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Yoga and Weight Loss
The post Global Warming... made me feel something. I think that perhaps the reason i call it a 'feeling' is because there were no 'thoughts' as this emotion occurred... but to describe that feeling is the complete reverse polarity of that very same thing. hmm..
Maybe as our brain splinters experiences into words.. we gain 'keeping' it (like a snap shot) to discuss, remember and compare things to it, but we miss constant countless others in every moment we spend 'remebering.' I would call the feeling i had 'peaceful.' Peaceful to 'zoom out' infinitely , yet from this silence to see the very same playing itself out in the most subtle of the myriad teeming things.. infinitely smaller. Either way Returning.
Does not peace correlate to death? therefore 'dont like it' and 'so be it' produce each other.
:shock: >BoiNG
Maybe as our brain splinters experiences into words.. we gain 'keeping' it (like a snap shot) to discuss, remember and compare things to it, but we miss constant countless others in every moment we spend 'remebering.' I would call the feeling i had 'peaceful.' Peaceful to 'zoom out' infinitely , yet from this silence to see the very same playing itself out in the most subtle of the myriad teeming things.. infinitely smaller. Either way Returning.
Does not peace correlate to death? therefore 'dont like it' and 'so be it' produce each other.
:shock: >BoiNG
Comments
I've had a reversal of fortune, for the better! I had figured my 'hay day' of Yoga was over, and that no matter what I did, I was going to continue to lose flexibility and strength and the years went by. That was not a problem though for I see the heart of Yoga as being in the approach, not in the accomplishment. Put simply: Work with perfection without expecting perfection.
Well, surprise surprise. I recently lost about twenty five pounds which puts me at the healthier weight I enjoyed thirty years ago. Low and behold, I am as flexible and as strong as I was then. Certainly I don't have the stamina as I did then, but I have more than enough to get the job done.
There are other more subtle benefits of this weight loss difficult to describe, so I won't. I will be curious to see if the benefits of being at this healthier weight is enough to keep me away from that cookie jar between meals, and generally eat less, which means allowing myself to feel more hungry throughout more of the day.
Hungry? We aren't set up biologically to be 'happy' with letting ourselves feel hungry, especially when we have so much delicious food within mouth's reach. In the wild, animals jump at any fortuitous opportunity to gorge themselves on fat, protein or carbohydrate rich food. Being animals, we're no different. The only difference is that we are not living in the wild anymore. But we are still stuck with an instinct to eat as though we were.
I get a kick out of all the dancing around we do rationalizing our 'problem' with food and being overweight. We say, for example, that some people have a genetic propensity for obesity. Some? Certainly a slowing metabolism played a role in my weight gain. But honestly, just send me back to the jungles of Borneo to live with the Dyak tribe and this would not be an issue!!! No, our ready access to food is the sole true reason we get overweight. 'Food' – too much, too rich and too cheap – is just another example of the unintended consequence of civilization, especially a wealthy one.
Now, if we actually had free will all this would not be a problem, of course. Not having free will, I'll have to rely on wisdom and experience. In this case it comes down to two main issues: (1) I actually find that allowing myself to feel hungry for more of the day is truly invigorating. Now, I've known this through personal experience for many decades now, yet I gained the extra weight (40 extra pounds after I quit smoking) and kept much of it on over the years. Why? My biology - instinct - is in charge! (2) Thus, I can only influence my feeding instinct if I remain aware - moment to moment - what the stakes are, and that instinct is in control. Knowing, moment to moment, that 'I' am not in control is the best way I've found to be in control. Ironic isn't it? Although, I should really call it pseudo control. So, we'll see,...
If you go to 12-step, they will say to give control to god. The idea being to face that you are not in control, god is. I guess we humans must give control to something or someone outside of ourselves or, if we take control, we will self-destruct.
Anyway, it amazes me how things just take care of themselves when I'm truly mindful. There is no free will, no outside control (God, the Way, whatever). Existence just is. Reminds me of what Carl often mentions: "Not this, not that". Anytime I come back to my thoughts/interpretations of things, I'm not mindful of actual reality.
And, along with Carl's topic, I definitely eat better/healthier when I'm not eating emotionally. Since talking with Carl about this subject last week, I've been letting myself feel hungry, instead of eating 3 square meals. I too also have more energy. In fact, when I go for a morning 1 hr. bike ride, if I don't eat beforehand, I actually feel better putting out the energy.
