gdp's Comments

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Ayurveda is a Political Practice. Part 1: Economic Justice.

Mon, 23 Dec 2013 17:42:19 +0000

Thanks for the note, Ramani. If you read more carefully, perhaps you'll see that I'm not dispensing with constitutional analysis at all, but rather de-emphasizing its importance, especially to the extent that it unconsciously supports a consumerist and privatized-self vision of health. Of course prakriti is key: it's simply too unique to be commodified. I'm not critiquing its importance, but the manner in which it is used.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : The Guru as Artist. ~ Matthew Remski

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:25:31 +0000

"A teacher who told everyone he was going to fail and that failing was love." Nice.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : The Guru as Artist. ~ Matthew Remski

Mon, 10 Jun 2013 13:14:08 +0000

That's a very old question, Padma, and a good one. I don't know that abstraction necessarily expresses angst. I'm thinking of Pollock and Rothko: manic exuberance and space. Neither of these painted figuratively, as far as I know. Must we all really master older forms personally in order to break them? In aesthetics at least, doesn't the dominant culture impose the mastery of the old upon us? It never occurred to me to try the sonnet before writing the language poetry that came most naturally to me. I always felt that life was too short.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : The Guru as Artist. ~ Matthew Remski

Fri, 7 Jun 2013 22:31:55 +0000

Thanks for the homonym check, \\\\mb (I corrected it) and for the Bubba Free John reminiscence. I wonder what an AD painting goes for these days. Blessings to you.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Is Ayurveda Pseudoscience? ~ Matthew Remski

Mon, 3 Jun 2013 18:07:46 +0000

Hi Bryan -- I share many of your concerns, which is why my tendency in practice is towards conservatism in expectation, to counter what I see as the overselling -- not downplaying -- of Ayurveda's capacities. As far as research in India goes, I am not well-versed, but this collection has been very helpful so far: http://www.sunypress.edu/p-4626-modern-and-global.... I also think that concentration paid to diet and lifestyle according to even a beginner's understanding of constitution and circumstance can be priceless.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Is Ayurveda Pseudoscience? ~ Matthew Remski

Thu, 30 May 2013 17:49:19 +0000

I suppose the critique is implicit/inverse, in the sense that by showing the problems of subjecting Ayurvedic practice to biomedical standards of evidence, I'm hinting at the narrowness of the latter. I think good science recognizes that it has stumbled upon a method (rather than vision) that at least tries to mediate subjectivity towards creating discourse that can be shared. What's unfortunate is that modes of evidence tend to dismiss each other, and so we see in our epistemologies what we see too often in our politics.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Is Ayurveda Pseudoscience? ~ Matthew Remski

Wed, 29 May 2013 21:52:51 +0000

Thanks Jenny for adding value from way beyond my pay grade. I'll have to read up on nonlinear repeated measures. Cheers.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : The Problem of “God” in Obama’s Newtown Elegy.

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:56:37 +0000

Can you point out a "vapid argument", please, Paul?

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : The Problem of “God” in Obama’s Newtown Elegy.

Thu, 27 Dec 2012 20:52:00 +0000

Thanks for your comment, Lauren. My point wasn't about accessibility at all. I acknowledged that public ritual discourse is a long way off from the material and the actionable. The post was about psychological dissociation through metaphysical language, and the divergent agendas that this can serve. As for the President's beliefs: neither of us know anything. Regrettably, I overstepped the evidence on this point. My approach was informed by my Religious Studies background: to take a person's religious speech as personally meaningful, whether it is instrumental or not.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Seeking Evidence that Yoga & Meditation Are Not Politically Neutral: a Proposal to Results-Test our

Sun, 9 Dec 2012 15:21:51 +0000

Dear Truth -- My head is much more spherical than ovular, but yes, quite large. No glossary to the book, I'm afraid. But for your trouble I'd be happy to send you a gratis copy if you email me directly with a mailing address. I promise to not compromise your anonymity. :) threadsofyoga@gmail.com

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Seeking Evidence that Yoga & Meditation Are Not Politically Neutral: a Proposal to Results-Test our

Sat, 24 Nov 2012 17:35:50 +0000

Thank you so much, Sheryl. One of the real challenges of writing as a non-academic generalist trying to respond quickly to a current affair is access to hard-to-find data.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Seeking Evidence that Yoga & Meditation Are Not Politically Neutral: a Proposal to Results-Test our

