Living Yoga

In Western culture, yoga is often seen merely as the physical practice. Yoga is much more than the physical postures: it is a way of thinking and being.
The word yoga has many meanings, one of which is "unity." Yoga unites the physical body with the breath, the emotional, and the spiritual aspects of the body. One might also take that a step further by saying that yoga helps the practicer to take himself/herself out of the center of his/her own awareness and better unite self with community and action with thought.
The physical practice of yoga is meant to be an instrument to get to better know your true self or your inner self. These postures and asanas are meant to help one focus his/her mind inward and create an environment to reflect, focus, and connect with awareness and the current moment.
Living in the present and observing the current situation and the very moment are very important to yogis. One ought not dwell on the past or get ahead of him/herself by making future plans. By doing the asanas one must take time to feel how the body responds.
Inner stillness and awareness of the current being exactly as it is can help one rid oneself of the six evils of sloth, greed, envy, delusion, anger, and desire. By being focused on what the body is telling us and noticing how it responds to movements and thoughts, can help the yogi pinpoint situations or ideas that might be contributing to one of these six evils. 

The end goal of yoga practice is freedom of mind and body. One can find this the more one is flexible in all circumstances and lives only within the present moment, not going back into the past or looking ahead into the future beyond what he/she can see. Through yoga, one can accept that life is a constant state of ever changing circumstances--and that the more we feel detached from these things and accept that they are fleeting and constantly changing subtly, the more freedom we will feel. 


Yoga is another way of experiencing God and finding your calling and happiness. With lots of practice and time devoted to it, many improvements and positive consequences can come. 
Even the casual yogi, who drops in for a class one or two times a week can feel the benefits and may experience more mental flexibility, inner calm, or a deeper sense of connection with God or the Earth. 




--Megan


My favorite yoga in the city? Try Yoga District! 

Blaming the Victim

 "Their most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money.They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, &, therefore, those who have no money blame & blame & blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly & privately, than any other ruling class since, say, Napoleonic times"--Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five 

Many full-time employees receive a benefits package in addition to their salaries. These benefits might include paid time off, paid sick leave, and health insurance. As health care is privatized in America, having employer paid health insurance is a wonderful perk, as insurance plans are costly, and health care, prescriptions, and doctor's visits uninsured are even more costly.
Of course, no two insurance plans are alike. Some cover prescriptions, others don't or require you pay a deductible first. Some include dental, while others do not. Some cover certain doctors visits or only work with certain doctors' offices. It gets a bit complicated to see what your insurance will and will not do for you.
It gets worse. Some insurance companies won't accept people into their plan due to "pre-existing conditions" that will end up being costly to them. Despite the importance of health care and our nation's need for it to be accessible, we have capitalized on our citizen's basic rights to health and information. Insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies are getting rich on the backs of this country's neediest individuals.
Did you know that one month's worth of prescription contraceptive costs over $100 uninsured? Did you know that many insurances require a large deductible on prescriptions in addition to a monthly co-pay, and this contraceptive might still cost the recipient as much as the $100 for the first month and anywhere from $20-$50 in subsequent months? Yet our media and politicians tell us that low-income families are to blame for  their own poverty--that these families are taking advantage of our welfare system by having more children than they can afford. They tell us that these same individuals living in poverty are not making good choices.
What about those who cannot afford prescriptions and insulin they need for diabetes (an epidemic for our population living in shelters) or other ailments caused by poor diet and improper nutrition? Our capitalist society would tell you that these people ought to eat better and take better care of themselves, despite the fact that the very diet we've chosen for them, combined with the lack of access to information and health education, has caused this epidemic.
A large number of homeless people die every year due to the elements or violence or other factors of living on the streets. Homelessness has a very real solution--houses! Yet people will tell you that these people have made a series of bad mistakes and this is their destiny.

