When I was a kid, I could not figure out my left hand from my right. Being a good South Indian girl, I was supposed to only give and take things with my right hand. I kept forgetting and kept getting into trouble.

Many grown students in my yoga class also struggle with this. Bend the right leg, keep the left leg straight., I will say, as I direct them into Janu Sirsasana. Sure enough, at least two students will bend their left leg. No, this is not a sign of an underdeveloped brain, but an indication that they are not fully aware of the moment. Perhaps they are thinking of what they will have for lunch, or envying the narrow waistline of the student in front of them; whatever the case, they are not practicing yoga with awareness.

Awareness is important, not solely because we dont want to get run over as we cross the street but because it provides us with an opportunity to live a happy and blissful life. Asanas are about the alignment of the body. Even the Tadasana (standing straight) forces us to focus on every aspect of the body: Feet together, big toes touching, ankles touching. Spread the feet wide and distribute the weight evenly through the feet. Pull the arches of your feet and the muscles of the legs upwards. Engage the muscles above the knee by pressing into the base of the big toe. And these are the instructions only for the legs. In a perfectly aligned asana, the muscles, joints, bones and even the skin are all set in a particular way. This takes some effort, but eventually we become aware of every part of the body.

Pain and awareness

The other aspect of yoga that forces us to focus is pain. As the muscles stretch, we will feel pain; more pain when we first begin and less as we progress.

When we feel pain, an ache or an internal stretch of a muscle our awareness immediately shifts to this area.

It is hard to be thinking about the box of chocolate in your fridge when your hip joints are aching as they open outwards.

Balancing

Many asanas require us to balance on our feet, arms, or heads.

When we move our bodies into positions that we are not familiar with, the mind is forced to be in the present. If it is not fully focused, you will fall!

Continue reading here:
Urban Yoga: Be aware of the moment

Published: Saturday, 8/16/2014 - Updated: 10 hours ago BOOK REVIEW

BY TK BARGER BLADE RELIGION EDITOR

Imagine that, with the prestige of your job, you can have contact with just about any spiritual leader in the world. Imagine that the tensions from your work are steering you to seek some spiritual help. Imagine learning about your spirituality by having elite religious figures become your teachers. And imagine that you have a reason to seek a better path.

Dan Harris didnt have to imagine. When he was addressing a panic disorder and turning away from destructive behavior, including drug use, he became curious about the benefits of meditation.His job, as a correspondent for ABC News, gave him entree to inspirational people who wrote best-selling books or led religious movements. His mentor Peter Jennings, then the anchor of World News Tonight, had appointed him as ABC's religion reporter; today Harris is one of the anchors of Nightline and cohost of the weekend edition of Good Morning America, as well as a reporter for World News Tonight and other ABC News programs.

Sometimes for his reporting and at other times using story ideas for his own spiritual inquiry, Harris contacted prominent authors and religious leaders and learned their ways. For this religious education, he started with Eckhart Tolle, an Oprah-approved self-help swami, then went to Deepak Chopra, probably the most famous guru on earth, and later even had an audience with the Dalai Lama, head of Tibetan Buddhism: Within minutes, he had already proven himself more reasonable than either Eckhart Tolle or Deepak Chopra.

Harris also found some Jew-Bu, or Jewish-Buddhist, authors, psychologist Dr. Mark Epstein and meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein, who continue to provide guidance. Prior to reading Epstein, he wrote, my most substantial interaction with Buddhism was when, as a 15-year-old punk kid, I stole a Buddha statue from a local gardening store and put it in my bedroom because I thought it looked cool.

As Harris was reading about Buddhist meditation, The thought popped into my head: Should I try this? I decided: Damn it, let's give it a shot. Carpe diem, and whatnot. He followed the book's instructions on how to meditate sitting comfortably, consciously focusing on breathing in and out, and the biggie. Whenever your attention wanders, just forgive yourself and gently come back to the breath.You don't need to clear the mind of all thinking; that's pretty much imposssible.