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:53:34 +0000

continued: Julian Marc Walker fair enough. as i have said twice now your critique is a vital one and demands that we be honest with ourselves! i am speculating based on experience that certain practices increase empathy while others dull it. am i claiming to have scientific studies that demonstrate this? no. even though i value and celebrate science, i don't think everything anyone ever says has to have empirical evidence behind it! i wonder if the non-violent tibetan response to chinese occupation, or ghandi's passive resistance movements in south africa as well as india, as well as even MLK's work might point to how beliefs and practices relate to action in the world? this is not to say that political consciousness raising and intellectual education is not still necessary to continue expanding the circle of care and encourage people to deconstruct group think and social conditioning. for me the two have always gone hand in hand, and i am actually appreciating your critique here - not refuting it! we seem to often bump up against this issue as to whether or not what we believe has consequences in the world. i do take your point about how yoga/meditation can be compartmentalized, and this is perhaps a naturally self-deceiving psychological/political tendency - but i also think that one of their great gifts is that they can be used to break down that type of compartmentalization. i agree with you that unless the connection is made explicit, all spiritual practices can become immune to questioning authority and extending compassion beyond limited familial/nationalist circles. for me this has always been apparent and the central questions of inner work are something i see as much more difficult life long struggles than vague platitudes. --------------- Matthew Remski I look forward to your full reply, Be. And I hope it goes farther than "look at all the assholes in the yoga parade". Himmler's complete distortion of the Gita does not support your neutrality thesis anymore than a creationist's dating of a fossil changes its age. And it doesn't answer my argument about the problem of self-reporting practice versus independent observation of the results of practice. I'm a little more intrigued by your broad-brush against psychotherapy however. You say: "Psychotherapy wouldn't change someone's political opinions either. There has been lots of therapy happening by conservatives, tea party people, in fascist countries...etc. My main argument has been that *any* form of meditation, yoga or other practice could only make someone as empathetic as therapy could. It might increase care for their immediate families for example or even their town but psychotherapy won't turn someone into some anarchist revolutionary, nor will it make their "actions in the world" counter to what their surrounding culture has conditioned them to do." What are you talking about? And where are you getting this from? Therapy changes opinions, beliefs, actions and politics all the time in macro and micro dimensions. Most therapy is specifically geared to help people counter their socio-cultural conditioning. How do you know the effects of therapy on the populations you describe? Are you citing something?

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Seeking Evidence that Yoga & Meditation Are Not Politically Neutral: a Proposal to Results-Test our

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:53:24 +0000

continued: Julian Marc Walker hahahaha! fair comment, be. my point is that concentration based meditation techniques are more effectively turned toward a kind of unyielding resolve and disconnection from empathy than mindfulness techniques which tend to bring empathy, open-ness and awareness of what lies beneath the surface of our agendas, beliefs and defenses to the surface. though of course we cannot make a puerile link to solving all the world's problems and negating atrocities, i think the underlying beliefs and the kinds of mental training being called "yoga" or "meditation" actually do make a big difference in terms of how they impact people's brains, psyches and actions in the world. techniques and beliefs that encourage disconnecting from anything that interrupts your single pointed focus are more easily used to create automatons than techniques and beliefs that encourage the inner work of being present to feelings. but i find your critique totally relevant and valid as i said above, and i may of course be revising and idealizing a version of these practices that is perhaps a more recent remix, influenced by liberal values and a psychological temperament. ____________ Be Scofield Julian Marc Walker you said: "i think the underlying beliefs and the kinds of mental training being called "yoga" or "meditation" actually do make a big difference in terms of how they impact people's brains, psyches and actions in the world." I'm open to this theory, however the burden of proof is on you and others to illustrate this with evidence and not just state it because it feels good. Many people believe the statement but don't provide any sort of evidence to back it up. Of course yoga and meditation have effects on brains, bodies and psyches - no disagreement there. It's just the "actions in the world" part that is where we'd disagree. My main point is to say that yes, spiritual practices could help someone be more empathetic....however this would only apply to people whom they view as worthy of receiving empathy. It won't make zionist Jews feel empathy for the plight of the Palestinians, nor would it make the Nazi yogis any more empathetic about Jews during the Holocaust. Psychotherapy wouldn't change someone's political opinions either. There has been lots of therapy happening by conservatives, tea party people, in fascist countries...etc. My main argument has been that *any* form of meditation, yoga or other practice could only make someone as empathetic as therapy could. It might increase care for their immediate families for example or even their town but psychotherapy won't turn someone into some anarchist revolutionary, nor will it make their "actions in the world" counter to what their surrounding culture has conditioned them to do. ____________

