Monday, October 8, 2012
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Yamas 101
Love me some yoga blog links. Needed to bookmark this one and get it off of my browser tab list. Too much other stuff going on :)
Perfect reminder and refresher for my year of LOVE.
1. Ahimsa: nonharming.
2. Satya: truthfulness.
3. Asteya: nonstealing.
4. Brahmacharya: control of desires.
5. Aparigraha: greedlessness.
Volumes have been written about the yamas—this is just a brief introduction to get you started.
So why is all this important? Because kindness and ethical behavior are necessary if you want truehappiness and peace of mind. If you treat yourself badly, you can’t be happy. If you treat others badly, your relationships suffer, but you are also bound to suffer bound to some combination of guilt and anxiety about future consequences.
The yamas help take us away from our usual self-centered mindset and start acting out of love, with consideration for the impact we have on others, and on the world. When we feel good about ourselves and what we do, we can have true peace of mind.
Read the entire post here:
http://www.yoganonymous.com/yoga-philospophy-you-can-use-yamas-101/
Perfect reminder and refresher for my year of LOVE.
1. Ahimsa: nonharming.
2. Satya: truthfulness.
3. Asteya: nonstealing.
4. Brahmacharya: control of desires.
5. Aparigraha: greedlessness.
Volumes have been written about the yamas—this is just a brief introduction to get you started.
So why is all this important? Because kindness and ethical behavior are necessary if you want truehappiness and peace of mind. If you treat yourself badly, you can’t be happy. If you treat others badly, your relationships suffer, but you are also bound to suffer bound to some combination of guilt and anxiety about future consequences.
The yamas help take us away from our usual self-centered mindset and start acting out of love, with consideration for the impact we have on others, and on the world. When we feel good about ourselves and what we do, we can have true peace of mind.
Read the entire post here:
http://www.yoganonymous.com/yoga-philospophy-you-can-use-yamas-101/
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Checkpoint #4
Application - June
Background - July
Interview - September
Nomination - 10/3/12 @ 7:53 am
Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.
Margaret Mead
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Brene Brown: Storyteller Researcher
"Connection is why we're here."
I know this is an older TED talk, but I climbed out from under the rock known as being a teacher this weekend, and watched a slew of educational videos. The two from Brene Brown spoke to me on some very personal levels that I have been digging into recently. Thank, universe, for sending a much more articulate and educated voice to clarify yet another concept that has been put in my path. Courage. "Which means to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart."
"Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage."
"Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging have the courage to be imperfect."
"The willingness to do something where there are no guarantees."
I could go on and on about what I think, adding quote after quote. But, honestly, the video will say what I will fumble around about for a few sentences and then probably end up erasing anyway. Both videos are worth more than the measly 40 minutes of your life they will take.
"The Power of Vulnerability"
"That's what life is about. It's about daring greatly. It's about being in the arena."
"Shame is an epidemic in our culture."
"Empathy is the anecdote to shame. If you put shame in a petri dish it needs three things to grow: secrecy, silence, and judgement. If you put the same amount of shame in a petri dish and douse it with empathy it can't survive. The two most powerful words when we are in struggle: me too."
"Listening to Shame"
I know this is an older TED talk, but I climbed out from under the rock known as being a teacher this weekend, and watched a slew of educational videos. The two from Brene Brown spoke to me on some very personal levels that I have been digging into recently. Thank, universe, for sending a much more articulate and educated voice to clarify yet another concept that has been put in my path. Courage. "Which means to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart."
"Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of courage."
"Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging have the courage to be imperfect."
"The willingness to do something where there are no guarantees."
I could go on and on about what I think, adding quote after quote. But, honestly, the video will say what I will fumble around about for a few sentences and then probably end up erasing anyway. Both videos are worth more than the measly 40 minutes of your life they will take.
"The Power of Vulnerability"
"That's what life is about. It's about daring greatly. It's about being in the arena."
"Shame is an epidemic in our culture."
"Empathy is the anecdote to shame. If you put shame in a petri dish it needs three things to grow: secrecy, silence, and judgement. If you put the same amount of shame in a petri dish and douse it with empathy it can't survive. The two most powerful words when we are in struggle: me too."
"Listening to Shame"
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Tina Fey’s Rules For Improv…And the Workplace
I am reading and digging on Tina Fey's book, Bossypants, right now. The rest of it is even funnier. Much, much, funnier.
As Marcel would say... "Read on!"
