tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1449952380128375575.post4166578369406489727..comments2024-03-21T00:30:14.738-07:00Comments on Yoga in the Dragon's Den: Mundane worrying, weakness of will, and procrastinationNobelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00655577410721103577noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1449952380128375575.post-80031829433667110232010-12-09T10:42:43.120-08:002010-12-09T10:42:43.120-08:00In my personal experience, I've found emotions...In my personal experience, I've found emotions to be the most challenging part of life...in the sense of managing negativity, my reactions to situations and outlook on things. I guess you could say that it's the search for balance between heart and mind that's tricky. <br /><br />In your example above, I don't think the 2 options are mutually exclusive, in fact, I think they represent different stages of a negative emotional outburst. First, we succumb to them, and then when we cool down, with the benefit of hindsight we are able to see the different factors at work that led to the outburst. Based on what I've read about yoga/Buddhism/meditation so far, my understanding is that the practice is designed to enable us to avoid #1 and turn #2 into our first reaction by making us more aware of 'the fluctuations of the mind', and through constant practice, the new way of thinking/reacting helps us break away from our conditioned behaviors.<br /><br />This is my two cents' worth on how I see yoga's practical application on our lives off the mat anyway, influenced by Chip Hartranft's translation of the Yoga Sutras. Makes a lot of sense, but not so easy to practice! :)DThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13842558079176315193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1449952380128375575.post-61864223034999335972010-12-09T09:29:20.059-08:002010-12-09T09:29:20.059-08:00I like what you say about the samskaras, Danielle....I like what you say about the samskaras, Danielle. You are probably right that I will probably not find a satisfying answer with my approach. But I do my best. In a nutshell, here's the issue: We are emotional creatures at least as much as we are logical (it just 'is'; it's the way we are). But at the same time, we are also aware that it is not a good idea to act on every single one of our emotions. We learnt this from a young age, and that's one of the things that differentiates us from children. I understand that one can go too far in trying to control one's emotions; that's when one becomes repressed. But we do control our emotions on an everyday level, and that's usually a good thing. For example, I might be really mad at somebody, and feel like yelling at him or her, but I do not. The trouble is when certain emotions come up that are so strong that we know we probably shouldn't act upon, but we act upon them anyway. Such cases may mean one of 2 things: <br /><br />(1) I have lost self-control. <br />or <br />(2) Perhaps the strong emotion I am experiencing is my mind/body's way of telling me that I have gotten my priorities wrong. For example, if I feel very strongly about taking time off to take a small vacation, even though my reason tells me that I need to devote myself to work, the strong feeling might be my mind/body's way of telling me that I need to set aside some time for rest and relaxation. <br /><br />Gee, this is enough material for another new post. You have really set me thinking, Danielle.Nobelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00655577410721103577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1449952380128375575.post-90806981169005463342010-12-08T14:49:46.768-08:002010-12-08T14:49:46.768-08:00I see where you're trying to go here with this...I see where you're trying to go here with this line of questioning and I don't know if you're going to find a satisfying answer. Perhaps that 'why' is less important than accepting that it just 'is', because as humans, we are as much an emotional creature as we are logical.<br /><br />Your breakdown of why we procrastinate/worry reminds me of what Patanjali talks about with regards to Samskaras - behaviors shaped by habit that we succumb to without realizing it and in the process find ourselves caught up in a cycle of behavior that we can't seem to break out of even though we want to.DThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13842558079176315193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1449952380128375575.post-10106357821764279732010-12-08T07:24:31.320-08:002010-12-08T07:24:31.320-08:00Help from Nobel's yoga community: I hope you d...Help from Nobel's yoga community: I hope you don't mind, Nobel, that I co-opt your blog for a quick second and ask for a little help from you & your yoga friends.<br /><br />I have been trying to master Navasana and I think I may have aggravated my sciatica. Could this be possible? And if so, what comparable poses could I do that don't rely so much on balancing on my tailbone to get to my abdominal muscles?<br /><br />I am doing a lot of Gomukhasana to relieve the pain in my sciatic nerve and that is helping a little (ouch- I sit a lot during the day)but I need core work while I recover.<br /><br />Thanks in advance for any help! Cheers, CathrineCathrinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11152498049699614729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1449952380128375575.post-75163869274481300162010-12-07T19:21:54.481-08:002010-12-07T19:21:54.481-08:00"The heart has its reasons", interesting..."The heart has its reasons", interesting. This also implies that "heart-logic" is very different from "head-logic". <br /><br />Have you read anything by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, by any chance? I was thinking about Florentino Ariza, the hero of Marquez's novel, "Love in the Time of Cholera" (Spanish: El amor en los tiempos del cólera). I think Ariza is a very good example of somebody who follows the reasons of the heart.Nobelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00655577410721103577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1449952380128375575.post-66317179028510719722010-12-07T16:09:12.012-08:002010-12-07T16:09:12.012-08:00Hm, this is a great topic, yes we do not follow re...Hm, this is a great topic, yes we do not follow reason, not at all, not when it comes to matters of the heart, I am thinking of that "the heart has its reasons" how was that? do not remember the phrase completely.... why do we procrastinate is also a good one, lots of food for thought hereClaudiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06609779915009954933noreply@blogger.com