7/21/13



Crestone, Colorado visitor information center


Things don't really get solved.
They come together and they fall apart.
Then they come together and fall apart again.
It's just like that.
The healing comes from letting there be
room for all of this to happen:
room for grief, for relief,
for misery, for joy.

- Pema Chodren 


This Chodren quote seems perfect for when one is stuck. (See previous post.) "Healing comes from letting there be room for grief, relief, misery, for joy" and, boredom, fear, anxiety, bliss, silence, exhilaration—and more—everything.

**
Yogi Vagabhanda is about to set out upon yet another adventure. This time it will be in Boulder at the Yoga Workshop (Richard Freeman's shala - he will not be in residence), whatever Ashtanga there is in Aspen, and Crestone with Leigha Nicole (possibly) and Annie Pace. 

I've gained some perspective on the David Roche workshop and all the others I've taken. I liked Roche personally. He's a thoughtful, gentle, compassionate teacher. However, the student me came away with very few assists that I could apply after the workshop. 

Had classes/workshops with so many teachers that I'm getting  ready to write a piece on categories(!) of Ashtanga teachers. Roche belongs in the "past-dancer" group, in my opinion. I recognize this group because I've been involved with both Indian dancing (Bharata Natyam) and western style dancing (ballet and "modern" dance.) 

Haven't quite figured out how to write about all the many teacher-student interactions in a way that expresses my individual relationship with each teacher by way of the body, spirit, practice, experience, and gratitude. 

The underlying sense I feel toward all of them is truly - gratitude. More on this subject later.

**
My back is better, and I am older (ever older!) and wiser (but not always wiser!)....in relation to my body. I've come through something and am not the same physically. I am stronger! I am using more muscles to do the same things, if that makes sense. The back may always be vulnerable to relapse. We shall see. 

I've also been trying something new - Shilajit, an ayurvedic "herb."* The way I'm inclined to describe it is—high class dirt! It's a rich brown powder -  distilled from the earth. It's loaded with minerals and fulvic acid which is supposed to invigorate in general and help one to adapt to (relatively) high altitudes like Boulder and Crestone. It's also anti-inflammatory, very important as soreness has been a constant for me these days. We shall see.

Namaste

*About shalijit from the web - which we all know is self-referential - so accuracy is questionable.
Shilajit is a rare tonic “herbal” substance collected by local inhabitants in the Himalayas and as far north as Russia. It has been used for thousands of years as a tonic. Shilajit is regarded by many herbalists as the most important natural tonic substance of Ayurveda (the traditional Indian health care system). In Sanskrit, Shilajit means "conqueror of mountains and destroyer of weakness."  
Shilajit is an “exudate” that oozes out of cracks in the Himalayan rocks and cliffs in the summer months. It is composed of organic plant material that is thought to have been compressed by rock for hundreds of years. After it is collected, it is naturally purified, concentrated and processed into a potent, high-quality extract. 
 Shilajit is extremely rich in plant-source ‘organic’ minerals. Most assays show that Shilajit, depending on its source, contains between 70 and 85 complexed minerals and trace elements.  Shilajit is a humic substance, humus being the natural material that is formed when soil microorganisms decompose organic material into elements usable by plants. Shilajit is astoundingly rich in nutrients, antioxidants, amino acids, and phytochemicals. 
 The main active component in Shilajit, to our knowledge, are macromolecules known as fulvic acidsShilajit is extremely rich infulvic acids (Dragon Herbs Shilajit, from high altitude in the Himalayas, contains approximately 40% fulvic acids). Fulvic acids are one of nature’s most astounding and miraculous molecular substances, perhaps second only to DNA in its importance to life on this planet.