Making a choice

I try not to post anything negative online as I feel it’s so easy to do and most of the internet has become places of people just babbling negative and ignorant junk.  While it does happen, I do truly try hard to think and rethink about something before posting and sharing with the world.

Yesterday I was flying to the beautiful Turks and Caicos with a quick layover in Miami. The first flight was forced to land at a different airport, but just a 20min away. After a long delay there, we were bounced back to the first airport, Miami. On arrival I was informed from an app on my phone that my next flight was cancelled. I then had to go wait in a line to see what the story was. That line took 5 hours. No joke, it took 5 hours. 5 hours of standing, no sitting. 5 hours of watching people be “human beings” and try to cut lines, or try complain to staff, or just feel that they were generally more important than everyone else. Human nature! 5 hours to not post a negative comment even though it would have been so. 5 hours to sit and be. (with the occasional email to my family members updating them, though I did try me best to not be too big a whining twat with them). 5 hours to learn from whatever is being shown to us.

When I finally got through the line and was told my flight would be tomorrow, I had to then go to another location and get in another line to make sure my luggage was still here. They told me that my bag would be held till tomorrow and it was already checked for me. Cool! Except… my clothiers are in that. So this translated into, tomorrow you will not have clean clothes. Again, could be much worse. 

I may not be making it sound as horrible as it was, but it wasn’t great. It seemed as if everyone in the airport was unhappy, the thousands of people stranded for the night from weather cancellations as well as the staff doing their best to be helpful but getting mostly attitude.  

On the taxi ride to the hotel (I got the second to last room available at one place after trying numerous others) all I could think about was rolling out my yoga mat to have a safe and tranquil place. I made a choice, but really yoga taught me to make that choice. I could be unhappy at any little thing or I could be happy with everything. I chose the latter, what do you choose?

In Perfect Equanimity... Or Working Towards

I have just returned from my first 10 Day Goenke Vipassana retreat.  I feel as if I just climbed this giant mountain, got through the clouds to reach the top and once arriving here I can see it's just a plateau and I'm actually just at the base hills of the true mountains peak.  A long long way to go, but on the journey none-the-less.  This is something I've been meaning to do for a while but the timing never seemed to work. Of course timing usually doesn't seem to work for most things unless we really WANT things to happen.

A little info here for those unfamiliar. There are retreat centers all around the world that hold 10 day (and longer) retreats for people to learn Vipassana meditation. Vipassana translates to "Insight" or looking in on ones self. It is a system of internal viewing and cleansing developed as part of a bigger system by Siddharta Gotama, who later became known as "Buddha."  But these courses are by no means Buddhist or religious, anyone of any religious system can do them and incorporate them into their life and into whatever their religious lifestyle is if they choose.  The courses have many talks on DVD and CD/MP3's from a man named Goenke, a former Indian Burmese business man who found this ancient technique in his birth land of Burma, and was able to cure his medically incurable disease in his body.  Yes, it may sound new age or mystical but it has worked for thousands of thousands of people so maybe there is something there. (Note, this is not to say that if you have a disease, this will cure you. Just a small note of how he came to find this system)

The retreats are designed to help you live as a renunciate for the time of the course, as it is believed without these responsibilities weighing you down, it can help in the process.  So this means the cost is ZERO, it is funded on donations from former students who have found and love the process as it works for them.  The food is cooked by local people and former students who come to help and offerer their services to the new students as a repayment, a donation of their time, energy and care.  It's vegetarian and delicious (note: food changes per location and what is grown and eaten in those areas.)  The quarters are sparse and simple built on donations from others; why do you need much when your days consist of sitting, learning and meditating?  A bed, mosquito net, toilet, shower. Simple and perfect.