Meditation turned out to be what he needed. If you'd told me when I first arrived in New York City, to start working in network news, that I'd be using meditation to defang the voice in my heador that I'd ever write a whole book about itI would have laughed at you, he wrote in the preface.

Harris's most important revelation about meditation became the title of his book, 10% Happier, which is partly memoir of life in network news, partly appreciation of the practice of and effects from meditationwith a how-to-meditate appendix. Meditation makes Harris 10 percent happier, he realized. It doesn't completely change you; meditation makes things a little bit more manageable. The little bit for Harris is in the subtitle: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually WorksA True Story.

The 10% Happier phrase had the dual benefit of being catchy and true, he wrote, simultaneously counterprogramming against the overpromising of the self-helpers while also offering an attractive return on investment.

Excerpt from:
Book review: 10% Happier

Alanis Morissette has always spoken her mind but its a voice as likely to erupt into a self-effacing laugh as segue into cerebral musing about socio-economic issues or the search for emotional and physical well-being.

The Grammy winners introspective approach to life has long fueled her music, from the powerhouse 1990s arena blaster You Oughta Know, a raw rant against a former lover, to the more recent Guardian, with its buoyant overtones of motherhood.

Her Intimate and Acoustic tour, which includes a stop at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on Friday, Aug. 22, offers a glimpse into that musical evolution. The unplugged format highlights both a sense of vulnerability and humor as Morissette, who grew up in Ottawa but has been based in Los Angeles for the past 20 years, shares stories about the experiences that have helped shape her life and art. Before heading out on the road, she chatted with NH Weekend about the many sides of her work on and off the stage, from raging rocker and emotive balladeer to activist and author.

NH Weekend: I wanted to start with the format of your current tour. I wonder what youve found in translating full-band, electric versions of tunes to an acoustic, more intimate format. Does the vibe change? Do lyrics take on new meaning?

Alanis: Yeah, it becomes much more vulnerable. Theres so much more pressure, in a fun, yet daunting way on the vocals. Theres not this big wall of sound to hide behind. And then the storytelling the narrative takes on an extra amount of intensity, I think. Theres more focus on it. Theres more onus on it. Yeah, I feel like the hair on my arms stands up way more ...

NHW: I caught one of your acoustic shows this past winter on TV and I was struck by the palpable camaraderie between you and the audience. Though a lot of performers pare down their shows to get that interaction with fans, sometimes it still feels like a rock star squinting into the spotlight and jamming to an enthusiastic, yet, faceless crowd. But you seem to connect with fans. How do you find that balance, a place where it isnt scary to be so exposed?

Alanis: I think having done it for many years now ... You know, at first it was nervewracking. (With touring for) Jagged Little Pill ... I couldnt hear my own vocals in my in-ear monitors because of how loud the audience was, so this is almost more functional, and theres more room for actual dialogical intimacy. I get to feel like Im having a conversation of some kind. Theres more of an exchange. Its less of a monologue in a way.

NHW: Do you find that even when you have a set list, the show many change depending on that interaction, and questions or requests from the crowd?

Alanis: With the more acoustic shows, particularly if a whole set of Q&A opens up and theres a whole philosophical discussion, sometimes thatll dictate a song that is begged to be sung. But in these particular shows, were a little bit more prepared ... so we have a general sense of the set list. And we have a handful of other songs in our back pocket if something were to change or if people in the audience were yelling out the same request all night long, wed have to do it.

NHW: Speaking of philosophical discussions, I saw your recent Facebook posting in which you offered to answer fans questions, and it looks like you got thousands of queries about everything from lines in your songs what does transparent dangling carrots in the tune Thank U mean? and whether you play the Candy Crush game app to serious socio-economic issues. Is it surreal to know that you have so many followers who value your opinion on a host of subjects?

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Alanis Morissette speaks her mind on and off stage

Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOTDwxwMrps

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