We are blaming the victims of systemic poverty, illness, and homelessness for their situation. This country tells them they are inadequate and that is their fault they are in the predicament they are in.
Let me ask you, though, what tools have we given low income families to make any sort of choice about family planning? What resources do these families have in order to take care of their sick and get treated for their ailments? How can one get a job and care for themselves or send their kids off to school and then help them with their homework with no stable home to go to?
This is the constant power struggle of our society. We expect that everyone can stand on their own two feet and care for themselves, but we have put impossible hurdles in the way of those struggling in the lower class. We employ people that are educated, reliable, and hygienic. If someone has lived their entire lives without health insurance, chances are they haven't had access to dental care or other basic health care and their appearances, because of this, might suffer. Additionally, the lower class is much less likely to get four-year degrees, and might lack the basic resources that it requires to be consistently on time to work (start up funds for public transportation, a car).
Despite the fact that our society and political structure have imposed these barriers, we are taught to fear, despise, and blame the poor for their plight. We are taught, "If I can do it, why can't they?" It is so important to look at the societal factors that play into an individuals struggle with employment, health, or housing. The people that get out of poverty do so by luck of the draw; the system does not work in their favor, but in fact works to keep the majority suppressed. Those that have power and access to resources relish in this, as they would not be in power if everyone had equal access to it.
This lie has been perpetuated and spread all across our nation. We blame the victims so that we don't have to help them; it's easier to blame than to break the cycle.

--Megan

GOP race of 3

Just a couple of weeks ago it seemed as though Mitt Romney had a clear path towards the GOP nomination in the 2012 presidential election. Now after a recount and a bible belt state turns in their votes it seems that the GOP nomination has spread between three legitimate candidates, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, and Newt Gingrich.

Each of these candidates has a conservative appeal giving them hope of winning the nomination. Each candidate also has an opinion or two or four that either disappoints, frightens, or puzzles the independent and liberal electorate. South Carolina fairly handedly voted for Newt Gingrich, which may have been a surprise for some but not for me. South Carolina was the last state to approve the recognition Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday as a holiday. South Carolina has very old school southern beliefs and tendencies and Gingrich played right into their conservative souther values. And in a conservative state like South Carolina comments like those of Gingrich's get standing ovations. But how will such comments affect Gingrich as with more liberal and diverse states.

Next up is Florida. Governor Jeb Bush has already denied Mitt Romney an endorsement which could give Romney an extra push. Taking into consideration the demographics and past Florida elections I would think Gingrich would have a great opportunity to get another southern win under his belt. However with the extensive financials of Romney there is always a chance he can buy a win.


What do you think? Who do you think will take the nomination? Do either of these 3 have a chance against Obama in November?


--Krystal

Red Tails

With this being the season of award shows in film I find it fitting to bring up a topic that is being discussed today and continues to be a topic of discussion, persons of color in film. Recently in an interview with John Stewart, George Lucas discussed his upcoming film Red Tails and the lack of interest productions company had in producing the film. Lucas stated that the reason Red Tails did not received studio support and took so many years to make is because of the lack of lead white actors in the film

Today some feel racism is far behind us, but i fact we it is still very much alive and well. Red Tails is not a film for just black Americans. This is the story of the Tuskegee airman and how their patriotism saved the United States during World War II.  A film with a story of this importance would normally be fought over by studios to produce and would become the "must see" movie of the year with a white actor as the lead.

I haven't seen Red Tails for myself and I have so far only heard poor reviews, but regardless prior to the film being made the dominant studios did not want to touch it. Check out the George Lucas interview here and let me know what you think.


