Playing By Ear as a way of life
Soaking in my think tank (I.e, hot bath) today I wondered about what I’d rather be doing these days than what I’m actually doing… and why aren’t I? First, what would I rather be doing? Well, spending more time gardening, cooking, and playing music came to mind immediately. Instead, I… Continue reading ‘What Would I Rather Be Doing?’
That sounds a little silly on the face of it; let’s see. First, I notice that when thinking ceases, I see things I’ve not seen previously. Thinking requires memory. The advantages of a child’s point of view may stem, in part, from their inexperience, i.e. less stuff to remember. Without some intentional mindfulness, I forget to remember to forget memory. It is fascinating how magical consciousness can be without preconceptions. It is fascinating how easy it is to access this moment to moment wonder.
It is fascinating how easy it is to forget to remember to forget to remember to forget to remember… now this is getting silly.
These are a tenacious bunch of snap dragon type flowers clinging to the cliffs at the beach. It is a pleasant sight to look up from yoga and see their smiley faces.
Here’s a tiny little one off to the side:… Continue reading ‘Springtime At the Beach’
What an outrageous notion. Outrageous but true for the most part I suspect. Allow me to educate you. 
It has been my experience (and yours too I guess) that deeper understanding is a slow process of realizing what I don’t need to know. Education can never teach us what we don’t need to know. The scope is way to broad, infinitely broad, for that. So, in truth, we use education to set things up so they can be laid aside. Kind of ironic don’t you think. Yet another irony is the fact that we need to put education on its ‘pedestal of value’ so we will take it seriously enough to set it up. But, let’s keep this a secret between us. The social order may collapse if wind of this gets out.
—Carl
Naturally that’s a compliment! There’s more to it though. First, of course we are all animals. The principle difference between us and the others is our ability to think and remember what we think. We can dwell on issues. Now, my mother has been a very feisty person for all of her 98 years, and I don’t expect that to change. Sure, she’s slowed down a lot this past decade or two, but the fire is always there.
—Carl
Very young children are curious and open to the world around them. They experiment with their vocal chords and limbs and gradually learn the two most crucial skills in life: walking and talking. They are not hindered by a fear of making mistakes; they jump right in and tackle the task at hand. As our cognitive ability awakens and we gather in wide learning, a contrast between this ‘known’ (our learning) and the unknown increases drastically and our insecurity mounts (this is one reason for the Buddhist and Taoist helpful hint to “desire not to desire, and learn to be without learning“). To compensate for the insecurity learning causes, we seek protection through perfection. This presents a curious evolutionary problem.
I’ve never found seeking or expecting perfection useful or empowering. Rather, the perfectionist approach misses opportunity’s daily knock on the door. Clinging to perfection is a hurdle to surmount before we can accomplish our private ends. We miss out on life when we are seeking, expecting, or hiding behind perfection’s secure walls. Frankly, if we approached life as perfectionists in early childhood we never would have learned to walk or talk.
Note: It is the seeking, clinging and expecting perfection that leads to difficulty. Working within perfection, moment to moment, is entirely different. Or as the Bhagavad-Gita (the ‘yoga bible’) puts it, “A harmony in eating and resting, in sleeping and keeping awake: a perfection in whatever one does. This is the Yoga that gives peace from all pain”.
Well because it looks cool, right? Oh no, you said it looks nuts. Frankly, no one sets off to do that kind of yoga posture. The core principle of Hatha Yoga is reflected in what Hatha means: ‘Ha’ means sun; ‘tha’ means moon. The idea is to work with a burning fire like the sun, yet rest still in the passive coolness of the moon. The work over the years increases flexibility, balance and strength. As these increase, one must naturally move into the posture more and more to experience the same level of work. Simply put, the goal is to always be a beginner. To do that, one needs to go to one’s limit. Going to one’s limit eventually brings one’s towards ‘nutty’ looking postures. Alas, it’s an imperfect world.
My oh my, look at that dish! I’ll eat it all and still be hungry… but not so hungry that I’ll need to eat more. This dish is only about 200 calories, give or take, so it probably looks like it is more fattening than it is. Here’s the recipe:
—–
Optional:
Mushrooms, onions, green or red peppers – calories negligible
Herbs (oregano, basil, pepper, etc) – calories negligible
Enjoy!
—Carl
During my years abroad I noticed that it was never the peasants doing yoga, tai chi, or exercise in general. The enthusiast always seem to come from the wealthier classes. Indeed, the same is generally true in this country, though we don’t have many peasants any more. I figure the people working the hardest to support themselves and families have little need, inclination, energy or time for ‘personal growth’. I suppose we use formal exercise is a way to make life more meaningful.… Continue reading ‘Exercise . . . Let’s Be Honest’
Brothers Kyle and Luke, and parents Leslie ("Mama") and Carl ("Papa"). This is our family blog.
This has been our main project for over seven years: helping folks to learn to play music.
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