Now And Zen Yoga

 When I practice yoga, my hands sweat.  There is no nice way to get around this fact, I have sweaty yoga hands.  Now, there is nothing wrong with a little sweat, but when you couple my sweaty hands with a yoga mat for a hour long practice, you have the adult version of a Slip N Slide.   

There is a great product out there called Yoga Paws.  These are little gloves with actual yoga mat material on the palm of the hand, and it will help you to stick better to surfaces that might otherwise be slippery.  These run about $30+ for a set.

I have improvised with weight lifting gloves.  I find that those with a suede palm or little rubberized nubs on the palm work best.  I have picked them up in stores like Target, KMart and Marshalls.

My husband is a very big fan of Star Wars.  In fact our home is an odd blend of his love of Star Wars and my love of Yoga.  Of all the Star Wars characters, Yoda is the one who is very much a true yogi.  Check out this article by Steven J. Rosen where he writes of how the Jedi is much like the yogi.  Interesting!

 http://www.beliefnet.com/story/166/story_16672_1.html

At a meditation seminar in 2006, Kausthub Desikachar told a story that has stuck with me ever since, I will do my best to retell it here:

Two monks are walking together along a road to get to a festival in a nearby village.  A nun was walking along the same road a short distance behind them.   Eventually the road came to a river, and the monks needed to get across to the other side.  The monks decided that they would need to wade across the river.  Nearby on the same river bank stood the nun, who also needed to get across.  She called out to the monks asking for their help in crossing the river, explaining that she was unable to swim.

“I am sorry, but we cannot help you, we are forbidden to touch women.” said the first monk and he waded into the river and crossed to the other side.  The second monk stood on the river bank listened to the pleas from the nun, asking him to please help her cross.  The first monk yelled over to remind the second monk that touching women was forbidden.  The second monk went over to nun, put her on his back, and together they waded across the river.  Once at the opposite side, he placed her down and she headed off on her way. 

The two monks walked in silence together until they reached the festival.  It was then that the first monk broke the silence.  “I cannot stay silent anymore, you know that we are forbidden to touch women and yet you carried that nun across the river. ” said the first monk.

“Yes, but when I got across the river, I put the nun down and I have not thought of her since.  You, my friend,  have been carrying the nun all this way.” replied the second monk.

This story reminds us of the importance of letting things go.  We need to let go of anger, resentment and hostility.  After all, you don’t want to be the one who continues to ”carry the nun” long after others have left her far behind.

Satya, or truthfulness, the second Yama, or restraint, in yogic philosophy.  It asks for one to practice truthfulness in their words, actions and thoughts.  One must try to live a truthful life without causing harm to others.  Some days this may be easier in theory than in practice, but the intention to live a truthful life is a powerful thing.