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Seeking Evidence that Yoga & Meditation Are Not Politically Neutral: a Proposal to Results-Test our

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 19:52:57 +0000

Convo from FB: Convo from FB: Be Scofield Thanks for the response Matthew. I'll write a reply, but for now I'll leave you with this: In 1937, four years after the Nazis attained power, the country's first yoga centre opened up in Berlin and operated until it was destroyed by Allied bombs in 1943. The teacher who ran it had disciples in 50 German towns and cities. Himmler, obsessed as he was with hocus-pocus race theories and mysticism relating to his S.S. 'supermen,' carried around a German copy of the Bhagavad Gita with him wherever he went. He regarded the ancient Sanskrit epic as being a blueprint for cruelty and terror, using it, said Tietke, to ultimately justify the Holocaust. He wrote; "He identified himself and the SS with the old Indian Kshatriya caste and its publicised attitude of unscrupulous killing for one's 'higher purpose.'" ____________ Julian Marc Walker holy mole, be! to matthew's point in the article - you can bet these nazis weren't doing *mindfulness* meditation! :) glad your voice strives to keep us honest.. ____________ Julian Marc Walker we remember too where they got the swastika from, ja? ____________ Be Scofield Julian Marc Walker Yeah, if only the Nazis had slightly modified the type of meditation they were doing that whole Holocaust thing would have turned out so much differently. Likewise, if only the Buddhist fascists had bothered to actually do the "correct" type of mindfulness meditation the Japanese Imperial army would have given up their evil ways. ____________

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Seeking Evidence that Yoga & Meditation Are Not Politically Neutral: a Proposal to Results-Test our

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:10:51 +0000

I agree, goldenheart. Except the "platforms and positions" I'm most interested can't really be wrong: intersubjective ethics and environmentalism are no-brainer stances for humans who wish to thrive. I believe that critical thinking and mindfulness will both lead to these positions. Also, perhaps as a Canadian, I'm not as wedded to the primacy of individual acumen as a foundational good. Goodness is a hive activity to me as well.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Seeking Evidence that Yoga & Meditation Are Not Politically Neutral: a Proposal to Results-Test our

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 17:05:03 +0000

Padma -- these are excellent thoughts. I appreciate and have benefited from the spontaneity of unstructured, "results-free" practice. But there are many confounders to it to navigate. If it's not group-think, it might be the desire to please authority. I think the quest for spaciousness in practice will always be tension with what we think we want from it, and I can't think of any other way it could or should be.

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Seeking Evidence that Yoga & Meditation Are Not Politically Neutral: a Proposal to Results-Test our

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 03:05:55 +0000

Thank you paul. I don't quite understand how votes for peace are not cast through parties, platforms, and positions. The hands get dirty somewhere....

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : Why elephant shouldn't endorse Obama or Romney for President.*

Thu, 8 Nov 2012 04:36:56 +0000

Courtney and Sarah: "True yogis aren't political." Except for these guys: http://www.yogabrains.org/politics/yogis-stand-up...

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : The Yoga Community Must Shelve Both Idealism and Politeness to Loudly and Publicly Endorse Obama. Ri

Wed, 7 Nov 2012 14:54:13 +0000

Sorry: who did I demean? How?

elephant journal: Yoga, Sustainability, Politics, Spirituality. : If Yoga could vote, it wouldn't.

Tue, 6 Nov 2012 01:21:33 +0000

For the absolute opposite perspective: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/11/the-yoga-c.... And the endorsements that follow: http://www.yogabrains.org/politics/yogis-stand-up... http://www.yogabrains.org/politics/obamas-compass... http://www.yogabrains.org/politics/a-challenge-to... http://thebabarazzi.com/2012/11/05/endorsing-obam... and even your host: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2012/11/why-elepha...