Musings from the mat...

I have mentioned that my recent saving grace has been yoga? Well it has.  Cliche as it may be, there are reasons so many people go on and on about this subject.  Yoga is as wide ranging as it is deep.  From the various types of asana poses and teaching styles to the ancient Sandskrit philosophical texts to the pranayama breathing and meditations to more recent books about personal transformation, yoga is or at least can be where ever you look.

Although I am only an intermediate beginner still aspiring to one day gain enough arm strength to rise off my feet in crow pose, fully embracing yoga has changed my life, opened my heart, alleviated my stress and anxiety and brought awareness to many aspects of my life I was going through mindlessly.  Yoga is all about being mindful and bringing awareness to our lives and sharing that with others.  I am not going to go on as if I know enough to write in depth at this point about the subject, but let's just say I've been studying the subject extensively lately and have developed a home practice which is something I always thought I could not do.  The more I learn however, the more you will probably hear me go on about the subject.  So for now, my baby steps are really adding up to actual life changes - yay 2012! 

Another huge transformational step for me this year has been giving up meat.  As someone who loves meat, this is not an easy sacrifice (especially when there is an amazing Texas BBQ joint in walking distance from our house).  But the more I study yoga, I now realize that it is highly counterproductive to create positive life energy (prana) when you eat the dead flesh of a once living creature.  I am not on a soap box about what anyone else does, that is not my place to judge.  But the more I also learn about the devastating effects factory farming and ranching has on our planet, I feel better about my decision.  Another strong reinforcement I recently came upon is the documentary "Forks Over Knives" - a recommended watch from dear friend and super star Chicago yogi Sara Strother.  This film combines decades of scientific evidence compiled around the globe with clinical trials proving that consumption of meat and animal products has a direct correlation with all cancers, diabetes and a plethora of diseases afflicting humanity.  Not only is this proven, but the clinical trials show that by switching to a plant based diet that we can actually repair most if not all of the damage done to our bodies.  That is some compelling evidence.  I highly recommend watching this film, it is well worth your time. Overall, I know I made the right decision, and although it has been hard, watching this film is making it much easier.

So I started this blog as a way to document my transformation in this new year.  I will be going back and forth from the mat to the kitchen to the unemployment line and documenting my successes and failures in these realms along the way. Expect some serious sarcasm, facts and fiction, various musings, yoga info, philosophical rants, and good food along the way.  Thanks for reading.  Namaste.