Tuesdays with Muerte

This is the second post in my LDS Yogis  series, meant to demystify the idea of yoga for Latter-day Saints.  In this post, I discuss what yogis and Mormons are and are NOT suppose to eat (specifically regarding meat). Ahiṃsā vs. Word of Wisdom For some schools of hatha yoga, the issue of vegetarianism  is a central tenant, while for others it hardly receives mention.  For the majority of yoga practitioners, diet is a less of a dictated set of laws to be followed and more of a deeply-personal way to draw closer to the divine.  For others, it is also a cultural issue regarding how we treat the other beings on our planet.  Similarly, in the LDS faith, we have been given a doctrinal code of health referred to as the  Word of Wisdom  for our own physical, mental, social and spiritual benefit, as well as a way to show respect the gifts God has created for us. Both in yoga and in the LDS faith, disagreements on the morality of what is permissible...

Anjali mudra or "prayer pose." This post explores,  from an LDS perspective,  the roots of  namaskara  (or  anjali mudra ),  one of yoga's most-popular mudras (hand gestures).  Additionally, I share how "prayer pose" has  helped me to observe my baptismal covenant to always remember Jesus Christ.  My purpose is to  encourage members of the LDS faith  to consider the harmony, which I believe exists, between yoga and the LDS system of beliefs. What Does "Prayer Pose" Mean for Yogis? When I first began practicing yoga, I remember feeling uneasy about bowing  with a group of strangers ,  hands clasped  in adoration ,   and chanting  " namaste."   I thought that doing so was some sort of betrayal of my faith.  For years,  I guiltily played along out of fear of offending my instructor by  not participating .  Little did I know that this fear was preventing me from benefiting...

The  Kitchen Timer  method was lifted from Award-winning comedy author, Lauren Graham's, book, Talking As Fast As I Can . Graham recounts how she learned it from Don Roos, who based it on the Pomodoro Technique . Along with Graham, I can say that this  method has transformed the way I write. I now spend way fewer hours, being productive. It gave me structure where there was none. It has changed my life as a writer, and I hope it changes yours too. The principle of Kitchen Timer is that every writer deserves a definite and doable way of feeling successful everyday. To do this, we learn to judge ourselves on behavior, rather than content. We set up a goal for ourselves, as writers, that is easy, measurable, free of anxiety, and above all, failproof—because everyone can sit, and an hour will always pass. Here’s how it works: 1. Buy a kitchen timer that goes to sixty minutes. Or use a timer app . Or tell Siri to start a timer for sixty minutes. 2. Decide on Mon...

Christmas time is a reminder that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. By following his teachings and example these 25 days leading up to Christmas, we can share His love and light with the world around us. Visit mormon.org  each day, December 1-25, to get the scripture prompt and watch a video example of how to apply his words. Search this  #LightTheWorld facebook group for more ideas too. My 2017 Light the World Effort Official PDF Calendar Here's how I plan to #LightTheWorld this year: December 1st: "Freely ye have received, freely give." — Matthew 10:8 Smile. The free-est thing I can think of (insert ‘Merica meme here), is a smile. I’m not a naturally smiley person. But smiling always makes me feel good. I will light the world by intentionally smiling at everyone I come across today. If I don't see many people, I'll just smile whenever I think of it and hope it affects the impersonal interactions I have with others. December 2nd: ...

In the  April 2013 LDS General Conference , church leaders emphasized the need for members to  hasten the work . It's taken some time, but I have begun to think about what it means to "hasten the work," and what I can do, personally, to hasten the hastening. Angel Moroni by Karen What Does It Mean to "Hasten the Work?" The work  refers to the work of salvation or four-fold mission of the Church: to proclaim the gospel, to perfect the saints, to redeem the dead, and to care for the needy. While the work  refers to all four of these emphases, special emphasis has recently been placed upon the gathering of Israel.  In the 2013 special mission presidents' training broadcast,  Elder L. Tom Perry proclaimed, "the need and opportunity to share the gospel has never been greater." It is projected that the Church will have 100,000 full-time missionaries serving by December 2013; almost a 100% increase from the previous year.  (Incident...

Finding Roommate Harmony As we approach Thanksgiving and Christmas, I want to give a shout out to my terrific roommates.  I love the current make up of our house.  My roommates are incredible individuals. However, I think the harmony I feel has less to do with the behavior of others, and more about my own perception of them.  In other words, as I started to change the way I looked at things, the things I looked at changed. I've learned a lot about how to be a good roommate over my past 17 years.  Most of the turmoil I have endured in that time has been caused by my expectations not being met.  (E.g., not doing dishes, breaking the honor code, blasting music at all hours of the night, etc.)  While I'm still far from being a pro at developing positive roommate relationships, here's my observation into my current feeling of success—it's simple: roommates bother me less as I become more loving and accepting of them as people.  Accept that we are dif...

Tired of being in a bad mood? I've got the perfect fix for you. I dare you to not smile throughout this entire YouTube playlist of kids being adorable. (I'm telling you now, you won't be able to do it.)  My Guaranteed to Cheer You Up  playlist works for me every time. I typically break after the first one. All challengers welcome.