--Krystal

Freedom and Adulthood

I want to take a stab at our cultural norms and values--particularly those that we practice in adulthood. As Washington City Paper's Franklin Schneider calls it in his article Against Adulthood , adulthood is the "biggest sham of all" when it comes to our societal norms, yet people strive for these institutions that they cannot possibly (in his mind) find joy in.
 Being young, you are always pushing for more responsibilities and freedoms, you're ready to be an adult and to be on your own. Once you become an adult, however, you might see that freedom comes with a price. Yes, you get to live on your own (if you want), but you have to pay for it. In order to pay for it, you need a job. Getting a job has certain requirements and expectations--a certain number of hours you have to work, permission to take off days, etc. In order to keep that roof over your head, you have to exchange a certain majority of the hours in your week. In order to maintain our "freedom" and keep ourselves housed, clothed, fed, and healthy, we have to report to a job day in and day out. As Schneider says, "But the “independence” of the employed is so conditional as to be nonexistent: i.e., you’re independent as long as you keep coming to work every single day in perpetuity. (Similar to the “freedom” found in today’s America; you’re free to do anything, as long as you do nothing.)" 
Of course I understand that in order for society to function, people have to contribute and do their share. I believe in that and think that's great--community and communal living are effective and amazing. There are real benefits there. As Schneider goes on to discuss, however, so many jobs society has created are either totally pointless or to the extreme of being detrimental to society, almost evil--jobs that are about selling cigarettes or  guns, or getting rich on advertising products that we "need"--tricking people into these ideas of what life should look like. 
While the article is a bit harsh and certainly over the top, I found myself agreeing with some of the points Schneider makes about adult family life, children, working and having a career, and the societal norms and expectations. These institutions of adulthood--marriage, children, and having a career, are surprisingly unchallenged in this country and people accept that these are what they must do--that somehow this is what freedom looks like. 
 Schneider chalks up this "settling down" as a way of coping with fear of the unknown, of having some security, of not having to make big decisions. 
What I found most fascinating about reading this article, however, was how it coincided with some other reading i've been doing. I'm also currently reading The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything, by James Martin, S.J., and I'm reading a chapter about living simply and why nuns, monks, priests, etc are called to be celibate.
 According to this school of thought, living a life devoid of extras and frivolities, is the key to freedom. There is no joy in having money, and for the most part, money and extra should be distributed to the poor, besides for necessity. When you take yourself out of the race for all the new gadgets and owning the best stuff and spending money and having things, you learn to live with what you have and be content in that. Living simply and not lusting after material objects or fortune allows for some detachment. This is part of finding freedom through the Jesuit tradition. 
The second step in that is those that choose to become part of the order, give up having marriages, children, and living in a nuclear family unit. Since they are detached from these obligations, they are able of finding their purpose wherever they are called--across continents, with old friends or new acquaintances, moving every 3 years or 3 months, in a variety of projects, assignments, and jobs. The very same family unit that so many in our society hold so dear and expect to give life is ultimately detracting them from a life of freedom and mobility, in this example. This is the very reason that those in religious orders are called to be single and celibate--so that they can fully involve themselves in their work and be available for whatever they might be called to do. They have chosen this life so that they might freely go as they please, with no material things to burden them, nor a nuclear family tethered to them.
 It's telling, I think, that two very different world views have hit upon the same ideas of freedom and detachment. Neither are what an average American might call normal--but they've both found freedom in not having what we're all taught to want--money, career, children, marriage, fame, success, fortune. 

--Megan

Drink Tap Water!

Drinking bottled water is expensive for the individual, the community, and the environment. It is a huge waste of money and creates a lot of waste for the environment, without any real benefits over tap. It ultimately could lead to even bigger problems for our society and even contribute to the widening gap between the lower and upper class.
 I read this great article in defense of tap water here.
Basically, it comes down to a few key things. The first point being that it is expensive, over $.05 per ounce in most cases. Compare this to gasoline which is currently hovering around $.02 per ounce in most states. Corporations love to get into the bottled water industry, as it is relatively cheap with a huge profitability! Most bottled water is filtered tap water from somewhere local to where it is being sold. There are no costs to move it around.
The fact that is generally not being moved very far brings us to another very important point about it: it is generally not FDA regulated. While most consider bottled water healthier or safer, it often goes unregulated as it is not being transported around the country. Tap water, on the other hand, is regulated by mandate and must comply with certain standards. Tap water costs the community about $.01 per gallon and is thoroughly checked for toxins and chemicals.
Probably the most obvious reason that drinking bottled is wasteful is because drinking bottled leaves you with all those empties! As the demand for bottled water continues, so does the need to make the plastic bottles that are unnatural. They are costly environmentally to produce, necessitating millions of gallons in oil. Sadly, though they are recyclable, 80% are irresponsibly thrown away. The garbage has become a huge threat to animal life and ecosystems. Much of the plastic ever made still exists.
Finally, the last two reasons everyone ought to drink their local tap water are actually issues of social justice. As more people drink bottled water, and if that trend continued, less attention would be paid to our public systems. They might become irrelevant or obsolete or without money or interest. Generally, people who are drinking bottled water are those who can afford to do so. These people are also the people who can afford to put money into local water systems, and who might have power and authority and are able to ensure that things are up to standard--if only because they demand it. Bottled water drinkers become detached from the fight for clean water systems as it is no longer personal.
Right along these lines, water should not become privatized or made a corporate matter. It is a public, free service available to everyone, and so it should stay. Everyone has the right to clean drinking water in their homes that they do not have to pay extra for. If we all switch to drinking bottled, where does that leave those that cannot afford bottled? It would just create one more way that the poor are marginalized, that people don't have access to the healthcare they need, and for injustices to occur. Water should not be a "class thing"--it should not be a status symbol. Our public, clean water is for all in the community, and in order to maintain the regulations and attention the water systems need, we must all drink tap water in order that those who cannot afford to drink privatized water that corporations are getting rich off of, are ensured this basic right, and this one attempt to equalize us all.
Giving up on tap water would just create one more challenge for those in poverty to face, one more divide between rich and poor. Free, clean, healthy, drinkable water is a human right.
Join me, pledge to drink your local tap water. Do it for your health, the health of our planet, and the health of your neighbors. Don't let corporations and the 1% get rich off our basic human rights.

