Friday, September 4, 2009

Day 2 update

Yesterday was one of those sucky days that disappear into the void of Internet and aimless eating. I began the day by not waking up in time for Sehri or prayers and then it went downhill. I did roast those tomatoes, thank God. Filled them with a mixture of rice and chickpeas and vegetables and put them in the oven for half an hour.

It could have been a complete waste of a day except... I pushed myself out for yoga class. An excellent yoga class at the Y, one and a half hours of movement work and hatha yoga. I was panting through some of the moves because I am so out of shape. So Out Of Shape. But at some point, we were in downward dog and I was looking at all the downward dogs behind me, each body beautiful in its own way, one curvy, one sinuous, one with a bandaged hand gamely holding the floor up, one old and bent by life. What the hell is in In Shape anyway?

I don't alwasy see things this way. Most of the time I am judging my body and that of others'. But for the space of one moment, I saw our tender, lovely materiality. Then the moment passed and I was back to panting and wishing I had a better body.

Today, it's again an evening class for me. On the whole I prefer morning yoga. It's a great way to begin the day and it's good to have it behind me, otherwise I have to work my schedule around it.

I didn't check my email for the 30-day yoga journey email until today. So here's catching up.

1. Begin a mantra for new beginnings and removing obstacles - Ganesh Mantra

2. Designate a notebook for your 30-days-it can be a specially designed journal, or a generic notebook. The notebook I'm using is in the picture. For today, just write your name on the cover.



No.2 is easily done. There's no shortage of pretty books in this household. But No.1 I hesitate about. Deborah's email makes it clear that this is a natural reaction. She is used to people finding mantra meditation weird. But, actually I don't. I believe absolutely in sound healing. That is why I am hesitating. I don't know if it is right to chant a mantra from a spiritual tradition without really belonging to that tradition, without undertstanding what the mantra really means, what it's context is. There is sound healing in the Muslim tradition too, in the form of dhikr. And dhikr is a very crucial part of the Sufi path. So I am going to reinvent this step and instead of the Ganesh mantra, I am going to chant the Kalima. In a way, this is beautifully serendipitous because I had moved very far away from the Sufi path. I had forgotten all abt dhikr. So right here, on the second day of my yoga-everyday journey, yoga and sufism are meeting each other and saying, "Bonjour! Let's work together!

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