| | | |

Hot Day (and aligning with it instead if fighting it)

ByElizabeth

It astonishes me how much time is spent complaining that it is hot. It is July, and I live south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Much of what gives rise to the complaints has to do with trying to dress in accordance with traditional office dress, being active according to some preconceived exercise routine, and wanting to eat heavy food from a diet based on habit rather than season.

Yes. It is hot, and being hot can be uncomfortable, especially if we try to fight it.

If we wear loose, light clothing, exercise less vigorously and only in the morning or after the heat of the day has waned, and eat lightly of the fruits of the season, then we can experience less discomfort. We also then can better open to the delights of the heat–stretchier muscles, a call to stillness, and chilled watermelon are a few things that make summer a joy for me.

Similar Posts

  • | | |

    Green advertising (and viveka)

    ByElizabeth

    One of the important principles of yoga practice is viveka — discrimination.  The longer and more steadily one practices, the greater ease with which one will find path that leads towards recognition and remembrance of our own light and the light in others.  In modern culture, I think one of the critical aspects of practicing viveka is having a healthy doubt and willingness to question claims that consuming certain things will make us happier, or better, or will make the world better.  Paying too much attention will probably just create a tangle of intellectual confusion that will not lead to a greater openness of spirit.  Learning to listen well to your body and mind and what and how you feel and hear on and off the mat will help you start to know better your body and mind and how they interrelate with all around you, is likely to shift your choices and actions.

    It is now fashionable to be “green.”  Discerning what that means, though, is where we need to practice discrimination.  For example, claims of “natural” foods, “organic” foods, and “green” products are now ubiquitous by companies that are part of the existing Wall Street profit-driven industrial and marketing complex because they think they are money-makers and expect most consumers not to question the claims.  We are also seeing more and more articles and stories debunking these claims and calls for regulation so that consumers will understand what is bunk.  If we stop and pause, we can probably figure out some of this without reading about the pros and cons.  Do you know who is selling it to you?  Does it come in packaging with a lot of small print?  Is the packaging recyclable?  Are shareholder profits critical to the entity selling you the food or garden supplies or other consumer good?

    Taking the example of the success of the big companies, small entities are using “green” in their names and advertising without discrimination.  Around town I see fairly regularly, landscaping companies with cozy-sounding “green” names.  When I watch them working, though, they are using Round-up or other chemical weedkillers, throwing into the trash compostable yard waste, and planting non-native shrubs.  They may be making a garden the color green, but they certainly aren’t doing “green” gardening.

    Here’s some great information on having a “climate-friendly” garden from the Union of Concerned Scientists.  The tips are more helpful for a yard large enough to have a lawn, and do not fully apply for my small patio (though I have a tree in front, don’t leave bare soil, and do not use pesticides or chemical fertilizers.  I haven’t yet tried planting winter crops in my containers, but I’ve rearranged the patio so that I have a place for a raised bed (to sit on the brick where the table and chairs once were).  This winter, I’m hoping to add the bed and a cold frame to lengthen the growing season.

  • | |

    Yes, There Were More

    ByElizabeth

    My friend asked me tonight whether I’d gone over to the Supreme Court to see if there were any more heart-shaped clouds during the oral arguments today.  I was occupied mostly by errands on my too brief lunch time walk (work was very busy) and didn’t get all the way over to the Supreme Court, but yes, there were more today when I was within a few blocks of the Court:

    clouds 1a clouds 1b clouds 1c

  • | |

    The Hip, the Truly Hip, and the Tragically Hip (and What Does That Have to Do with Meditation?)

    ByElizabeth

    I always find articles on the “spiritual” practices of the rich and famous fascinating.  Does reading this article make you more or less interested in your own practice or does it not make any difference to you at all?  Contemplation on which is your answer (might be a combination) is sure to give insight to your relationship both to society and to your practice.

  • | |

    The Nyaya of Watering the Mango Tree (and tantric yoga multi-tasking)

    ByElizabeth

    “Practical Sanskrit” just did a post on its Facebook page that discusses the nyaya (maxim) of watering the mango tree.  When we water a tree with the intention to honor our ancestors and the earth for its gracious offering, we are simultaneously taking care of the tree and honoring our ancestors, the earth, and the tree.  The post continues by inviting us to be more conscious of trees, especially in the city, and to be more engaged in caring for them.

    Practical Sanskrit’s post reminded me of a comment on this blog a couple of weeks ago.   A commenter on stated that most of the things that I write about doing to live more lightly on the planet require substantial financial means and education.  That is true in certain cases–obviously, if I wasn’t blogging, I would not have any need to try and go “carbon neutral” with the blog (although it is no more expensive to have a carbon-neutral web host than one that is not).  And as I explained yesterday when chatting with a cabinet-maker who was at the Amicus Green stand at the Green Festival yesterday, with the grant programs, tax credits, and loans available, we can now put solar on our houses with virtually no cash outlay in Maryland and the District (other states may not make it so easy).  In that case, one still needs to be a homeowner, but can still do it without significant money to burn.

    But most of the things I do to try and live more lightly, while still being comfortable, I learned in the years when I was truly poor (and I didn’t much like having always to worry about how I was going to pay the bills):  not having a car; not having cable tv; turning off the water while I soap the dishes and brush my teeth; taking short showers and turning the water off while lathering; keeping the thermostat between 59-63 in the winter and dressing warmly; keeping the thermostat between 78-82 in the summer and dressing and eating lightly; shopping for clothes at the consignment shop; furnishing my house from flea markets, auctions, and neighborhood sales; doing my own sprouts on the kitchen counter; having much of my diet be dried grains and pulses bought in bulk; turning off all the lights in the house except for the one I am using at the moment; bringing my own lunch to work as a regular activity and saving eating out for special occasions; avoiding buying and wearing clothes that require regular dry cleaning.

    What is nice about being financially comfortable is I now can do all those things with loving intention, rather than feeling constrained by my lack of material well-being.  I am not forced to do them.  Tantric yoga, with its emphasis on being in the world, invites us always to act with intention, to make all of living an offering and a recognition of spirit.  It is easier to do when we are educated, aware, and yearning for spirit, than when we are forced to do something out of material poverty.  It is also easier to do when we do it for love rather than a sense of guilt or obligation.  Being able to live with intention, picking and choosing how we live and what we consume, can truly enhance grace in our lives.  I am sure there are those who grumble about having to go out and water the mango tree to make sure it fruits when they would rather be watching tv.  How much more life-enhancing to water with love for the tree.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.