Restore

My left shoulder feels better, but now my right shoulder hurts! Both shoulders were weak after doing shoulder exercises in an Iyengar class a week and a half ago. As a result I decided to take it easy during yoga until it healed. However, I still have my good habit in place to do backbends at 3 pm, to revive my energy at work, and it didn't occur to me to modify my backbend practice. Alas, on Thursday or Friday, I felt weakness in my left shoulder while standing up from a back bend, so I shifted my weight to my right side, and as a result hurt my RIGHT shoulder. It felt like I pulled a small muscle in my shoulder joint. It still hurts pretty badly today. Yesterday morning at home I did a restorative practice. I plan to do more restorative poses today after work at home (instead of going to a yoga class like usual). Yesterday I reviewed my class notes to remember what we learned in our classes about restorative yoga, and I also read the chapter about restorative yoga in Cyndi Lee's book, Yoga Body, Buddha Mind. There is a restorative sequence in the book that I plan to try tonight.

Bike to Work Day

Today is Bike to Work Day. May is Bike to Work Month. See http://www.sfbike.org/ for more info about it, or for biking inspiration.

Last night I enjoyed Dina's class very much. There was someone in the class who mentioned his lower back pain. Dina seemed to think his one-sided lower back pain was his SI joint (sacro-iliac joint is where the sacrum connects to the hip bones in the middle of each side of the lower back). She focused a lot of the class on lower back pain, and showed us exercises to counter the effects of sitting at a desk all day. Early on in the class we practiced Supta Padangusthasana (Reclining Big Toe Pose), which are great hamstring stretches. This was a great stretch for me, and something I have wanted to practice more often, so it was great to have the chance to be instructed so gently and thoroughly through the different stretch positions.

Providing a service

A few weeks ago I had a private lesson with my yoga teacher. I brought a list of questions to ask her that had come up for me during the YTT, and she answered them all. One of my questions was about chanting and Kirtan. Several of the YTT teachers have been singing Kirtan to us, and I have felt resistance to it. As opposed to talking about the pros and cons of Kirtan in a yoga class, my teacher encouraged an investigation into what the root of my resistance is about. I was happy to enter into that discussion. It made perfect sense to me that my harsh opinions of a yoga teacher who sings during our savasana, could be projections of my own fears about how I sometimes think I appear when I am singing with my band on stage. Since I can change my own thoughts and actions, and not the actions of someone else, it is best for me in this case to focus on myself.

Without getting into exactly what my opinions of the Kirtan-singing-yoga-teachers were, or the psychology that we uncovered, I will share the advice my teacher gave me for my musical performances. She encouraged me to set an intention for my performance before we start our set of songs at every gig. Just like we set an intention at the beginning of a yoga class, and then remind ourselves of the intention throughout the class. She said that when I sing, I am providing a service to the audience. People come to see live music because they enjoy it, it soothes them, it heals them, or it makes them feel expressed. For anyone who is listening, I am giving them the gifts of our music. I am sharing my voice and songs.

On Friday night my band performed at The Hotel Utah bar in San Francisco. During our sound check, I talked with my bandmates about our devotion to our music and how performing is providing a service to the audience and to each other. I said we are opening up our hearts, and giving to each other and the audience from our hearts. For whoever would be listening, I would be singing to them and that is one of the greatest gifts that I have to give.

My bandmate said that he felt grounded after our talk. I felt grounded, too. I felt good, inspired, secure and optimistic. The performance went well. I was able to maintain the intention of GIVING and SERVICE. It helped a lot! I felt connected to my bandmates, to the people in the room, and I felt grateful to be there and to be a part of the expression. This is an example of how tools learned through yoga can be applied to other parts of life.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

On Monday night I went to my first SGI Buddhism chant-meditation group. In my recent quest for chant options and meanings, I learned that the "meditation group" that my friend attends, is actually a chant group of SGI members. (SGI = Soka Gakkai International, they follow the teachings of a Japanese Buddhist monk named Nichiren, who lived in the 13th century.) What do they chant? Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. That is the same chant that Tina Turner practices, and I learned about it in March when I saw the movie about her (click here to read my Tina Turner blog post). It was an example of sychronicity that I researched SGI on my own, and then learned that my friend has been practicing with them. That coincidence encouraged me to learn more about it.

The chant group was held at the SGI Cultural Center this week, because as it turned out they were having a study group meeting with several small district groups combined into a larger group. Usually the meetings involve over an hour of chanting. However, there was only 20 minutes of chanting this week to allow for the study group lecture and discussion. This was a great introduction for me, in my opinion. I was able to learn about their beliefs and SGI's history, as well as get a taste for how they practice. The chanting was a bit overwhelming for me. They chant very quickly, and some of the chanters sounded aggressive to me. I think it would take a while for me to get used to it and find the peace there. At the very beginning of the meeting, the chanting started. They chanted "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo-Nam-myoho-renge-kyo..." repeatedly and for a while it was hard for me to understand what they were saying and when the line started or ended. They blend it together so that it is continuous, and they take a quick inhale breath when they can and then continue chanting in sync with the others. I knew the chant already, and I'd practiced it on my own a few times, but hearing it chanted so quickly and continuously sounded different and stressful to me--like a race. I was relieved when the chanting stopped and the group discussion began. There is a beginners' chant group on Thursday nights, and they chant slower there. I might go to that at some point if decide to try it again.

The Buddhist books I've read and enjoyed in the past are by Tibetan Buddhists, which are different from SGI Buddhists. I'd like to learn more about how Tibetan Buddhists practice, and how they are represented in communities (I mean where and how do they get together and meditate or do other practices together). I'm currently reading a book by Cyndi Lee about her life, experiences and teachings as a yoga teacher and Tibetan Buddhist. (The book is called Yoga Body, Buddha Mind). I also plan to talk to my yoga teacher about her experiences with Tibetan Buddhism. As far as I understand, the practice involves sitting in silent meditation, as opposed to verbally chanting, but I want to learn of any variances. I went to 2 different one-day meditation work shops a few years ago, and at one of them we sat in silence for part of the time, and also did a silent walking meditation through a field, which was nice and peaceful.

Spirulina

I've asked a few people: what is spirulina, anyway? And a lot of people don't know. Then I heard from a friend that it is a nutrient from the sea. So today I googled it and found Spirulina.com. I learned that spirulina is an algae, or an aquatic plant, with tiny green spiral coils that harvest energy from the sun. It is a blue-green algae, too. Hmm, this confused me. So wild blue-green algae is collected from lakes, and spirulina is grown in controlled water ponds on farms. Spirulina is potentially better for you because it is more pure, whereas blue-green algae might have toxins in it from the lake.

As for the benefits of Spirulina, it boosts your energy, it is absorbed by the body quickly, and it is loaded with nutrients, including protein (and all of the essential amino acids). So it is great for vegetarians. It has beta-carotene, vitamin B-12, and many other vitamins including A, C, D, E, K, B1, B2, B3 & B6. It has 16 minerals including Iron, Magnesium, and Calcium. It also has phytonutrients, which are pigments that have potent antioxidants. The odor and taste is described as mild like seaweed.