During the process I felt that I wasn't a "good" student. What is a good student though? It's perception based and one usually has harsher views of themselves than others have of them. (How many times has someone told you how great a job you did, and you think to yourself.."Me? Really? I was ok but not great.")  I had a hard time understanding the concepts at the time, and I would ask my assistant teacher there questions on what I was supposed to be doing because I didn't feel the things spoken about.  Because I didn't feel them, I was hard on myself. "I'm not doing it right. I'm not good at this. This doesn't work for me, I should do something else." How hard and judging we are on ourselves, and how quick to abandon ship.  I also wasn't silent the whole time.  There was another student who had told us all how this was not his first time doing one of these courses, but we found out on the last day that actually it was his first time doing this technique. On the second day he passed me a note. I didn't want to read it at first, but then I thought, "Oh, he is a return student so if he is doing this, it must be ok."  There was also a monk there who would sometimes speak a little with me, and if a monk at a meditation training is talking, then it must be ok.   Of course, I was the one talking and taking part of this, so I don't blame others but myself for not fully following the rules, but it aided in me not being a great student. I know for next time how to do things better. And that's fine. Many things, for me, in life have to be done over and over again till I really understand them.  I'm actually usually not the best student the first time, but second and third I'm much better.  I seem to learn more from my mistakes than from the traditional teachings.

By the end, almost all of my confusions seemed cleared up. But again, still far to go on this process. People who go on these courses, and make it all the way through (some will last a few days and then quit, as it's a lot of time and energy to commit too.) will usually do two things after. The first is spread the word about it. When you find something that makes you happy, it's human nature to want everyone to do it.  How many of you started yoga, running, a new healthy food, whatever... that seemed to improve your life tenfold and immediately went out and told everyone about it.  We want to share our happiness with people (we also want to share our miseries, but that is another story).  So yes, this is just one of my sharing's with people about the course and why they should do it.  The second thing students do after completing it, is start to plan another one. Maybe a year later, maybe longer.. but there is the urge to go back.  Part of it is to go deeper, but part is also because during the 10 days, the lifestyle is set up for you.  It's easier to meditate deeper when you are removed from everything. When you have no phone, internet, work, people talking with you... etc.  When you have bells reminding you of what time it is and what you have to do at that time and where.  When you have a person leading you through these meditation sittings.  This is all easier and maybe a "better" place to go and be able to get deeper into your meditation.  So one who has completed these courses, who has seen the immediate improvement in their mental condition, they will want to go back and take part in another... and another.  They will maybe also want to go back and be a helper, to give back to countless others like the countless others who also have given back to them. For me, I can't wait to assist, as karma yoga has always been my area that I live in. Giving to others is something I truly feel at home in.

Buddhist teachings speak of "the middle way." Goenke would speak a lot about keeping a perfect equanimous mind, which I chose to understand as similar to the "middle way" that Buddha spoke of. Not too hot or too cold. Be happy, but not too happy as too happy leads to an eventual peak, at which sadness follows after. Instead, just be happy. Be equanimously happy.  It sounds obvious and easy, but I'd like to see you try this. There is also much talk about impermanence, which when understood with equanimity seems to go hand in hand. This may seem pessimistic, but actually it's the opposite.  When you realize truly that the sadness you are experiencing at that moment will change.. how can you be sad still? One holds on to sadness because they feel horrible, things will never get better... but as soon as you see they will, then you already start to change... eventually you are happy again. But maybe you become too happy, great! Only then you fall down again and are in the sad hole.  Many people, myself included, live on these emotional waves, up then down, then up, then down.  It may not be a huge rollercoaster like some people we know experience, but we seem to all have ups and downs.  Once you truly understand the idea of imperanace and keeping that middle mind to it, then you start to come out of the deeper and longer low waves. the waves become more central and even-keel.  and what does this mean exactly, well, you become more happier.  Ok, it may sound too simple or far fetched or maybe even crazy.  Fine, think that. I'm just a beginner on this and maybe I don't have it all figured out. Scratch that, I definitely don't... but I can tell you that after these 10days I'm a lot more confident in it all than I was when I began.  I'm still the same me as I was before... only am I?  I'm 13 days older now, that's a 13day older me than I was before I started. Tomorrow I'll be again different. The same mostly, but different. Nothing is permanent, not even ourselves. When things change on a minimal scale, we don't see it... but this doesn't mean they don't change. I found this concept truly helpful in life.  I remember coming back to my home town for the first time after living away for a while. "This is not my town! How it has changed. How horrible it now is.  No, when I was here, it was wonderful, perfect, but now... no way."  Of course I see now, the town changed, yes.. but I also changed. Everything changed. It wasn't horrible. It was as it was. But I wasn't keeping an even mind, I kept a clinging and attachment to the past, but the past was just that. Why worry and relive it, it's gone. And the future will just be the future, unknown and in the future, so why worry about what will be.. it's not here.  Now is here. Here is now. Living in the present is much harder to do, but seems to give better results.  This doesn't mean never think about the past or the future. We must have somewhat of a plan for the future, though not an attachment to the plan.  And we must look back on the the past to learn from mistakes, but not to live in the past as so many of us do.  Again, sorry if this seems to basic or new age, it's just how I see it right now and here (which of course is impermanent and may change at another point.)

