Yoga Makes Me Want To Cry
Yes that's right. You have found ONE person that dislikes yoga. GASP, how can anyone dislike yoga? Well I do. It's too hot, and too boring. But I have to keep going because I am a firm believer that doing icky healthy things will eventually help me become a better person. I'm icky like that.
When exercising, I like more impact, like dance and running. However I am strangely suspicious that I just like any kind of action accompanied by great music. Anyway, I don't know about this yoga business. I keep going back because I have this 10 class card and because everyone keeps talking about how great it is. I suppose I can see its obvious popularity...for people who like to be boring--I mean to meditate, focus, and get in touch with their inner self. It's about physical and mental health and who wouldn't want that?? Maybe this is why it's so difficult because it's exercising two things at once. WOH. Aw man, I just realized that just pretty much means icky times 2.
Anyway, the yoga instructors always like to read a little passage from some self help book at the end of each session. Today's was interesting because the book in discussion was "A Purpose Driven Life." Ahh, that brings back memories. When I was a junior in high school, my parents in collaboration with two other Chinese families, purchased this book in both the English and Chinese versions so we could meet every Friday night to discuss it. Every Friday it was like freakin clockwork. Three sets of Asian parents plus three Asian teenage girls, and about 10 copies of "The Purpose Driven Life" in TWO LANGUAGES. If I remember correctly, and I'm surprised I can because I thought I would've repressed something so traumatic as Friday night bible studies by now, I hated how long the book was. I don't suppose this made my yoga experience any better. However, the instructor did choose an interesting passage, and I have to admit that it's a shame I hated that book because it really wasn't the book's fault, it was more the parentals' weak ass attempts to reconnect with their children. Apparently family dinners just don't do it anymore. Anyway, without further ado, the passage he chose:
"It was pointed out that Henry David Thoreau spoke of the “quiet desperation” with which we live our lives but the more accurate rendering of that today might be aimless distraction. Aimless: because we don’t have a purpose, distraction: because it’s too uncomfortable to face that fact...you can’t focus very long on your ultimate destiny when you don’t have any answers for the big questions—questions like: “Where did we come from? Where are we going? What are we here for?” And the most natural thing to do, if you don’t want to face into these questions, is to avoid them by turning up the volume on what distracts you. One thing you can surely say about this culture: We have an overabundance of stuff with which to distract ourselves from the more important questions of life. Movies, entertainment, non-stop music, computer games, videos, television, and an endless stream of eye-candy keeps our current generation thoroughly engaged with anything but wondering about what we are here for."
The reference to Thoreau here is from Walden: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."
This is very true. I'm sure at one point or another we all feel like we're just going in circles, like damn lab rats. We don't know why and we can't seem to understand the grand design, we just do. But then it's scary (or maybe even impossible) to not do. So in the end, we just end up complaining but never doing anything about it. What can we do about it? Yoga? Arguably, isn't that just another form of distraction. I know when I'm doing those annoying downward dogs, crows, or damn bridges (for the 5th time), it's really hard to contemplate the meaning of life. I sure wish I knew my purpose in life---
I can't think with Conan on dammit!
When exercising, I like more impact, like dance and running. However I am strangely suspicious that I just like any kind of action accompanied by great music. Anyway, I don't know about this yoga business. I keep going back because I have this 10 class card and because everyone keeps talking about how great it is. I suppose I can see its obvious popularity...for people who like to be boring--I mean to meditate, focus, and get in touch with their inner self. It's about physical and mental health and who wouldn't want that?? Maybe this is why it's so difficult because it's exercising two things at once. WOH. Aw man, I just realized that just pretty much means icky times 2.
Anyway, the yoga instructors always like to read a little passage from some self help book at the end of each session. Today's was interesting because the book in discussion was "A Purpose Driven Life." Ahh, that brings back memories. When I was a junior in high school, my parents in collaboration with two other Chinese families, purchased this book in both the English and Chinese versions so we could meet every Friday night to discuss it. Every Friday it was like freakin clockwork. Three sets of Asian parents plus three Asian teenage girls, and about 10 copies of "The Purpose Driven Life" in TWO LANGUAGES. If I remember correctly, and I'm surprised I can because I thought I would've repressed something so traumatic as Friday night bible studies by now, I hated how long the book was. I don't suppose this made my yoga experience any better. However, the instructor did choose an interesting passage, and I have to admit that it's a shame I hated that book because it really wasn't the book's fault, it was more the parentals' weak ass attempts to reconnect with their children. Apparently family dinners just don't do it anymore. Anyway, without further ado, the passage he chose:
"It was pointed out that Henry David Thoreau spoke of the “quiet desperation” with which we live our lives but the more accurate rendering of that today might be aimless distraction. Aimless: because we don’t have a purpose, distraction: because it’s too uncomfortable to face that fact...you can’t focus very long on your ultimate destiny when you don’t have any answers for the big questions—questions like: “Where did we come from? Where are we going? What are we here for?” And the most natural thing to do, if you don’t want to face into these questions, is to avoid them by turning up the volume on what distracts you. One thing you can surely say about this culture: We have an overabundance of stuff with which to distract ourselves from the more important questions of life. Movies, entertainment, non-stop music, computer games, videos, television, and an endless stream of eye-candy keeps our current generation thoroughly engaged with anything but wondering about what we are here for."
The reference to Thoreau here is from Walden: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation."
This is very true. I'm sure at one point or another we all feel like we're just going in circles, like damn lab rats. We don't know why and we can't seem to understand the grand design, we just do. But then it's scary (or maybe even impossible) to not do. So in the end, we just end up complaining but never doing anything about it. What can we do about it? Yoga? Arguably, isn't that just another form of distraction. I know when I'm doing those annoying downward dogs, crows, or damn bridges (for the 5th time), it's really hard to contemplate the meaning of life. I sure wish I knew my purpose in life---
I can't think with Conan on dammit!
posted by Mix at 12:28 AM
1 Comments:
"Life is but a dream."
Wondering about the meaning of life without actually living is still going in circles.
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