Yeah Dave YogaStoreEventsRecommendationsLinks

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Harmony through Chocolate

"Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him?" ~Pierre Troubetzkoy

This past Spring, my brother said to me, "I think we should go to Alaska because I'm not sure how much longer it'll be there. Being that we're both from LA, I initially thought he was talking about the IMAX, so I grabbed my wallet saying, "Great idea, just not too late of a showing or I"ll fall asleep. But I soon realized he wanted to go on a real life adventure to the nation's largest state. Having just seen the movie Into the Wild, he was deeply touched by the notion of freedom.

So a few weeks ago, we began our journey starting in Anchorage and traveling in and around the Prince William Sound before heading over to Homer, Girdwood, and The Godwin Glacier. The most poignant moment was walking through Kenai Fords National Park. We walked right up to the glacier and heard the warm sun's effect on the ancient ice: a sound, which heard close up, resembled the weeping water suddenly converted from its million year icy slumber and set forth in a new liquid life. It was beautiful but sad, much like seeing a child say goodbye to her parent for the last time. I could swear I heard the earth crying.

This blog isn't intended to scare you but rather to educate you. The earth is a lot like the infamous and ill-fated Titanic. When the Titanic hit the iceberg, the passengers in steerage were the first to sense the impending disaster as the boat took on water. But the first class passengers were still being treated as such, being handed handed drinks, life-jackets, blankets even after the collision. Then, as the wealthy realized the ship was going down, they tried to pay off the deckhands for a spot on the life-boats. What good was money to the deckhand going down with the ship?

Those of us fortunate enough to be economically comfortable might not yet feel the earth taking on water. But what we must realize is that while there is $30 trillion in the world economy, half the world earns $2 a day or less. The steerage portion of our planet is vast and starting to feel the effects of global warming. We all saw what happened after Hurricane Katrina and this is happening all over the world. In one part of Bangladesh, over 3,300 families have lost their land to river erosion. * On the the small South Pacific Island of Tuvalu, the people are furiously hashing out an agreement to be relocated to New Zealand before their island is completely submerged in the rising ocean. By 2050, experts estimate over 150 million refugees will forced to leave their homes due to the effects of global warming. **

So you're safe, you live in a nice house, you're not affected. Why should you take an interest? Just like when the Titanic's designer says, "This ship will go down. It's an mathematical certainty," the experts in the empowering movie The 11 Hour emphatically state, "The atmospheric conditions are reaching a tipping point. It's not too late to make a difference but we need all hands on deck now." So if you, like me, are sitting pretty sipping your wine and watching the poor people on the news fighting for their lives, let us consider heeding the experts' warning.

It's one thing to start recycling and switch to fluorescent bulbs and minimize your use of paper. But there's something much more important to consider. Harmony. Because the worsening conditions of the earth are an outward mirror of an inner condition, the single greatest contribution we can make to the health of the planet is cultivating inner harmony. Whether that harmony comes from a delicious bite of chocolate, or the scent of an orange blossom, or a soothing yoga class, here are 3 suggestions to saving the outer world by illuminating the inner one:

1. Harmony through your Senses

"There are children playing in the street who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they have modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago."
J. ROBERT OPPENHEIMER

Anosmia is a condition whereby one loses their sense of smell. It's often much worse than one might expect causing depression, severe weight loss, and claustrophobia. We often take for granted the fragrant, gorgeous, even gross smells that define meals, illuminate flowers, and enhance attraction. There's the sad story of Michael Hutchence, the lead singer from INXS who committed suicide several year ago. It was reported that he struggled with anosmia and with his worsening sense of smell, the temptations of food, the sweaty funk of sex, the essence a of walk on the beach, the feeling of nostalgia, the texture of life itself were robbed from him.***

Reading that article made me order up from my aromatherapist this amazing spray, Neroli, made from the blossoms of an orange tree. Maybe it will encourage you to breathe in the freedom of a summer morning or something more domestic like the scent of clothes straight from the dryer. The bottom line, we derive so much harmony and connection to life through smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound. But when we're stuck, grinding out the day in our mind, we're unable to experience the music hear through our senses. "The sweetest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence." (Rabidranath Tagore)

2. Harmony through Stillness

"One can act and do much for the world in the silence and stillness of one'ss own body. A clinging illusion makes us confuse agitation with action." Satprem

To still the mind is to experience the brilliance of nature. Often in yoga class, one will reach a point midway through class where she rests her forehead on the ground in the childs pose. It's the most beautiful feeling. But in the midst of a crazy day, to put your head on the ground would be strange if not boring. When we reach stillness in the mind whether through yoga, deep breathing, good tunes, or exotic CHOCOLATE, we access a hidden power. Said Oscar Wilde, "Action is the last resource of those who know not how to dream."

3. Harmony through Relationships

"People don't need your presents. They need your presence." Anonymous

My friend is currently living and working in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. I asked him for the greatest lesson he's learned while doing business on the other side of the world. He told me you can't get stuff done on email. Your presence is absolutely necessary in order to do business. So often in the Western world, one can send an email expecting a result. But technology diminishes the human experience. Tim Sanders, in The Likeability Factor, proves that the emotional value we bring to our career and relationships is far more impactful than anything else. In other words, how you make people feel goes a long way toward success. Being kind, open, and attentive to another will encourage them to want to help, work, and support you. "People never remember what you say, and they never remember what you do, but they always remember how you made them feel." (Maya Angelou)

4. Harmony through Chocolate

"Research shows that 14 out of every 10 individuals like chocolate." - Sandra Boynton

I travel around the country presenting the Yoga + Chocolate experience. The idea being that when you are really present and relaxed, a bite of chocolate is a symphony of flavor in your mouth. Chocolate is a metaphor for anything in life: when experienced in the moment, anything and everything is better, richer, sweeter. I encourage to you take a look at your everyday passions (chocolate, wine, music) and embrace them as rituals. For instance, carve out 5 minutes in your evening. Sit down with an exotic piece of chocolate (I recommend Vosges Chocolate), light a candle, put on some Mozart, and take a bite. Notice how the amazing flavor enables you to "disengage from ordinary rules of perception." You're suddenly able to peel your mind away from all that binds you to the world. In that moment, you sense greater harmony with your soul, with your surroundings, with your sensory perception. It might seem trivial, but if everyday for the rest of your life you indulged mindfully in a delicious chocolate, your life would be exponentially richer, harmonious, and alive. “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” (Howard Thurman)



by David Romanelli (Yeah Dave)

If you'd like to sign up for my monthly email newsletter THE SCHTICK, email me at yeahdave@yeahdaveyoga.com





*http://www.globalpolicy.org/nations/micro/2007/0502risingwater.htm

**http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2003/oct/15/guardiananalysispage.climatechange

*** from The Week, August 1, 2008 "Robbed of all Scents"

Download iTunes

posted by David Romanelli @ 1:17 PM