I was looking at your booklet on Hatha Yoga (downloaded from the web).
I have had issues with my back which have forced me to face the lack if care I have given to my body particularly in the last twenty years, when my activity level has slowed due to changes in lifestyle (family & focus on education and career) and poor diet. I am getting care and improving. It is time to make a major shift in my approach to maintenance and care, like maybe give it some attention, HA!.
I don't know when you last saw me but I have lost 55 pounds since September last year. I am not sure where I should be in terms of weight but I was 205 at 22 when I got married and I was pretty trim. I have always been built like a brick outhouse. I figure I could loose between 25 and 60 more pounds. I am more concerned about being healthy than the actual weight except that I really don't want to see fat hanging off me any more.
I have been thinking for a while about starting something like Yoga and, maybe two years ago, I tried a beginner class on Tai Chi. I liked it.
Which would you recommend for someone like me getting started at 41 years of age? I really can only focus on one right now. I can imagine myself getting into some of those yoga poses but wonder if it is even possible for me anymore. Maybe I have suffered too much neglect for too long.
1) Hallelujah! [chref=36]If you would have a thing shrink, You must first stretch it,[/chref] eh? I so love this point of view for it allows for how life actually happens to us.
2) Either one. Do what feels best and you like. If that is Tai Chi, do it. And perhaps one - just one - yoga posture a day right before breakfast. And, this may 'slip' into doing a few more. If you follow what you enjoy, and yet can be guided by the wisdom you have earned so far you can not go wrong!
It is crucial to remember that you don't have to "get into any yoga pose". The key is doing what you need to do in order to go to your limit - to work - but not go past your limit! Little by little, as flexibility increase, you will need to bend and stretch further to reach your limit - work - and you end up with what looks, to an observer, to be a 'fantastic yoga pose'. :roll: Yoga may look like a sport, but it is really an 'approach'. As we tend to 'judge books by their cover', it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that yoga is about getting into a fantastically flexible pose. Nope!
I'd expect you will have to stretch and bend further and further to reach your limit, especially if you have no arthritis type situation. It will be interesting to see how that unfolds over the next 40 to 60 years, eh? Think of yoga as being like building a pyramid, one grain of sand at a time. And the same for Tai Chi really.
The yoga demands more from your body, flexibility and strength wise. Tai Chi demands more of your mind - in the moment... balance... grace wise. As your age passes 60, both of these become much more important to natural vitality that our civilized life style gradually drains away.
Finally, it is 'best' to think of both of these as 'from now until I die' actions. Everything else in life changes - friends, interests, children, weather, war, work, food, music... These can give a visceral sense of [chref=52]following the constant[/chref]. This seems to actually help us deepen our [chref=16]knowledge of the constant[/chref]. At least that seems to be my experience, although who knows. After all, [chref=71]to know yet to think that one does not know is best[/chref].
As usual, too many words. I'm such a blabber mouth. Anyway, I'm happy happy happy for you Topher! It feels great when we can finally get our act together doesn't it. I know... I've done it a number of times.
No, that was good input. I like a guy you don't have to pump for information.
Yes. It seems I have gone through some ebs and flows in the past couple of years. I keep falling back into old habits but I get back into my new ones quicker than before and each time I start out a bit farther ahead of the game than before.
My attempts to get off of sugar and flour have made a huge difference for me. Each time I slip up I am reminded why I was quitting that crap in the first place. It is as bad as hang over.
It seems like the big claim on fad diets is that you never feel hungry. I never lost a pound when I wasn't willing to feel hungry.
I eat 3 meals a day with small amounts of complex carbs and protein, moderate amounts of fruits (fresh, unprocessed), and liberal amounts of vegetables (fresh or frozen). I begin to feel hungry after about 3 or 4 hours and I eat again after 5 or 6 hours. It is nice to be hungry when I eat. So often I had snacked so much in between meals, I ate because it was time and not because I was hungry.
After being off sugar and flour for a week or so, my hunger between meals is less severe. When I eat sugar or flour, the hunger is more piercing and it occurs more often. I don't think that is a natural hunger. It is more like withdrawal. In the last 10 months, I have slipped back and forth a few times. I wish I wouldn't do that.
... Hunger is a [chref=63]difficult[/chref] feeling to make virtuous. As we do, though, it becomes easier to [chref=44]know when to stop[/chref].
