28.12.10

Zazen will continue until morale improves!

A friend of mine had a sign on his door that said "The beatings will continue until morale improves!"

So that is where I got the idea for the post title.
Zazen should continue regardless of morale.

My morale is probably right where it should be all things considered, so don't worry, this is not a cry for help.

What I really wanted to talk about is that I have been enjoying the benefits of Yoga on top of my Zazen practice lately. I had done a few yoga exercises in the past to help me out with getting into the full lotus posture. In my typical end gaining fashion I went straight for the targeted stretches that would aid me in the areas I needed aid in, and threw out the rest.

This time I am doing it a little differently...

One of the winter festivus acquisitions (to facilitate demonstrations of feats of strength) I got for the family was the Wii fit plus.

I figured it would be a good way to motivate my sedentary family into being a little less sedentary. I also bought a Frisbee.

The Frisbee is actually working out pretty well with the kids. They seem to love it and it has been effective at getting them out of the house. But the Wii fit contraption is pretty darn cool too, particularly on rainy days and at night.

What I have found is that there is a pretty nice yoga program on the Wii that, although it took three days for me to notice, can actually provide the muscles a good workout.

The side benefit to my Zazen practice is that I have noticed a bit more confidence in my sitting. I'm sure that will pass, but I am enjoying the Yoga anyway. So there. The Gunny is doing yoga and liking it.

2 comments:

Lauren said...

Where did you find a festivis pole in Japan? It's hard enough to find a pole lot in the US? There was one in north Austin, but they were all flocked... not very traditional.

I keep thinking of perusing full lotus. Is it worth it?

Bronx Cheers,
-Lauren

SlowZen said...

Hey Lauren,
You can get festivus poles on line believe it or not.

http://www.festivuspoles.com

I can't tell you if full lotus will be worth it to you or not.

I will tell you that some people have really hurt themselves badly by going after full lotus with an end gaining mentality.

That said, I would recommend yoga to just about anyone, and that should allow anyone to gradually get to full lotus.

Thanks for looking!