More UD, Cyber bookshelf
Posted in ashtanga yoga on 02/20/2008 07:43 am by karenThis morning’s thought as I set up for urdhva dhanurasana: “Will the lightness elude me, now that I’ve written about it?”
Answering thought: “No. That’s a supersition.”
And the lightness was still there. A stake in the ground that is clear, where you can look at the current state and recognize, “Whoa, a lot has changed.” I don’t actually get lots of those in practice, not many clear demarcations. Usually it’s a blurry, once-upon-a-time I remember struggling with that…
Okay, so the writing doesn’t drive away the possibility.
But what about the Hatha Yoga Pradipika? The injunction not to speak about practices?
Still working that one through…
***
Okay, the bookshelf is stocked. Thanks to the recommendations of the cybershalamates, I have:
Beyond the 120 Year Diet, care of Arturo
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, care of Yogamum
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, care of Cody
Now I will proceed to live to 120, eating minute amounts of artisan bread and not-writing about my practice. Thanks, you guys! 
02/20/2008 at 9:09 pm
Hi Karen
Wow, you bought a great book. Now, if you find it too difficult to read, Dr Walford’s daughter, Lisa Walford, who is a yoga teacher, wrote The Longevity Diet, together with Brian Delaney. I found that one easier to read. Dr. Walford was not a vegetarian, but his diet consisted of mostly vegetables, yes. Lisa is vegetarian. Her book is more anectodal of how people with different lifestyles each practice from moderate to serious calorie restriction. Dr. Walford developed his ideas while living at Biosphere in Tucson. Lisa used to run the teacher training in Santa Monica with Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty, who are senior ashtanga teachers. She is a hatha yoga and travels to India to visit the Iyengar family yearly.
Cheers,
Arturo
02/21/2008 at 6:11 am
Hi Arturo,
I am enjoying the book so far. I actually prefer the nerdier stuff to anecdotes. And I’ve been interested in nutrition for a long time, so this book is right up my alley. Ayurvedic stuff I’ve read suggests I should include some meat in my diet, but I just don’t want to do that. Interesting to hear that Dr. Walford ate meat.
Hope you’re well & happy,
Karen
02/21/2008 at 7:29 am
I hear that the pescetarian thing is catching on….
02/21/2008 at 8:49 am
You are an excellent marketer, Mr Pomeray.
I ate fish when I was in Singapore back in October. Left the country feeling like I was overstuffed with fish lives…
02/21/2008 at 2:57 pm
She still runs that TT, Arturo. I took it last year. Many, many warning signs there about extreme CR practice. Many. She is extreme though. Moderate CR makes sense to me. But people should see and get to know extreme practitioners if they are thinking about taking it there. Very informative.
02/22/2008 at 5:59 am
wow, (0v0) you are very well informed. yes she practices the extreme version. but she tracks her nutrition and meets her rdas. (by the way, my alt key on the left side stopped working, so that i’m writing like this, yogi style, all in lower caps so that my text will flow. otherwise, i have to jump hoops to capitalize letters that get capitalized by pressing the left alt key.) she was the one that recommended i add kefir to my diet. it’s been helpful. i practice moderate CR (caps, with luck. i may need to borrow a throwaway keyboard from the office to figure out if it’s my keyboard that has a problem.)
there is an extreme practitioner of CR who is a yoga practitioner in san francisco. i have not met him. one of my fellow buddhist friends is his neighbor and offered to introduce him to me. he’s apparently very active, retired, does thing for the democrats. but he is my height and weighs 115 lbs. if i weighed that, my family would start making funeral plans (just joking) or do an intervention. however, their attention is more focused on the morbid obesity that has ravaged my siblings and their spouses, robbing them of their health, than on my thinness.
cheers,
arturo
02/22/2008 at 9:31 am
Arturo, Yes, the systematic yet moderate practice you have seems to have you in such good health. Five pounds here or there–who cares vis-a-vis the big picture of having your quality of life robbed by obesity? You’ve really succeeded on this and it’s a tribute to you. Look at the amazing practice you do every day, the walks and you enjoy, and your abundant work life.
CR fascinates me. The concern I have about extreme CR–and thank you, A, for not taking offense–is that it ALSO (like obesity) robs you of your quality of life. Studies and experience show that mammals on extreme CR become anti-social and aggressive in relationships (living in LA, and my experience with some ashtangis in particular, can confirm this!).
What I’ve learned is that an extreme CR practitioner has to be miserly in energy expenditure, so her days are impoverished of the life–this is NOT the abundant energy and radiant health of moderate CR. An extreme practitioner’s tiny frail body is not functional for many life activities, and often (contrary to predictions) ages prematurely in some ways. An extreme practitioner is likely to talk about FOOD constantly. If the thing you’re depriving yourself of takes over your mind, you haven’t conquered it. If the practice you adopt to extend your life drains the avidity and abundance off the present moment…? That last one is a very interesting question that applies to many things.
As you say, hugs.
I’ll be interested to learn what you think of the book, Karen….