So what now?  That's a good question. I've been given some tools and systems to start to make a change in myself. To fix the unhappy areas and increase the happy ones. To improve myself and the world around me.  But it's a process and by no means happens at the snap of a finger. These things take time. Without a start nothing can move, so I now begin this journey and hope it adds to increased value in my world and yours.

In metta (the cultivation of loving-kindness) to all

This is Just Bananas

I'm not one to usually tout things non travel related here, but a friend of mine made a short movie and it's been doing well around the film circuits.  It's quite humorous and enjoyable and now that it's up online publicly, I thought I'd share it out with you.


Bananas from Aaron Rosenbloom on Vimeo.

Hope that you enjoy. And feel free to spread...

Yoga Burp, Release

I recently took a few day vacation from the Tea Fields of Sri Lanka to go down to the south. I had a friend who was vacationing in Mirissa on the southern coast and I wanted to visit her as well as go surfing. While there I realized that in the last few weeks I had put a little extra baggage on me and should probably work on that.  My daily walks and yoga sessions had been getting a little shorter in duration, if existent at all.  So now that I'm back I've started to be more present with this matter.  Yesterday I did a deeper stomach workout in the middle and end of my yoga practice.  Afterwards something felt off in me.   There was a sense of nausea through out the day, something I don't usually have.  In the evening when doing another yoga session, I started to burp. I couldn't stop it. Burps were coming and kept on coming. Luckily, just this gaseous feeling and no nasty intestinal flavors coming alongside with.  All of a sudden this big heavy burp came from somewhere deep inside me.  It was like nothing I've ever felt in a burp before. It brought tears to my eyes. Then more tears and I realized I was mildly crying.  I also realized I felt immediately lighter and more airy.  This burp was something stored inside of me from who-knows-when.  And now it was gone.  It wasn't just a burp, it was a storage of emotions and feelings trapped on a cellular level somewhere in stomach region. Through the abdominal workout I was able to lodge it's release from the structure where it was held and it slowly made it's way north to find it's way out.

Yoga can be transformational in many ways. When we first start to practice, we feel a greater sense of self worth and happiness. We feel healthier and more confident. And we only grow from there.  As we progress along the way, we start to learn more about our bodies from a subtle intuitive way. We have emotional breakthroughs and breakdowns in our yoga practice.  I've seen many a person in a long and deep pigeon pose hold brought to tears as the memories that one may store in their hip and sacroiliac regions start to release from their cellular frame and escape the imprisonment of the body. For me, it was a simple stomach routine which was all that was needed to start the catalyst in motion to help release whatever stored memories were holding me down and get me burping for joy!

A trip to Dambulla

Having some (ok, a lot) of free time while here in Sri Lanka trying to set up a yoga program with a hotel, I decided to take a day to go see the Unesco Dambulla Temple caves. I'd seen pictures of the insides of the cave and it looks beautiful.  Just outside of town you also have Sigiriya. Sigiriya is famous for its 200m high red stone fortress and palace ruins which are surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, reservoirs and other structures.  I had read and heard that while Sigiriya is very impressive, it's also very tourist overrun and over-expensive at $30 a head.  While just behind it is another temple and high rock, Pidurangala. Pidurangala rock is almost as high as its famous neighbor and provides a pleasant view onto its sibling as well as the surrounding area. It also cost $2 and had virtually no people on it. Though you don't get to see the ruins atop of Sigirya, having traveled extensively, ruins are ruins and after a while your brain doesn't process them much.

