No, I Don't Have A Plan. Thanks For Asking!

The deed has officially been done. Reset button hit on life. Quarter-life crisis successfully averted. Or maybe aided and abetted--I'm not sure which. All I know is that as my plane flew by the peaks of Mt. Hood on the descent into Portland, countless adventures were looming on the horizon, threatening to make Chapter 3 of this Little Girl's life experience one hell of a good time.

Taking Over, One Asana At A Time

I'm obsessed with the idea, I'll fully admit this! Ever since Bliss of Being alerted me to this ridiculous form of partner yoga, I've been showing this video to every friend and foe that's come through our home. All nine minutes and 39 seconds of it.



It's so freakin' cool that I can hardly stand it. So cool that I am pretty much bound and determined that I will be an acro-yoga efficienado within a year's time. Well. Maybe two.

This positive attitude looks past the fact that my yoga skills are intermediate and my flexibility could stand some MAJOR improvement. It forgets that I can't currently afford to attend the number of classes it would take to get to this level, and the reality that it requires a time commitment I would struggle to make.

But then I watch another video and that all goes out the window.

Sometimes it just feels good to say, "screw it", doesn't it? I get some sort of sick joy out of defying expectations (admittedly sometimes of my own making) and rising to a level above most people A) do not believe me capable of reaching and/or B) are too afraid to aspire to themselves. I don't know whether this is just a rebellious attitude with selfish motivation or that of an independent soul with a propensity to break the rules in order to reach greater heights. I hope the latter. I don't break rules to disappoint people I love, only to increase my own joy and understanding in and of the world. I guess the lesson to learn is that you have to disappoint others sometimes in order to avoid disappointing yourself. But you also have to trust that your strength, balance and flexibility as a human being will be all you need to get through it--that and maybe the corresponding capabilities of a trusted partner who is standing by to support your every move.

Acro-Yoga here I come!

Give Them An Inch And They'll take a Centimeter

photo credit: David Sanders/New York Times
My friend Rawbin on Twitter--wonderful, crazy lady--sent out the link to this video the other day. I had heard of this Buddhist couple earlier, but hadn't really taken the time to think much about their lifestyle, which involves spending their days as close to each other's consciousness as possible. In a physical sense, this involves their being within 15 feet of one another at all times. In a spiritual sense, they try to experience everything together, not just with each other, but as each other.

So this video, is about a New York couple that decides to try it for a day and finds that our modern and very individualistic habits don't mesh so well with the concept. We like to be in the driver's seat. We don't like to wait for others to catch up. We don't like to stop what we're doing so that our companions can accomplish a separate task.



I've talked before about the Me l I l Mine focus of our culture before and this is a classic example of how it's manifested itself, even in our most intimate relationships. When forced to live by another's schedule, it doesn't take long for one to become very frustrated--especially if you are lacking patience as a virtue, as I usually am! What I really like about the theory behind this practice is that it forces the participants to deal with issues right then and there, because there is no "time-out" or cool-off period. Anger or jealousy don't get bottled up inside. There's no chance for either to poison the body, mind or spirit. It's just a much more efficient way to work within a relationship. Even if you would never even entertain dreaming of trying this arrangement temporarily, much less permanently, that lesson alone is worth learning from these stories.