gdp's Comments

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : I'm Triggered.

Sun, 21 Apr 2013 20:44:48 +0000

Well, I'm not nearly that bad, but I do practice Nonviolent Communication.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : I'm Triggered.

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 23:19:11 +0000

This could be a satire of me and its hilarious!

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Confessions & Life Lessons of a Petite & Busty Yogini. ~ Karen Kazanci

Tue, 9 Apr 2013 18:02:38 +0000

You make an interesting point. In my Yoga Teacher Training, we learned how to modify poses for the menstrual cycle and for pregnancy. It was slightly awkward for me as a man, to discuss these topics in great detail, but I quickly got over it. I took it to be part of the package. We talked about how men have tighter hamstrings than woman and how to watch out for long-hair when we set up for shoulder stand. I don't ever recall talking about breasts.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Why Women Spend so Much Money on Lululemon, Discovered.

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 12:17:57 +0000

I've been practicing yoga and Buddhism for 8 years and I had taken pride in the fact that I've never purchased a yoga or Buddhism product- no spiritual materialism here, right? In fact, I would usually wear to yoga used clothes that I got at the thrift shop. However, there is a major problem: most men's athletic clothes are too baggy. When I'm teaching yoga or taking it with my teacher, it needs to be clear what is happening with my legs. During the winter, I prefer not to wear shorts. The solution? Sports stores that sell women's yoga pants looked at me like I was crazy when I asked about men's yoga pants. I found a pair of women's athletic pants at the thrift shop, which were tighter, but still flexible. But this introduced a new problem: an awkward bulge resulting from the fact that the pants aren't cut for men. So, the last time I was in Boston, I reluctantly went to the Lululemon shop to try on some custom men's yoga pants. I thought they looked awesome, but I wasn't willing to shell out the cost on the price tag... so I peruse ebay.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : We are the 100%: A Mindful Response to #OccupyWallStreet

Fri, 7 Oct 2011 23:43:00 +0000

I'll be at the protest tomorrow (Saturday, Oct 8) and I'll see for myself.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : We are the 100%: A Mindful Response to #OccupyWallStreet

Thu, 6 Oct 2011 20:40:37 +0000

I think 99% slogan is great too. And 100%.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Will You Pay $5 Fee for Debit Cards?! Do Corporate Banks Serve You?!

Mon, 3 Oct 2011 16:01:47 +0000

For my part, I switched my checking account to local co-op, but I still carry a Bank of America credit card. I'd like to stop using it, but I'm a fairly responsible credit card user and it comes in handy now and then.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Perspectives clash at Wanderlust Festival.

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 19:54:15 +0000

Marianne, those are very interesting stats. Where did you get them? We may see some similarity in the Buddhist world. While the Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey of 35,446 respondents has been criticized for under representing Buddhists, it indicates that Buddhists are certainly a minority group within the United States. Nonetheless, it gives us some indication of who Buddhists are, relative to other groups. For one thing, more Buddhist respondents (50%) identified as liberal than any other group. Furthermore, Buddhists are more likely to support stricter environmental protection than Christians, Muslims and Hindus. As one article on the history of American Buddhism describes: “For those first Americans who took up Buddhism, it was not primarily a means of dropping out. As Sojun Mel Weitsman, abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center, told me, ‘The bohemians and flower children were already dropped out. Buddhism offered them a way to drop in. It allowed them to create a culture out of the counterculture. ’” (1) As seekers of not only spiritual alternatives, but social ones, it is no surprise that Western Buddhists developed their own style of “Socially Engaged Buddhism.” However, the adaptation of the Buddhist tradition to contemporary social issues has been neither automatic, simple nor rapid. It is an ongoing process that takes hard work. (1) http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_...

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Spiritual Wisdom from an Idiot.

Thu, 7 Jul 2011 19:47:11 +0000

The best thing about yoga festivals: how many other places could you find a scene that is spiritual enough that you don't feel guilty for social climbing, but with people who are fit, hip and young enough that it is still fun?

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Are the kulas of today the cults of tomorrow?

