Tuesdays with Muerte

PARSHVA HASTA EKA PADA KOUNDINYASANA The Problem: Finding Balance For many Latter-day Saints, the day after  General Conference is a lot like the day after New Years—it’s when our personal resolutions begin to fall apart. There are two main reasons why I have lost my motivation only hours after feeling so stoked: 1) I end up either trying too hard and burn out, or 2) I balk at my mammoth spiritual goals and give up in exasperation.  I call this tragic pattern— The  Zeal  Cycle . It  begins with a moment of inspiration that then leads to a spasm of fervor ( or feelings of guilt ) for not having accomplished one's goal. This results in discouragement and  complacency.   After some time has passed, we seek inspiration again. As a yogi, I have dealt with "The Zeal Cycle” as well.  I often feel intense feelings of inspiration right after an especially cleansing yoga class, or witnessing someone demonstrate an INSANE yoga pose. I'...

Here are some GIFs of pranks to get you motivated for April Fools Day. Warning : Most of these are pretty mean. But I think two of them are funny. Classic Dandy-lyn' Prank Headless drivethru. The Return of the Hamburglar. Snip, snip. Prank combo. (R.I.P. glasses) The Long Con. The Reach Around. Trash. "Hey, try to jump over me." "Hey, how strong are you?" "Hey, it's not your turn!" "Hey, hold this." K.O. Hunting initiation hazing. How to make cars stop in the middle of a highway. New school rule: no masks  Could you resist this fun social experiment? "Kick this basketball into my crotch, it'll be hilarious!" The mirror makes it better. When the Banana-Gift prank backfires. I don't control life, but I can control how to react to it. — Macklemore, Musician

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...