--Megan

Every generation needs a revolution

Thomas Jefferson said "Every generation needs a revolution." The revolution taking the nation by storm currently is the Occupy movement. Occupy together are occurring in over 1,500 cities. Is this the revolution of this generation?

We have discussed the occupy movement a couple times here and they are still going strong. A few weeks ago I was at a meeting where individuals from the Occupy DC movement were explaining their motives and mission. During the occupy discussion a member of the audience asked what is the end goal? What are the hoping to accomplish. The Occupy DC representative talked about spreading awareness of the 1% and wrongdoings. But this member of the audience didn't accept that answer and questioned whether or not this movement will ultimately do more harm to the underprivileged. But this revolution is more than just awareness. This leaderless movement is part of the international movement that is fighting back against the 1%.

Many of those participating in the occupy movement have been raided, removed and put through hoops to continue the movement. Videos have surfaced illustrating some of the brutal tactics used to clear the occupy individuals. This violence only reenergizes and reinforces the tenacity of the occupiers as they continue to protest and advocate.

I found this great website that I wanted to share with updates on Occupy events and news. For this to be the revolution of our generation it is pertinent that we stay informed and involved on the issues and activities at hand. Great way to stay in the loop is to find your local occupy movement on twitter and facebook. Below is a great video I found about some of the action taking place in the center of it all, the New York City, Financial District?

What do you think, is this the revolution of our generation?


--Krystal

Circumstance

According to Dictionary.com, circumstance is a fact or condition connected with or relevant to an event or action, an event or fact that causes or helps to cause something to happen, typically something undesirable. What happens when you are born or placed in a particular situation that you view as undesirable. What would you do if you longed for freedom and individuality, but were forced to hide your passion, love, and true character, behind an exterior of innocence and obedience. How would you react?

The 2011 film Circumstance, directed by Persian-American Maryam Keshavarz, is a story of two young Tehranian women struggling against the social norms forced upon them by Iranian culture. This film follows these young women as they love and live within the constraints placed upon them. One of the lead women comes from a very wealthy family and this wealth allows her the opportunity to participate in underground parties and experiment with "party drugs" while her counterpart is orphaned and cannot  buy her freedom as easy. "What you see in Circumstance is the calm before the store. You see the kind of feelings that were swirling around and how tired people were. What you don't realize is that 75% of Iran's population is under the age of 35. Many feel they have no future. It's like a ticking time bomb." -Nikohl Boosheri, lead actress in Circumstance.

What is so fascinating about this film are the relationships and adventures between the two lead women and the exterior masks they wear to cover their true desires. It is interesting to see this culture illustrated within the many rules and roles women in Iran are forced to live by with the submission to their fathers and husbands. This film is set in modern Iran prior to the revolution and the wealthy family of this film is more liberal than their Iranian culture which places a burden on the patriarch and how he treats his family.

Circumstance has subtitles, but if you enjoy a good story and dynamic characters you will forget all about the subtitles and be completely enriched by the film. Here is a trailer and then go rent this movie and enjoy!

--Krystal