After hiking up, doing a little bouldering work at points near the top, and chilling out on the top with a view, I decided to head back to town to catch the caves as I was only in town for one day.

The caves are amazing. I've been to caves, I've been to temples, I've been to temple caves. None held a candle to these ones.  I was completely in awe. The beauty and majesticness of it was truly magnificent (as I hope the pictures can somewhat show).  I had a few problems here, but so did a few others.  Turns out there are a few entrances in, but only one sells tickets. And if you come into that entrance, the ticket area is hidden. You then walk up a steep hill (small mountain) and get to the the caves where they ask for tickets. Why the ticket place isn't here makes no sense to me, but then again living in developing countries long enough I know to ask for sense is nonsensical. As you can guess, I didn't have a ticket. So after trying hard to negotiate up top (to no use) I walked back down, furious., found the ticket place and trudged back up. Funny thing was, the second time up wasn't so bad, maybe it was more of a hill in my mind or maybe I was just too upset at the ridiculousness of it all to realize I was even walking. At one point I, stupidly, thought, "I'm not going to go. F this, if they have no order or logic."  Luckily, I am not that ignorant, only moderately. So I made it back up, showed my ticket, and went in to see what so far may have been the most impressive thing I've seen here in Sri Lanka.

Little note: The picture with a small Ganesh in it also has a white thing next to the tree on it. This is the bone of an elephants skull. It's considered holy to the worshippers of Ganesh. I thought it was pretty neat.

A New Adventure Begins...

Writing from BKK Airport.  In an hour I'll fly to Sri Lanka to start a new gig with yoga and massage.  A new country, a new adventure.

Let's make it a great one.

Love and Light!

Out For A Nature Walk In Singapore.

While in Singapore I decided to out for a walk along the The Southern Ridges.  According to Wikipedia, The Southern Ridges are a 10km group of green spaces in Singapore spanning the hills of Mount Faber Park, Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park. It is an area rich in history and is home to to a wide variety of flora and fauna. It sounded like something nice to do in the city full of shopping malls and concrete structures.  The walk is beautiful, with numerous elevated canopy tree line paths among rich flora, though not much fauna.  The contrast of the nature, the city skylines, and the water in the distance was a wonderful stark contrast from each other.  There is a small beautiful bridge along the way, the Henderson Waves Bridge which is rather unique and elegantly designed bridge and highlight of the walk for many.  You don't need to walk the full 10km, though I highly recommend it as the canopy trails are all different and the scenery changes as well.

Goodbyes into Hellos

Goodbyes are never easy. I've said it numerous times before and will say it numerous times again.  I've spent the last week in Singapore staying with a wonderful family. Daily yoga classes, playing basketball with a very talented and sharp 11 year old, and running around after a very naughty but incredibly adorable 2 year old. It's been a week of family time, which is something I don't get much on the road and appreciate when I can. My family is very close and was as well when growing up. To stay with good friends from such a big and loving family is truly nice. There will be moments of drama and sadness, but mostly happiness and love. It has been so nice to be included in that all. And now, I must head off, as we can't always stay in one place forever, especially when it isn't "our" home.  And so I have to say a sad and hard goodbye. Or a see you next time.  But what will help to ease that sadness... is...

that I'll be going to Cambodia for a few days to visit one of my dearest friends whom I became close with in Bhutan.  So I will leave one beautiful community and go to another. A goodbye to a HELLO!

Constant travel can wear on the soul (and body). When I can travel from loved ones to loved ones, it does help make living this life a lot easier (and happier)

With sadness I will leave Singapore, and happiness arrive to Phnom Penh.