...I find it helpful not to [chref=73]contend[/chref]. [chref=8]Contending[/chref] with life - what we want versus how things are - is fighting fire with fire. It never works in the long run, though it is emotionally satisfying for the moment. Instead of "wishing", try to your hand at 'remembering'. "Slipping back" happens when we forget what we truly want in life - at least that is my experience.
Of course that brings up the old conundrum, how do we remember to remember what we desire to remember? Tie a sting on our finger? I have no solution, although I have noticed that the deeper my [chref=64]desire[/chref], the better I remember. So, all I need do is deepen my desire for what I truly want in life. And how do I do that, pray tell?
Failure wins the day! Facing my own failure is [chref=66]taking the lower position[/chref]. Only then am I able to [chref=78]overcome[/chref] myself. Now, I'll get back to doing just that - and die trying!
I find that structure and routine help. If I lived alone, I wouldn't buy anything I know I am better off without. I prepare my meals ahead of time so when it comes time to eat, it is already decided rather than deciding when I am hungry.
When I have my healthy food prepared and I still choose to eat something else, I really have to face that I am choosing to be sick and fat. It isn't fool proof. Sometimes I still choose sick and fat. Or I choose not to follow my daily routines and my structure disappears.
I have found, personally speaking, that the less I think 'I actually am', the less I battle with myself, which actually helps me [chref=7]accomplish my private ends?[/chref] Perhaps you have noticed this happening to you too?
And sure enough, routine sure helps us keep focused. In fact, such 'trails' help all animals (and plants too) get around with the least amount of hassle. I guess our problem is we [chref=65]are too clever[/chref] for our own britches, eh?
You kill me, Carl. You are the Taoist equivalent to the Southern Bible Thumper. hahahaha. You don't let me get away with even the smallest sins.
Maybe it isn't "choosing". What I sense is that I have two thoughts. One says, "Eating sure isn't what you need right now" and the other says "Eating sure would taste good." Then I either eat it or I don't. I tell myself that I could have followed either thought and I do at different times. Lately I follow the first a lot more than the second but I am pushing myself for perfection. (I know what you are going to say now but I am going to leave the bait).
Tonight I went to Sizzler with my family and I had a steak, potato, and salad. I ate more than I really needed but I didn't have a 1) soda 2) ice cream. I wanted both and in the past have gotten them. This time I talked myself out of it.
Choosing? I can't say but I had a converation with myself about both options.
I didn't talk myself into eating only half the steak and half the potato. Most of the time lately I do.
BTW, you know I was just teasing you. If I am going to hang on a taoist site, I could consider communicating from a taoist perspective. I already know how to live and speak from the paradigm I have grown up with, ie "choice". I came here to get a new perspective.
... You just made my point vis-a-vis freewill. If you had choice, you would be able to chose with a snap of the finger which way to go. I suppose you could say you do because you think of both paths and then 'chose' one. Neuroscience has tested 'choice' situations, and they have found through MRI (or PET scans?) that the emotional areas of the brain light up before the cognitive areas. Meaning, your emotions chose the path you take, just like any other animal. The mind is more of an after-the-fact reflective sense (our 6th sense). Although, as we are cognitively unaware of what precedes our reflection, we assume the reflection is the actual 'light' rather than merely a reflection. Moreover, we desperately (emotionally) want to have control of life, and that skews our perception even more. There now, I took the bait!
... Oh God, don't do that! This site is 'quiet' enough. So tease and bait away! You give good grist for the mill of my mind. Thanks.
A taoist chatroom. Now there is an oxymoron for you.
I notice you get a lot more views than responses. Your taoist visitors prolly wonder why you associate with a ignorant redneck like me and even more so, why you gave me a login. But then they already know you can't help it. Must be your brain is misfiring.
BTW, I read your commentary on chapter 2 and I was impressed with the clarity of your ideas.
"So, by emphasizing one side, I emphasize its opposite." Notice how people draw to them the kind of people they hate. "Not them" has "them" show up like pimples and puberty. Maybe that is why there are so many divorces. People get married before they are complete with their demons and then attract the perfectly wrong person into their life.
I have even heard some people say that the things you don't like about your spouse show up because of your resistance to them. When you give up your resistance, they disappear. Kinda of blows the blame game out of the water and gets the finger pointing on another direction. I have seen this in action. It is quite amazing.