I make a rule never to talk politics; it would be highly inappropriate in a yoga studio. However, I would like to mention the emotional toll our current situation has taken on us. After all, my job is to recognize emotions and allow a safe way to release tension.
We are all stressed and tired of what is in the "air" politically. I see you, I hear you, and I feel your pain.
The Piller of Mindfulness is recognizing Emotion.
Tension and stress are palpable; I could ignore it and never mention it, but I teach mindfulness, and one of the first laws of mindfulness is that you cannot ignore emotions. What causes that emotion, and whether our feeling is a constructive reaction to a situation, is the follow-up question, but we always have to start with recognizing how we feel. After all, covering up feelings is the root of harmful addictive behavior. I would not be doing my job if I did not say that I know we are all holding our breath to some degree...
Less news, more yoga
Now, I am not saying come to yoga and talk politics—in fact, I would like to prohibit all political topics in the studio—but I am saying we all need to come to yoga more often, breathe, and move some of this tension out of our bodies.
A call for smarter politics.
Recognizing fear-mongering and finding hope
News has become toxic, and much of it is without substance, especially on the national level. The country is divided, and both sides fuel the fear that if the "other" wins, the "end of the world" is coming. Which makes no sense; we have already survived four years under both administrations. No matter how things go, it will not be as horrible as either news agencies or political parties would like us to believe. We will survive, and I pray that this extreme pendulum will subside in the future. We will return to politics focused on solving problems and not building identities through expansive and wasteful power struggles. Our problems are complex, and this reductionist slogan-based politics is helping nobody. I believe the American public is smarter than this. We deserve better. Thankfully, our state governor's debates are full of substance and civility, and I am proud to be a naturalized citizen of the USA when I watch the local debates. If you have not paid attention to those because of the national theatrics that we call the presidential race, please do so; it will give you hope and promise for the future, and it is where your vote can make the most difference.
do your duty, then get out
Yes, unfortunately, presidential politics have degenerated into a creepy, pure-rhetoric, no-content, low-IQ, money-based race. Thus, if you already know whom you are voting for and no longer wish to expose yourself to more aggressive, anger-provoking, dumbed-down, content-free ideologies whose main interest is grabbing power, I suggest doing more yoga and reducing the news to a minimum. As citizens, it is our duty to be informed and to vote, but once the research is done and the mind is made up, turn off the news. The amount of fear-based, anxiety-provoking, angry rhetoric that is targeted at us is not good for our health, nor for our country.
power at your fingertips to change the media
I believe change is only possible at the grassroots level. Those who hold power rarely break free from the cycle of rhetoric that brought them to power. We have to start from the bottom up. Thankfully, we outnumber them, and I believe we can make a difference. We have the power to change the character of our news media and, thus, our politics; it is at your fingertips. If it's hate, turn it off. #ifitshateturnitoff They are only powerful because we give them our attention, thus money... So let's not, if you hear and see fear-mongering empty rhetoric that is channeling hate to half of the country, if based on what you are reading and watching, you have thoughts that everybody who votes opposite to you is a dumb idiot; if you experience hate for half the country based on what you are reading - turn it off! and yes, this goes for both sides! It is time to heal our divided nation and change the polarized conversation.
Hating and Fearing the Other is not how we solve COMMON problems. The only way to solve common problems is to see each other with love and ask;
Where is the struggle? Can you tell me more about your hardship?
If you wish to spread the word on peace and unity, please share this article and reach out to your neighbor. Talk to people who have different opinions and social standings, and talk to them with curiosity and love. Call for a change in media and politics, demand deep discussions, and refuse to minimize the "other" by reducing them to a category label. If enough people speak up, we can be loud enough to demand a change. - clearly, need people with significantly better social media skills than I have. I hardly ever log in to my accounts and never look at the feed. So, I won't be the one spreading the word, but I can get the idea moving.
a space to be without "identity labels."
fREEDOM TO BE SEEN AS A UNIQUE, COMPLEX, CHANGING INDIVIDUAL.
I welcome you to go on a 'news fast.' Go for walks, enjoy good books, and come to yoga at Spira more often, an officially politics-free zone.
Yes, yes, shameless self-advertisement comes now. Look, I got to make a living, but I believe what I teach and offer brings peace and health, so it is a win-win. :-)
Join me in a fun weekend workshop on using physics for arm balancing. All humans deserve to be treated as intelligent beings who comprehend complex thought. Thus, I shall teach arm balancing based on a fulcrum, that is, the Law of the Lever, as proven by Archimedes using geometric reasoning. You truly need less with your strength and more with your mind when it comes to arm balancing.
...and if a few hours is just not enough...
If you wish to be part of a community where it is prohibited to talk about politics or what you do for a living, instead, we work on self-enrichment, then join the 200-hour Journey. I made these rules on the prohibition of 'political' and 'work' talk many years ago because my goal is for people to have a chance for self-discovery and renewal. Nothing puts us in a straitjacket like the labels we put on each other and ourselves as identities based on political ideology and job description. I always wanted my students to be free of that burden and thus be able to discover themselves and, as a result, may be able to make genuine, lasting changes.
Spira takes a payment plan for the 200-hr Mindfulness and Yoga journey, so don't hesitate to reserve your spot with a deposit and then contact Dora to work out the payment plan.
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