Love to you all.
namaste

Get out from behind the camera...

.... and get into the scene!

"Get out from behind the camera, and get into the scene!"

This is a statement to all. Stop living behind your camera's, behind your phones, behind your fears.  Drop them, put them aside. Go out there and live this one life (or more for the Buddhists reading this) that we've been given.  I keep seeing too many of my "friends" online constantly barraging the web with self photos and photos of their every move.  When you take a photo of something you are not part of that something. Once you step into instagram (or whatever) mode you now are outside the scene. Disconnected from whatever was happening.  And when you share every little detail, does it maybe seem like maybe a scream for help. "I'm so insecure about my constant every move that I am BEGGING for your approval. Like this photo, give me more followers, feed my Ego."

Now this isn't to say that a photo or social share of whatever sort from time to time, even multiple times a day are bad.  (Heck, what is bad anyways.. but that's a post for another day.)  No, rather just a wake up call to start to see why we do what we do as well as what we are actually doing.  This can also lead into a deeper and deeper rabbit hole of self inquiry.

But please, don't "like" this post.   You can share it with people if you feel, but I'd rather not feed my own ego here and request you honor that. First off, I am guilty of much of what I write about. Secondly, I write this all for your enjoyment. I get the enjoyment from sharing my adventures with you all, that is my "like" of it.

Now get off from in front of this screen, close the blog, and go out and explore. Go do something new, exciting, familiar, comforting, nurturing.  But sign off and go do it. Do it now!! Because the next moment may be too late.  (and if you must, feel free to take a photo of yourself doing it.)

High on Life / I'm clean

I arrived to my yoga class a little bit early this morning. I wasn't sure where it was exactly and I feel that it's always better to be early than late, especially when you are the teacher.  While waiting for the morning shift person to come and open up, I was hanging outside the space minding my own.  Two people came up and sat on the steps next door to the yoga space. They started talking to me, and so I responded back. Nothing big, small talk. The guy got up and came closer to me. Oh, maybe I should tell you all this. The yoga space is in the Tenderloin of SF. The seediest, dirtiest, drug filled portion of SF. So the guy got up and asked to bump my fist. I told him I'd rather a handshake than fist bump. I don't love the fist bump and feel a handshake is more meaningful. He let me know he was offering the bump for hygienics, you see he was homeless and not so cleanly. It didn't bother me, he was still a person and if he was dirty then I'd wash my hands later. I'm clearly no germ freak(read some of my posts in China and you'll see). When he sat back down, he lit something up. I wasn't sure if he was smoking an old cigarette, a joint, or something else.  So I asked, "What is that? pot or rock?"  It was rock, they were smoking crack right in the open, and next to the yoga space. OH NO!!!  We'll shit, these things happen. Especially in the Tenderloin. They talked to me some more and I saw this as a great place to practice non-judgement. For those who know me, I can be a little judgmental. It's something I've been working on for a while, on how to soften and not judge. But I'm an East Coast Jew, it's in my blood.  Anyways, back to the story. I decided to have compassion for them and not judge. When he offered me some, I told him that "I'm clean. But thanks." I don't think what he does or how he lives is the right way. Selling drugs is what he seems to have to do right now, his dharma. Instead of ignoring him or acting rude, I gave him my time and I spoke from a place of heart. OK, there was a part of me that thought I may get mugged, but I tried to suppress these feelings with those of knowing that all will be ok. Because, it really always is all OK. Isn't it?  He is high in crack, I'm high on life. High from yoga. What's the difference? OK, maybe there is a huge difference, but we all have our roles to play, our samskaras to break. After a few hits from his pipe, he started to get paranoid from not seeing any police and thought they may be coming so they got up to leave. He offered to sell me some powder, again, and again I politefully declined stating, "I'm clean, but thanks."  He told me his name was Carl, but around here they call him Slim.  Then they took off to somewhere else. Shortly after, the lady who was to open the studio arrived and I went inside to prepare for class.  Two types of highs, one natural one synthetic. But people none the same. 