Wed, 6 Jul 2011 21:03:44 +0000

I was also at WL last week. My partner had some similar struggles to you (http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/la-vie-bohme-exploring-privilege-creativity-and-activism-at-wanderlust--katie-sachs/). While some viewed the pronouncements of Off the Mat Into the World to be preachy, was quite swept away with them (http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/should-we-invite-social-issues-onto-our-yoga-mats-perspectives-clash-at-wanderlust-festival/). I get really excited about joining groups of like-minded people. Indeed, the festival as whole felt like finding my social niche. I hang around the Buddhist scene a lot, which I love, but I appreciated how much younger the WL scene was while still having a connection to serious Dharmic practice. believe it is possible to maintain close ties with one group while staying close with people outside the group. I do think it is dangerous and undesirable to be part of a group that insults other groups or discourages connection to them. While some Zen teachers require their students to forgo study with other teachers, my Zen teachers encourage us to study with other teachers, including teachers from other traditions. That works for me. That being said, our Zen family is fairly loose-knit and you can assume very little about the similarities between a Sangha in one part of the world with one in another part of the world.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Perspectives clash at Wanderlust Festival.

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:07:11 +0000

Karen, in response to your question "How do you consider yourself a yogi and NOT care about the world and people around you?" I do consider caring about the world to be my spiritual practice, but I understand how many people don't. Different yogis interpret metta and karuna and the yamas and niyamas in different ways. Some are happy to simply send out "good vibes" while others feel the need to venture to society's margins and take action to reduce suffering.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : 8 Short Stories that Reveal What Kind of Man Krishnamacharya Was.

Wed, 18 May 2011 21:27:53 +0000

Asana is poetry not merely fitness or bodybuilding.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : How should I cover the Wanderlust Festival?

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:35:42 +0000

Well, I don't want to make myself sound too generous. Maybe I do a few voluntary things and a lot of things I get paid for... depends on how one measures "doing things", I suppose.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : How should I cover the Wanderlust Festival?

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 17:03:16 +0000

I do a lot of things on a voluntary basis and a few things that I get paid for. Sometimes, I get paid to do things that I used to do on a voluntary basis. Sometimes, it goes the other way. I do have bills to pay, so I need to work. Life experience has shown me that I get a lot more done at a given task when it is my day job. I get to spend a lot more time doing it.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : How should I cover the Wanderlust Festival?

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:02:59 +0000

Part of the problem is that journalism's operating business model has been shaken up. It used to get by on advertising, cover prices or sometimes public funding, but bloggers largely operate on passion. I can get away with generating content related to Zen Peacemakers' work, which charges program fees that pay my salary, but how can somebody really justify and get away with doing a part-time or full-time job without getting paid for it? The question is: is a sustainable business model going to emerge for citizen journalism?

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : How should I cover the Wanderlust Festival?

Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Bob, I hadn't been too concerned about "journalistic integrity" either... until I attended a media reform conference and got a sense of the context in which we are operating. Indeed, our lack of consideration of journalistic integrity may well indeed be indicative of that context. Technological change, economic hard times and unchecked corporate consolidation are resulting in the death of the investigative reporter and the growth of the blogger. Maybe bloggers and reporters serve entirely different functions. Maybe journalism is just dead and we have to resign ourselves to reality TV, celebrity gossip and Fox News. Or maybe bloggers will play a role in civic discourse? The fact that Elephant Journal is about sustainability and politics (in addition to yoga and non-new agey spirituality) suggests that we are trying to pick up the mantle. If you look at today's popular lately, most topics are about yoga and life. A couple do address civic issues though. Is that something that matters to us?

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : How should I cover the Wanderlust Festival?

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 22:55:12 +0000

I think that works. I even wrote a whole article promoting writing your bliss on the blogosphere (http://www.elephantjournal.com/2010/09/buddhism-and-kerouac-on-how-to-blog). But does that mean that all the effort folks like Waylon spent at J-school don't matter? Does it mean we are doing something without technique or training or criteria of excellence? If we are, is that necessarily a bad thing?

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Auschwitz: Letting Go of Resentment.

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:20:24 +0000

Thanks for the tip Bud. We'll actually be doing a trip to Israel and Palestine in May of 2012. http://www.zenpeacemakers.org/bernie/tours/holy_l.... From my perspective, it sure seems like a lot shifts when we just take time to listen to each other.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Auschwitz: Letting Go of Resentment.

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 15:41:41 +0000

Hi Erica. I'll be back at the retreat next November. Many of us return several times. Like meditation intensives, it is a lifelong practice that continues and evolves. I hope you can join us. Let me know if you have any questions (ari@zenpeacemakers.com).

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Young American Leaders Discuss Building Communities of Buddhist & Yoga Practice

Sat, 5 Mar 2011 21:12:15 +0000

Well, I practiced yoga well before Zen and the community I plan to build will include yoga practice. Also, the Buddhist practice of action that I describe is also karma yoga.