Rule #1 — Agree
The first rule of improvisation is AGREE. Always agree and SAY YES.
When you’re improvising, this means you are required to agree with whatever your partner has created. So if we’re improvising and I say, “Freeze, I have a gun,” and you say, “That’s not a gun. It’s your finger. You’re pointing your finger at me,” our improvised scene has ground to a halt.
But if I say, “Freeze, I have a gun!” and you say, “The gun I gave you for Christmas! You bastard!” then we have started a scene because we have AGREED that my finger is in fact a Christmas gun.
Now, obviously in real life you're not always going to gree with everything everyone says. But the Rule of Agreement reminds you to "respect what your partner has created" and to at least start from an open-minded place. Start with a YES and see where that takes you.
As an improvisor, I always find it jarring when I meet someone in real life whos first answer is no. "No, we can't do that." "No, that's not in the budget." "No, I will not hold your hand for a dollar." What kind of way is that to live?
Rule #2 — Not Only Say Yes… Say Yes And
The second rule of improvisation is not only to say yes, but YES, AND. You are supposed to agree and then add something of your own.
If I start a scene with “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here,” and you just say, “Yeah…” we’re kind of at a standstill.
But if I say, “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here,” and you say, “What did you expect? We’re in hell.” Or if I say, “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here,” and you say, “Yes, this can’t be good for the wax figures.” Or if I say, “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here,” and you say, “I told you we shouldn’t have crawled into this dog’s mouth,” now we’re getting somewhere.
To me YES, AND means don't be afraid to contribute. It's your responsibility to contribute. Always make sure you're adding something to the discussion. Your initiations are worthwhile.
Rule #3 — Make Statements
This is a positive way of saying “Don’t ask questions all the time.” If we’re in a scene and I say, “Who are you? Where are we? What are we doing here? What’s in that box?” I’m putting pressure on you to come up with all the answers.
In other words: Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don't just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles. We’ve all worked with that person. That person is a drag. It’s usually the same person around the office who says things like “There’s no calories in it if you eat it standing up!” and “I felt menaced when Terry raised her voice.
MAKE STATEMENTS also applie to us women: Speak in statements instead of apologetic questions. No one wants to go to a doctor who says, "I'm going to be your surgeon? I'm here to talk to you about your procedure? I was first in my class at Johns Hopkins, so?" Make statements, with your actions and your voice.
Instead of saying, "Where are we?" make a statement like "Here we are in Spain, Dracula." Okay, "Here we are in Spain, Dracula" may seem like a terrible start to a scene, but this leads us to the best rule:
Rule #4 — There Are No Mistakes… Only Opportunities
If I start a scene as what I think is very clearly a cop riding a bicycle, but you think I am a hamster in a hamster wheel, guess what?
Now I’m a hamster in a hamster wheel. I’m not going to stop everything to explain that it was really supposed to be a bike. Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up being a police hamster who’s been put on “hamster wheel” duty because I’m “too much of a loose cannon” in the field.
In improv there are no mistakes, only beautiful happy accidents. And many of the world’s greatest discoveries have been by accident. I mean, look at the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, or Botox.
As Marcel would say... "Read on!"
Rule #1 — Agree
The first rule of improvisation is AGREE. Always agree and SAY YES.
When you’re improvising, this means you are required to agree with whatever your partner has created. So if we’re improvising and I say, “Freeze, I have a gun,” and you say, “That’s not a gun. It’s your finger. You’re pointing your finger at me,” our improvised scene has ground to a halt.
But if I say, “Freeze, I have a gun!” and you say, “The gun I gave you for Christmas! You bastard!” then we have started a scene because we have AGREED that my finger is in fact a Christmas gun.
Now, obviously in real life you're not always going to gree with everything everyone says. But the Rule of Agreement reminds you to "respect what your partner has created" and to at least start from an open-minded place. Start with a YES and see where that takes you.
As an improvisor, I always find it jarring when I meet someone in real life whos first answer is no. "No, we can't do that." "No, that's not in the budget." "No, I will not hold your hand for a dollar." What kind of way is that to live?
Rule #2 — Not Only Say Yes… Say Yes And
The second rule of improvisation is not only to say yes, but YES, AND. You are supposed to agree and then add something of your own.
If I start a scene with “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here,” and you just say, “Yeah…” we’re kind of at a standstill.
