just changed.  And this isn’t such a bad thing, because now we’re able to think a bit clearer, see the road in front of us, and make better decisions.  Oh shit, our neo cortex is communicating with our limbic system!  Love and logic, passion and responsibility, excitement and rationality; cats and dogs living together.  What is going on!?  Well, if we turn on the light switch, we can see the faucet.

Balanced intelligence.

So you’re not all over each other like it’s your third date (Hey, I’m old school; shut up).  But now, five years into marriage, the passion is still there, but its not searing your eyebrows off.  It’s changed for the better.  Seriously, have you seen anyone without eyebrows?  Eww.

When the adrenaline rush, hormonal overload, and nitrous oxide injection taper off, we’re able to drive better, control the vehicle, and relax into the experience.  Hey, are these seats Corinthian leather?

Whatever the passion, a relationship, a car, skydiving, yoga, martial arts, a new job, or playing an instrument; they all start out pretty hot, but when things begin to cool, we think we lost our passion.  No, the passion didn’t die, it’s just reshaping itself.  For some of us, we recognize the goodness in that.

And yes … stars burn out.  It happens.  That milk aint’ coming back.

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash.

The Number of the Universe

by Rob Wilson

When I was in Yoga teacher training, I thought it would be cool to pick up a Mala necklace.  Yeah, I’m calling it a necklace.  A string of beads in a circle, we wear around our neck.  Necklace.  Anyways, I figured why not; you know?  I already have the bracelets, so why not the necklace.  I had no idea what it was about.

Then, I learned that there were specifically 108 beads or stones on the string, just like the Catholic rosary.  At first, I didn’t give it much thought.  Whatever.  Still, to this day, I haven’t worn it.  I don’t feel right with it.  I’m not sure I’m that guy.  I put it on, look in the mirror and … nope, not today.

Then I’m thinking, if I’m ever going to wear this thing, I should know something about it.  And if you already know this stuff; cool, but as I dug into it, I found it fascinating.  Maybe you will too.

For instance, this number connects the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth. In fact, the average distance between the Sun and the Earth is the diameter of 108 Suns.  And … the average distance between the Moon and the Earth is the diameter of 108 Moons.  The diameter of the Earth, multiplied by 108 is the diameter of the Sun.  But, 108 isn’t just related to our solar system:  there are 27 constellations in our galaxy, and each one of them has 4 directions. 27 x 4 = 108.  108 covers the whole galaxy.  Maybe the Universe.

And speaking of the Universe, it is one (Uni). It is a great void (represented by zero).  And it is everything (infinity).  So, one, zero, and the numerical symbol for infinity; eight.

One thing. Nothing. Everything.  108.

Vedic mathematicians viewed 108 as a number of wholeness of existence.  Add the numbers together and we get nine, which is divisible by three threes and three represents wholeness, completeness, and perfection.  Three is the number of time (past, present, and future).

The Sanskrit alphabet is over 4,000 years old and it had 54 letters.  Each letter has a Shiva (masculine) and Shakti (feminine) energy.  54 x 2 = 108.

Stonehenge is over 5,000 years old and its diameter is 108 feet.  In fact, the Mayan High Temple of Lamanai was 108 feet tall, which is the same exact height of the funerary Tikal temple in Guatemala.  And … many Buddhist temples have 108 steps.

We knew the significance of 108 thousands of years ago, all over the world, throughout different cultures and belief systems.  How?  Maybe that’s an episode for “Ancient Aliens”, I don’t know.

Thinking of all of this is a bit scary, right?  The sun, the moon, the earth, the universe.  Stonehenge and temples!  I’m starting to sweat, just thinking about it.

By the way, did you know the human body’s vital organs begin to fail from overheating when our core temperature reaches 108 degrees?

Photo by Chelsea Shapouri on Unsplash

Why is Reality a Hard Sell? 3 Questions

by Rob Wilson

While I was studying athletic training at Temple University, one of my mother’s friends came up to me and asked, “Hey Rob, what can I do to get rid of this?”, flicking her triceps fat, while eating a donut.  Hmm.  Very attractive.  As I got into the real answer, she interrupted me with, “No, I just want to get rid of this”.  Again, with the flicking of the fat.

She wanted the result; the destination without the journey. I couldn’t help her, because well … I’m not a warlock.  And even if I was able to do magic, there was much more to it than flabby triceps.  She would have looked very odd.  Funny though.

The thing is … there’s very little value in the result without the journey.  Fantasy is a cheap sell and after its purchased, whatever little value it had, is quickly diminished.

Three questions:

Why is the buying and selling of the fantasy so easy?

Because, reality is not easy.  It’s hard to sell hard.

The fantasy is wearing $90 yoga pants at the mall, while drinking a smoothie with a wrist full of mala beads.  It’s taking a selfie at the top of Mount Everest.  It’s six-minute abs, how to become a millionaire in three easy steps, and a guaranteed black belt with payment in full.  Easy money.

Why is reality such a hard sell?

Because its packaged wrong; focusing on the destination, instead of the journey.

Sell the journey, not the destination and package difficulty as something desirable.  The real rewards are in the climb, even if we don’t reach the summit.  Through effort, pain, strife, focus, determination, introspection, practice, training, breathing, and going inside ourselves, seeing who we are, we’re rewarded with some very rare knowledge.  We gained wisdom, we didn’t die, we’re fitter and more flexible, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  And as a byproduct; yeah, maybe we summited.  Maybe we became a martial artist, became a yogi, and even uncovered those abs.

Should either one be sold at all?

No.

When the value of the journey is presented well enough, people will buy.  No one likes to be sold, but we all love to buy.

Buying reality takes acknowledgment of the truth.  The truth of what is.  Reality is freedom, self-awareness, and empowering.  It can hurt and it can abolish pain. It can bring us through the sadness to true happiness.  Its not always easy, but the rewards are real.  It’s an amazing place, but it’s not for everyone.

Don’t try to sell everyone.  But, for those who are ready to take the journey, let them buy.

Photo by Michael Clarke on Unsplash