Even Educated Fleas Do It...

I finally watched the RHCP’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and while it was awesome to see the Chili Peppers play (along with Slash, et al.) my favorite part was Flea’s acceptance speech (notwithstanding my always & forever crush on Anthony Keidis). Flea (along with my man AK) is a fan of yoga, and when Flea spoke to the power of his musical gift he seemed enlightened: “The burning intense desire that is inside of me to play music, that has not diminished in the slightest, that has only deepened as time has gone on; cause when we’re hittin it, when we are really inside the groove, when we’re on, I’m lost man, and in that moment I am truly free of everything and I am truly one with everything.”                                

It was inspiring to hear that Flea feels truly connected to all beings when he’s pursuing his life’s purpose. And in his speech he prefaces the aforementioned quote by saying that his life’s mission is to uplift those around him. I think he’s truly successful. Namaste.

A

Guest Blogger Jonelle Roman on Letting Go

I’m not particularly fond of cats (I take after my Grandma Elly who was terrified of felines) but I do appreciate the notion of non-attachment. Please see below for a special post from my friend—and certified yoga instructor—Jonelle Roman:

You Have to Let it Go

My roommate Alyssa and I were having a glass of wine at home when she pulled up a video that her friend, Mary, sent her of her kitten, Super Bean (yup, that’s its name), playing a game on her iPad. The game shows fish swimming across the screen and Super Bean has to tap the fish for points. There comes a point though when Super Bean holds on to one fish and holding onto it freezes up the game. “You have to let it go,” says Mary, and Super Bean lets it go and the game resumes. Fish are swimming around again, but Super Bean doesn’t jump to hold one this time. He just watches. Then BOOM! PREPARE FOR LEVEL 3 flashes across the screen, he’s moved up! GO KITTY! Still, Super Bean sits and watches without reaching.

Isn’t that a striking representation of life? We do it all the time, hold onto things. All sorts of things. I have clothes that I don’t wear that are freezing up my drawer. (I know I’m gonna wear that sweater again someday!) I have fears and emotional hang ups that are freezing up parts of my life. I can’t move forward to the next level! Argh! Holding onto things freezes the game! But that next level, that next journey is always there when we let go, when we detach. There’s so much more ahead! When we finally choose to be present and observe, and not attach, there is movement. We live life with less weight and move forward. BOOM! Level 3!

So take a note from Super Bean today: let it go.

J

Cartoon by Hugh MacLeod

no cheese please: an entry about being insecure

All of my family members, friends and random dinner companions know I don’t like funky cheese (Parmesan included) or spicy food. These are my dietary restrictions. Yet I consider myself an overall adventurous eater. And for some (clearly insecure) reason I always want waiters to know that. I don’t want to be perceived as a picky patron. So it’s always with a pang of self-inflicted shame that I mumble “Is there cheese on that Rigatoni Bolognese? That tuna ceviche isn’t spicy is it?”

Why do I care what a waiter thinks of my eating habits? Why do I even assume the server is taking the time to judge me based on my “no cheese” request? One of the myriad reasons I’ve gravitated toward yoga is that there’s no judgment in yoga. But what I often overlook is that yoga isn’t limited to physical practice. I don’t have to be on a mat, contorting myself into Twisted Chair Pose in order to be free from judgment. I just need to be in the right, yogic frame of mind. (And I should probably steer clear of Mexican restaurants.)

A

image via smitten kitchen