But if I say, “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here,” and you say, “What did you expect? We’re in hell.” Or if I say, “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here,” and you say, “Yes, this can’t be good for the wax figures.” Or if I say, “I can’t believe it’s so hot in here,” and you say, “I told you we shouldn’t have crawled into this dog’s mouth,” now we’re getting somewhere.
To me YES, AND means don't be afraid to contribute. It's your responsibility to contribute. Always make sure you're adding something to the discussion. Your initiations are worthwhile.
Rule #3 — Make Statements
This is a positive way of saying “Don’t ask questions all the time.” If we’re in a scene and I say, “Who are you? Where are we? What are we doing here? What’s in that box?” I’m putting pressure on you to come up with all the answers.
In other words: Whatever the problem, be part of the solution. Don't just sit around raising questions and pointing out obstacles. We’ve all worked with that person. That person is a drag. It’s usually the same person around the office who says things like “There’s no calories in it if you eat it standing up!” and “I felt menaced when Terry raised her voice.
MAKE STATEMENTS also applie to us women: Speak in statements instead of apologetic questions. No one wants to go to a doctor who says, "I'm going to be your surgeon? I'm here to talk to you about your procedure? I was first in my class at Johns Hopkins, so?" Make statements, with your actions and your voice.
Instead of saying, "Where are we?" make a statement like "Here we are in Spain, Dracula." Okay, "Here we are in Spain, Dracula" may seem like a terrible start to a scene, but this leads us to the best rule:
Rule #4 — There Are No Mistakes… Only Opportunities
If I start a scene as what I think is very clearly a cop riding a bicycle, but you think I am a hamster in a hamster wheel, guess what?
Now I’m a hamster in a hamster wheel. I’m not going to stop everything to explain that it was really supposed to be a bike. Who knows? Maybe I’ll end up being a police hamster who’s been put on “hamster wheel” duty because I’m “too much of a loose cannon” in the field.
In improv there are no mistakes, only beautiful happy accidents. And many of the world’s greatest discoveries have been by accident. I mean, look at the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, or Botox.
Monday, September 10, 2012
Coincidence?
co·in·ci·dence
[koh-in-si-duhns] Show IPA
noun
This morning my Yogi Tea quote was: "It's not life that matters, it's the courage you bring to it."
During the middle of the day I was asked to step in and sub for a 6th grade teacher who didn't have sub coverage due to a mixup. I walked in at 3pm, settled the class down, read the sub plan and realized the EQ on the board was: "What is courage?"
I think I found my 2013 resolution. Thanks, universe :)
1.
a striking occurrence of two or more events at one timeapparently by mere chance: Our meeting in Venice was purecoincidence.
2.
3.
Last night I wrote a journal entry on courage in reflection of a recent article.
an instance of this.
Last night I wrote a journal entry on courage in reflection of a recent article.
This morning my Yogi Tea quote was: "It's not life that matters, it's the courage you bring to it."
During the middle of the day I was asked to step in and sub for a 6th grade teacher who didn't have sub coverage due to a mixup. I walked in at 3pm, settled the class down, read the sub plan and realized the EQ on the board was: "What is courage?"
I think I found my 2013 resolution. Thanks, universe :)
Monday, September 3, 2012
NPR: Memories
Can We Learn To Forget Our Memories? is just the tip of the iceberg on a topic I have pondered for many years. Honestly, without any real hard numbers to back it up I would totally agree with the research. I used to practice forgetting and now have a difficult time recalling small things that happen. I have to make a conscious effort to store information. Having a somewhat photographic memory makes it easier to retrace my steps, but I might have to sit and focus on the memory for awhile.
The most interesting part of the research is that it says that you might not totally forget a memory, but you don't have the same feelings attached to it as when it happened. So, that embarrassing situation is still locked in there somewhere, but you don't blush when you retell the story. Hmmm...
My problem lies in the fact I don't store situations very well. I used to get so much flack in my relationships for not remembering a movie we saw, birthdays, or other 'significant' moments in time. I rely on patterns, feelings, music, and images, to remember a situation, conversation, or choreography. So, be careful. I have actively tried to learn how to forget, and now I have to work at remembering. Just found it interesting to find research on such an deeply personal and odd topic.
My problem lies in the fact I don't store situations very well. I used to get so much flack in my relationships for not remembering a movie we saw, birthdays, or other 'significant' moments in time. I rely on patterns, feelings, music, and images, to remember a situation, conversation, or choreography. So, be careful. I have actively tried to learn how to forget, and now I have to work at remembering. Just found it interesting to find research on such an deeply personal and odd topic.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)