link to column/ Chinook
A Romantic’s Guide to Yoga
by Chinook
As I walk the trail sometimes, I let my mind go pro-positive and I see each footstep as descending kisses to the earth from above. And ascending gazes look to the very near space and far away distances in between bamboo sprouts, lush green trees and moving bodies – moving towards one singular goal – the goal of better health.
Have you ever noticed when you talk to non-yoga practitioners about yoga how their typical responses are all negative? “I’m not flexible enough…. I can’t do that gumby stuff…. Isn’t that against my religion?.... It’s just for skinny people and models….. It’s just for women…. It’s just for young people…… I don’t do all that weird chanting.”
We yoga teachers, we hear these responses all the time. I remember when I was first asked to go to yoga I told the woman that invited me “I’m not going to do no damn yoga! I’m a football player”’ Well, I’ve matured now and I understand many things that I didn’t before I started practicing the golden art of yoga science and meditation. So I’m going to use this opportunity to put a pro-positive spin on all the negative yoga-speak.
Synchronicity
Last Sunday at Katy Trail, the yogaunderground flowed with approximately 30 beautiful yogis and yoginis. It was truly powerful to watch 30 people gliding simultaneously into a swan-dive forward fold. Joggers, roller-bladers, power-walkers and cyclists would stop just to watch us flow. What a majestic sight to see the most multi-cultural group of individuals in this city doing something in synchronicity. How often do you get people from all walks of life, ages, genders, socio-economic differences, races, nationalities, coming together to do something beautiful. It looked like a tribe of spiritual gladiators! Extending out positive chi through spread fingertips in warrior two poses, we put our form of the GREAT WHAMMY on the over-stressed out onlookers! Every up-dog we sprouted up from the ground like a sped-up time lapse photography of new plants breaking through the earth moving towards the sunlight and towards the creator of all primordial origins.
The Fine Art of Posing
Each asana pose in yoga reminds me of a great sculpture by Rodin (The Thinker) or a great painting of Michelangelo’s like the hands on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I only see beauty in every asana no matter how simple or complex. Yoga classes to me look like on big giant art museum full of priceless masterpieces. I love the variety of shapes, sizes and colors of each and every person. I am intoxicated by the luscious sounds, exquisite sighs and sacred chants of the yogis. It amazes me that people are so afraid of yoga when yoga is one of the few things left on the planet that’s not diluted by synthetics and politics. Before every class I am giddy with excitement like going to a Prince concert. And afterwards, I always feel brand new, alive, revitalized, hopeful and full of joy! My body feels light and open and stronger and toner. And people’s eyes all around me, look at each other with no fear, no distrust and with friendliness.
75 trillion Giggles
After yoga you just feel like you experienced 75 trillion giggles of each cell inside of yourself (vibrating higher) and you instantly can’t wait to do it again. You look forward to the next session. You look forward to the ‘yoga-raderie’ and the smells of jasmine, lavender, sandalwood, ylang-ylang, patchouli and cocoa butter. As the teacher’s go through their dialogue, you are floating in savasana, care-free and relaxed, and you drift away. You travel back in time before your ancestors to your original primordial spark of existence. Nothing else matters at this time but just being in that moment totally in the now. Cool with just being in that moment completely! Yoga is wind, water, light, earth, wood, metal, fire and ice. Yoga is union and connection with nature, yourself and the creator. Yoga is 30 spiritual souls high-fiving in the cosmos! Every time we chant ‘om shanti, om shanti’ I feel perfectly alive with the universal yoga-tribe.
Counteracting Mental Toxins
So next time you have a conversation with a pre-yogi, counteract the negative mental toxins with your own beautiful descriptions, anecdotes and metaphors about the true land of OMMM.
Always welcome to Tsada-ville. You are always family here!
Chinook Wusdhu is a health and fitness theorist and movement engineer. Chinook has honed his teaching over the last 30 years, sharing his understanding of movement and health. In 2006 he won the U.S. National Kung Fu and T'sa Chi championship in Houston
