Friday, June 6, 2008

Honored To Be Placed in the Seat of the Teacher, Laughing, Mom, Rock is Heavy, John F. Kennedy, A Farewell to Kings, Yoga, Ted Kennedy

Aloha!

I taught my second yoga class ever on Tuesday. I am honored to teach about 20 yoga students of varying experience. Teaching yoga is different than practicing. I accomplished my intention for class which is to safely make people feel good, make them aware of their innate strength, grace, power, and beauty and challenge everyone while not overwhelming beginners.

I encourage my students to laugh. I think I was demonstrating half moon pose, tree, standing hand to toe, or a bound side angle pose and I said something like, “Now we will do the other side” which elicited some laughter from some of the students that toppled over in the forest as we were doing some tricky balancing. I think three times I used the line, “Now to make the posture more advanced and bring your practice to the next level, smile.” It was fun and I look forward to teaching my next class.

Mom has been taking great care of me. She is a wonderful roommate, house keeper, cook, gardener, landscaper and friend. We had our first yard debris burn Saturday and the coals lasted until Monday. We burnt allot of yard debris.

My neighbor is selling her home after her recent divorce and has donated some river rock and some rotten wood to me free for the hauling. Rock is heavy.


John F. Kennedy said something like and I am only cleaning up the sexist language in this paraphrase, “Today’s problems will not be solved by cynics and skeptics that are limited by obvious realities. We can build a future from people who dream of things that never were.

I was listening to Rush’s Album, “A Farewell to Kings” the other day and I will share a couple of excerpts.
A Farewell to Kings and Closer to the Heart
When they turn the pages of history will they read of us with sadness,
and the seeds that we let grow.
Cities full of hatred, fear, and lies.
Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise.

The hypocrisies are slandering the sacred halls of truth.
Ancient nobles showering their bitterness on youth.
Can’t we find the minds that made us strong?
Can’t we learn to feel what’s right from wrong?

And those that hold high places, must be the ones to start.
To mold a new reality, closer to the heart.

Yoga is all about expressing goodness and beauty from the heart.

Despite the horrible, sensational, journalism you may be reading about Ted Kennedy, I have hope for a cure for me. Sometimes cancer is cured, even glioblastoma multiforme. It is true that generally doctors talk about treatment rather than a cure because that is the reality for many patients. Fortunately, Jack Burton is not a statistic. Jack Burton is a person with many good people surrounding him for support. I do have and edge on some others afflicted with terrible diseases. I have learned to tap into the goodness that surrounds me which gives me power, courage, strength, speed, and some whacky visualizations about condors and vultures eating dead cancer cells. I may have to send the vultures after cholesterol soon. My cholesterol and triglycerides are all in the healthy, excellent range as last week’s blood test proves. I may just send the visualizations off to other patient’s that may need help after I am cured soon.

Peace and Love,
Jack Burton

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