A California Road Trip

I had a friend from China who was visiting the US and wanted someone to show them around a little bit.  Having been in foreign countries where everything is different, even when the same, I totally could remember being in their exec position. When I travel I love when locals show you some of their special little "secrets."  Things that guide books can't tell you, thoughts and feelings that the internet isn't able to reproduce (yet).  So for one week I got to play tour guide. Only thing was, I was playing tour guide in areas that were mostly new to me.  But I had some benefits on my side. I know food and I know how to travel.  A week later, I look back and can say I did a great job, though not at every moment.  My friend got to taste America in both the culinary sense as well as a little of the persona of this great country. 

You know when you go to Chinese restaurants and someone has to say, "In China the food is completely different than our Chinese."  Well, it's the same for any food. Local is always best. I never liked Mexican food growing up because I grew up in New England, about as far continentally speaking, that one can get from Mexico and still be in the US.  When I moved to California, Mexican food finally made sense to me.  California use to be Mexico, after all. So when I said, "Let's eat Mexican tonight." my friend looked at me and said point out "I don't like Mexican food, it isn't good." Of course it isn't, if you eat it in China. But I persisted and convinced her of my ways and what happened after the meal? "That was delicious." Of course it was, it was Mexican food in Santa Barbara.  

The BBQ i was a little less sure of. I've never met anyone who doesn't like authentic Mexican food, but BBQ is a different story.  There are various styles and a lot of people just don't love a thick and tasty BBQ sauce.  But I felt, when in America… eat as the Americans eat.  So we went out and got a variation of BBQ taste. Ribs, tri tips, brisket, hot wings, beans, and we washed it down with some NOLA style bread pudding.  It was decadent, delicious and a big hit.  SUCCESS!!  

Our breakfasts were mostly standard diner fare. Pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausage, coffee, coffee, coffee (David Lynch would be proud). We did have an incredibly healthy morning in Santa Barbara as it is Santa Barbara and healthiness is key there.  But most of the breakfasts were heavy and American. (I should add, lunch was usually not eaten as breakfast was so overpowering.)

In LA the food was all about Korean. Beijing is known for it's jajangmyeon, a black bean sauce noodle. However, IMO, the Korean's took this dish and enhanced it. My friend had never had the korean version so if there was some place to eat this (outside of Korea) this was the place. I researched where one of the best spots in K-town was and off we went. She liked it, and I loved it!!! I would eat this dish with my host family on rainy days and when I eat the dish now, and it's good, I am transported back there.  In good culinary tour fashion, after the jajangmyeon we headed across K-town to hit a noodle house known for it's mandoo (dumplings). All Chinese people love dumplings. It's a proven fact! OK, maybe not a fact, but a relatively true generalization.  So this seemed like a good place to go. And though the dumplings were great, the real highlight here was the kimchi. Sour, spicy and a little sweet. Fermented wonderfulness.  

Of course the whole trip wasn't just "eat our way across California", we did stop and do some site-seeing. Spending a few days around Yosemite was wonderful. A friend of ours from China had previously said, "Why go to Yosemite, it looks just like China." But we didn't let this effect our motives. Sure it has similarities with other national forest parks in China, but it isn't the same. There aren't coyotes in China, or the cute little bears we encountered crossing the road. There also isn't giant sequoia's anywhere in China.  For those who've never been, seeing the giant sequoia's in person is truly beautiful. Breathtaking. Marvelous. Awe inspiring. They are mammoth treats and they bring into one's self a sense of how minuscule we really are.  And we are oh so tiny in this grand macrocosm of life.

We also spent an extra day in Santa Barbara relaxing around. I have a friend from yoga training living there and he graciously gifted us a complimentary class of his therapeutic yoga. After all the long driving, it was very much appreciated. Santa Barbara is also a very cute town to walk around and it's easy to just lose the day meandering around the adorable and friendly downtown area. 

As the week is up, I will now fly back to SF for a month stay before I head off to Asia again. My friend just left on a flight back to BJ. Very happy and content with all we did and saw and both left with the same feeling… "I don't like LA."