Waking Up to the Call of Health in the Moment

to be healthy
is wonderful
and often
neglected
until
something
"goes wrong"

probably way before Ben Franklin
people knew
and forgot
that an once of prevention
was worth a pound of cure

and how
can
waking up
to the moment
help us with real health

in the moment
we can notice:
ah,
i'm a bit sluggish:
time to move

instead of the habitual:
i'm a bit sluggish,
grunt,
throw in some food
or stimulant

and again
in the present
when
we are eating
we can go slow
enough to follow
our breathing
while we eat
to taste slowly
while we eat

that way,
the meal
almost each bite
will be a feast

and we won't be
shovelling it in
and doing something else:
thinking
reading
talking
watching tv
while we
treat our bodies as mere
machines
needing a fueling stop

and this now:
if we sense
and breathe
and get honest
and clear:

what would
feel healthy and fine
to do
with ourselves
right now??

listen
listen
the answers are within

Season's Changing?
Or just a little early rain?

Now it's wet,
time to love water.

Now it's getting cooler
time to eat more fat.

Now's it's going to be darker
earlier
time
to eat more light,
or the
lighten
up
or en
lighten
up
or all three
or just
two

Now's it's Saturday
and that means....
whatever it means to you.

What do you love,
now?

What do you like,
now?

What would you do,
now,
if you didn't do
what you usually do

inside
outside

what habit
would it be fun
to explore
the shifting and undoing
and new variations on?

what is
it about now
that will
always be
and is
gone
even as
we notice?

ciao,
now,

chris

SUFIA YOGA

Strength
Unification
Flexibility
Intelligence
Awareness & Anti-Aging

Fun, Expansion,
Learning, Love,
Ease and Clarification:

Move better
Feel Better
Think Better

Combining
Feldenkrais (10 years study, 165 days training beyond the 160 days required)
Yoga (7 years learning, 200 hour yoga certification)
Tai Chi ( 5 years studying with national push hands champion)
Pilates (not trained: this is code word for : Core Strengthening, back, abs and sides,
near the pelvis)
Plus ( strengthening the real core: Our Brain)

To understand the essence
of yoga
as a movement system
to connect to
Now
to connect to
Learning
to connect to
Joy
to connect to
Ease
to connect to
Power and Ease


Taught as group sessions
(see Current Classes and Workshops or call 707-996-1437

Private sessions at my
house
or yours.



Benefits:

Increase flexibility
without strain
or efforting

Increase awareness of
your body

Increase pleasure
in moving
your body

Increase
pleasure of
being in the present

Make "regular"
(i.e. non-discovery, Do it Right Yoga)
easier

Access your brain

Make learning central to
yoga
and to your life

Increase skills in other areas:
dance,
walking,
sitting

Heal and transform
back pain,
shoulder pain,
hip pain,
neck pain.

Learn to learn

Increase abilities
to slow down
to pay attention
to go inside

Connect with your higher self

Connect with nature

Connect with now

Connect with your humaness

Enjoy your life

Breathe better

Be happier

Improve creativity

Discover areas of yourself
that delight
and amaze you

Move as you
did when
you were
young
and
frisky

Discover how delightful
going slow
and aware
can be

in everything

Eating Less

In Ramadan
people eat
only after sundown

the stomach rests
all day

they don't even
drink water,
the Muslims,
following
the dictates
of their religion

resting the stomach is good

fasting from dinner
is another way
to give the stomach a rest
make break-fast
a really amazing meal

and gain
an new appreciation
for how
much
we get pushed around
by our sensations
and our beliefs about
what we have
to do
the minute
the "hunger"
sensations
come

Nine Eleven,
did the bad guys
get to Heaven?

Six years ago,
some "bad" guys,
flew some planes,
they wanted to stir up
a hornet's nest,
they did.

They wanted to kill some people
and themselves,
they did.

The wanted to stun
the Mightly America.
They did.

And what can that all teach us
about health?

What goes wrong
when love
goes wrong?

We marry someone,
highly in love
(if planning the wedding wasn't
too fractious),
and then x years later,
we can 't stand them.

Where did the love go?

A religion sets out to teach
people
to
"love thy neighbor,"
to
"love thy enemy,"

and then,
down the road,
decides
that it's time for a Crusade,
time to go kill some infidels
and take over some real estate.

The Crusades.
men,
with their big muscles
and reptile brains,
and iron
and steel
and horses,
and ideas of God
twisted into
reason for killing
go
off the War.

Killing, looting,
all the usual,
not very "holy"
these Holy Crusades

and guess
what?

big surprise:
revenge ideas
from the "infidels"
who now have their
own ideas about who
is an "infidel"

To love the Infidel
or kill him,
what a strange question
and to realize,
many, many answer it
is the least loving way


Some people say that all healing
requires forgiveness.

There are fun stories
like this:
woman on death bed,
just about to expire,
has the realization
that she doesn't need to hate
the guy
who jilted her at the alter
on their non-wedding da,
and when she forgives,
she wakes back to life,
is healed,
gets up and walks
into the rest of her life.

forgiveness
of others,

forgiveness of
ourselves.

they haven't been perfect.
we haven't been perfect,
and
ohmygod,
that's perfect.

does that mean we should
stay asleep
to our lives
and the present?

nah,
it's far easier
to love
and forgive
and be happy
in the present,

so we might as well
come on back home
to now
and life
and love
and laughter.

ciao,
chris

p.s.
did the bad guys
get to heaven?

this requires other
prior questions:
what is bad?
who are the bad guys?
is their heaven?
what is heaven?
what is the function of heaven?
what is this idea:
the kingdom of heaven is within (J.C.)?

Red Sun,
Fires, Global Warming,
Happiness

Happiness is one of the reasons
we are alive

Love is another

Find someone to love
say,
yourself,
and then find someone else,
say,
whoever is nearest to you,
spatially

And love
you
and them

And then
try strangers

and then
enemies

enemies?

Sure.

See the essay
a couple of days
ago

in slowsonoma.com

and what about global warming?
take a walk
send out some love
see how little you can do today
and how happy you can be
doing that little

la
la

ciao
chris