Gentlemen,

I’ve got a brand new computer and it’s loaded with up to date programs. I’ve revamped the web site and am using a new email program. However, along with the ease of a new and fast computer, I’m confounded by a machine that does all sorts of things I don’t actually want it to do! It has been a fount of frustration. Plus, I’m spending way too much time online again.

So, I’m a Luddite, right? Technology is baaaad. No. I practice and teach Yoga.

Yoga, as we practice it today, extends 3,000 years into the past. But what we gain from our practice is as applicable today as ever, because we have more distractions than ever. We have phones that travel with us where ever we go, text messages, Facebook and screens that are never static, (take the damnable Windows 8 start screen, for example).

Now, more than ever, we need to cultivate stillness. For me that means getting Matt over here from On the Spot Computers to take this @#%! Windows 8 and Office 2010 and clean off the eye candy.

But I still need to turn the computer off.

What Yoga has given me is not only the awareness of creeping bad habits, but the discipline to follow through and take corrective measures. That means making sure I’m doing my meditation, and getting in my exercise or Yoga classes for me. As I’ve encouraged men to come to my classes, I hear several familiar themes. Beyond the obvious, “What’s the point of doing Yoga if there’s not going to be any babes there?” I hear, “I prefer to work out on my own” and “keep bugging me.”

I relate to all three of those, actually. But let’s focus on the last two. My meditation is a solitary pursuit. And biking or jogging can very much be a meditation like Yoga. But sometimes it’s nice having others helping to motivate. So I suggest something in-between: a class to cultivate the practice and build community, and then extend it beyound our own lives. The first step is to get there.

See you in class!

New web site and book reviews!

Also, as part of the new website, I’m including reviews of books that touch on subjects that might come up in class. The Wisdom of Yoga is one of those books. It provided some direction and made me curious, and then I began to study the Yoga Sutras in earnest. There will also be links and articles on various topics besides Yoga such as aging, anthropology, the spirit and, dare I say, “Men’s Issues?” Yep. I’d love your feedback and comments.

Finally, I have greatly appreciated the upswing in new folks attending both the Men’s and Senior Men’s classes. But, we’re still shooting for more to make it viable for the long term. So if you know anyone who’s been putting it off or needs some reminders, feel free to spread the word by sharing or liking below. Muchas gracias!