Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Neruda's Walking Around

there are certain poems I can't believe I've gone this far through life without reading. this is one of them.



Walking Around

It so happens I am sick of being a man.
And it happens that I walk into tailorshops and movie
houses
dried up, waterproof, like a swan made of felt
steering my way in a water of wombs and ashes.

The smell of barbershops makes me break into hoarse
sobs.
The only thing I want is to lie still like stones or wool.
The only thing I want is to see no more stores, no gardens,
no more goods, no spectacles, no elevators.

It so happens that I am sick of my feet and my nails
and my hair and my shadow.
It so happens I am sick of being a man.

Still it would be marvelous
to terrify a law clerk with a cut lily,
or kill a nun with a blow on the ear.
It would be great
to go through the streets with a green knife
letting out yells until I died of the cold.

I don't want to go on being a root in the dark,
insecure, stretched out, shivering with sleep,
going on down, into the moist guts of the earth,
taking in and thinking, eating every day.

I don't want so much misery.
I don't want to go on as a root and a tomb,
alone under the ground, a warehouse with corpses,
half frozen, dying of grief.

That's why Monday, when it sees me coming
with my convict face, blazes up like gasoline,
and it howls on its way like a wounded wheel,
and leaves tracks full of warm blood leading toward the
night.

And it pushes me into certain corners, into some moist
houses,
into hospitals where the bones fly out the window,
into shoeshops that smell like vinegar,
and certain streets hideous as cracks in the skin.

There are sulphur-colored birds, and hideous intestines
hanging over the doors of houses that I hate,
and there are false teeth forgotten in a coffeepot,
there are mirrors
that ought to have wept from shame and terror,
there are umbrellas everywhere, and venoms, and umbilical
cords.

I stroll along serenely, with my eyes, my shoes,
my rage, forgetting everything,
I walk by, going through office buildings and orthopedic
shops,
and courtyards with washing hanging from the line:
underwear, towels and shirts from which slow
dirty tears are falling.


Translated by Robert Bly

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Am I A Yoga Snob?

according to Yoga Journal, no.
i agree. no, really, i do.
(written post-yoga-to-the-people yoga in my old navy (ixnay overpriced lululemon madness!) yoga pants)



Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Street Yoga

Just heard about this amazing organization that brings free yoga to homeless youth...check out the video and the site!



"Yoga is an intentional act which leads to transformation and healing."

Friday, December 19, 2008

my new favorite pose


Who knew it was so amazing to do a forward fold along the wall? As in, facing the wall so your toes are almost touching it and sliding into a forward fold so your upper back is being supported by the wall. Then leaning in and letting the wall hold you. The sensation is totally different than hanging rag-doll.....the upper back, between the shoulder blades, is broadened, and there is a tremendous feeling of being deeply held so you can really release...its almost dizzying. The stretch along the hamstrings is super-deep, which is a tight spot for many, including me. You have to really hinge at the hips and let the neck hang slack. No joke! Having some support makes a world of difference.

STANDING FORWARD FOLD
Uttanasana
The is a pose of surrender. Forward bending can teach you how to consciously let go. This pose helps depression and calms the mind. The spine is deeply stretched, releasing the compression of your disks which is caused by a day of sitting and standing. In addition, abdominal organs are stimulated and massaged, the nervous system calms, and circulation increases throughout the body.

Monday, December 15, 2008

the things we love.

I wouldn't coax the plant if I were you.
Such watchful nurturing would do harm.
Let the soil rest from so much digging
And wait until it's dry before you water it.
The leaf's inclined to find its own direction;
Give it a chance to seek sunlight for itself.

Much growth is stunted by careful prodding,
Too eager tenderness.
The things we love we have to learn to leave alone.

(thank you:
Woman with Flower
By Naomi Long Madgett)

Sunday, December 14, 2008

The Exhale

"The exhale will save your life." Simple, but profound, words from my yoga teacher today. (What is it about being in Downward Dog that makes the words seep in so completely?) What we let go of makes us who we are as much as anything we accumulate. Who would we be if we could really, fully, exhale, let go, release, be present? And why is it sometimes so hard to...simply...exhale?

Here's a good article on living in the moment...in the moment, I'm exhaling like crazy.

Sunday, December 07, 2008

Gilbert and George

as they themselves said, it was the night before the morning after.  this time at the brooklyn museum.  checking out the gilbert and george exhibit.  how did i get a minor in fine arts from NYU and miss these guys?








Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Bowery Women Reading

Can't believe its been 2 years since this book came out! A cool community of Bowery Poets has formed since...come hear us read, off the Bowery, at:

Pennington Friends House 215 E. 15 St. NYC
Friday Dec. 5, 7 PM

Look HERE for more info....

love and poetry,
s

Googling the Universe

i dug THIS video from Lulu Bandha's Ojai Yoga Crib.

I'm a Balanced Yogi!


A Balanced Yogi

You love your friends unconditionally and accept them for who they are no
matter what their yoga style preference, religious beliefs, or spending habits.
You focus on the good in people and would never try to change them. Almost
everyone feels comfortable in your presence. You live your yoga. You are an
inspiration to yoga students everywhere!

Take the Yoga Journal Yoga Snob Quiz!