Not Coming, Not Going

I just saw this poem by Shih-Te in the latest issue of Yoga International magazine:

not going, not coming

rooted, deep and still

not reaching out, not reaching in

just resting at the center

a single jewel, the flawless crystal drop

in the blaze of its brilliance

the way beyond

After I read this, I looked over at my retired cat and I realized he has perfected the “not coming, not going”  piece quite well.  Here is a photo of him that I just took.  He is so hard to photograph because he is mostly black.  If you can make out the photo below, you’ll see he is curled up in a ball, deeply relaxed. You’ll also see a glint of green in a barely opened eye in the first photo:

In this second photo, Mr. Not-Coming-Not-Going has been slightly disturbed by the camera and his eye is open but, not for long.  After I took the photo, he went right back into D.Z.M.  (Deep Zen Meditation).

So today is a kind of rest day for me.  Going from doing very little for two weeks in Mexico  to teaching intensively all week long made for a very tired throat. I started getting laryngitis and have been sipping hot lemon tea with honey and basically resting my throat by not talking!  It’s super hard to teach with laryngitis (not to mention om-ing), so I hope my throat won’t get any worse.

It’s been a good day to read my magazines and the two books I am currently reading, Geraldine Brooks’ March and Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin.  Both of the novels mentioned take place during the same time period of the Civil War.  Both novels are great reads.

As far as magazines go, I have subscriptions to or regularly read the following:

• Yoga International  I have been a subscriber to this magazine for about 18 years!  I am never disappointed by the content in this magazine!   It is published by the Himalayan Institute which was founded by Swami Rama of India.  I will never forget when my friend’s father, Balvir Saini, took Rick and me to see Swami Rama’s Cancer Hospital and Research Center in Jolly Grant, India near Rishikesh.   Swami Rama had passed away four years before our visit to tour the facility and to have lunch with one of the oncology surgeons (Mr. Saini’s nephew, Sunil Saini).  However, four years later, you could still feel Swami Rama’s vibrancy!  His work is as alive as ever.  You can see this in his dream hospital, where treatment is available to anyone-even those who cannot afford to pay, and in the Yoga International magazine.  I am in awe of Swami Rama’s legacy.
• Yoga Journal  It seems there are more ads than articles in this magazine.  To be fair, Yoga International has its fair share of ads, but they are tasteful and thoughtfully chosen. For example, Yoga International does not include the naked “Toe Sox” girl ads  as Yoga Journal does). Yoga Journal seems to enjoy displaying a plethora of very thin young Caucasian women who do not represent the true image of who does yoga and who yoga is for (i.e.,  men and women alike, all ages, all races, all body types!).  However, this is the number one most widely read yoga publication in the world, so I subscribe to it.   For the most part, the articles are good. Recently there was an article called “Is Yoga a Religion?”  I found it sad that the question even has to be addressed or, worse yet, that there are folks who wildly advocate that yoga is indeed a religion.  According to my teacher, Vikashananda, from the Bihar School of Yoga, “Yoga is a science,  a discipline, a practice, and a tool to enhance one’s life.”  This  is certainly what I believe. Yoga cannot conflict with anyone’s religion because it is not religious!  It is a physical practice for some and a spiritual practice for others like myself, and appropriate for believers of all faiths and non-believers alike.
• The Economist  The Economist brings the world to me.  I listen to NPR, sometimes log on to NYT on line, and if I had more time, I would have the NYT delivered to my home and would read it voraciously, but at this time in my life, that’s not happening.  Therefore, the Economist is perfect for me.
• Utne Reader  I used to subscribe to this and have always loved it!  Time for me to re-subscribe.  This magazine is a breath of fresh air and I love the points of view presented.  Utne Reader introduced me to other great magazines such as The Sun, Mother Jones, Shambala Sun, and The Atlantic to name a few.
• SkyNews My newest love: a Canadian-based magazine devoted to Astronomy and Stargazing!  When I got the latest January/February issue, my heart beat actually quickened as I read the cover title: 12 Best Celestial Sights in 2012!!  The magazine has made stargazers out of Rick and me.  We can sit in our hot tub late into the night, looking up at the stars and planets.  On a clear night at the coast, which is quite common here in the winter months, the sky is an uncharted map.  We are so lucky to have NO light pollution out here.  It is not unusual to see shooting stars in January and February.  The associate publisher, Colleen Moloney, is my friend and fellow yogini.  She lives in Toronto. If you are interested in this magazine, call this toll-free number to subscribe using you credit card: 1-866-759-0005.

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