REALIZING WHERE WE ARE
1.1 After taking a career course I had some rough ideas on what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to lead people, inspire them, cheer them on and I wanted to express myself. I wanted to be able to use my mind to see solutions. And I wanted to grow and at the same time stay young. The biggest and most important thing to me seemed to be working with my body but at that time I wasn’t sure in what context. So I focused on the other things that I thought I might like to do.
1.2 I looked into management at the company I was with. I thought that maybe I would like to get into management. I also started to take acting lessons to see if that was something that I would like. I was dimply aware that I wanted to work with the body but I wasn’t sure in what context.
1.3 Thinking that I wanted to be famous actor, I quit my engineering job fully believing I was going to be discovered and taken to Hollywood. Somehow, that didn’t quite happen. Instead I started to teach more and more yoga, which was good because my retirement savings were running out. Meanwhile I still thought that I wanted to act. Actually what I wanted to be was famous and I though acting was a pathway towards that. But then I realized that what I really wanted was a job that made me happy.
1.4 I continued to teach yoga but even after a few years I still didn’t think of myself as a teacher. When I met other teachers, especially famous or well known ones, I didn’t like telling them I was a teacher because I’d never been to India to study with a Guru, I’d never been given approval and I’d learned from a book. But I was teaching, and I was helping people and eventually I realized that the only person who really needed to approve of me as a teacher was myself.
1.5 Of course the irony of it all is that when I’d taken the career course I knew that I wanted to work with my body in some way. I just didn’t realize that teaching yoga I was doing exactly that. And even when a roommate commented that I appeared to like teaching yoga better than I did doing acting it still didn’t click.
1.6 I realize now that sometimes we have what we want, we just don’t realize it, as if clarity applies to not only knowing what we want but also recognizing it when we have it.
1.7 It reminds me of what happened to me in university once when I got one of my math tests back. I’d solved one of the problems correctly but didn’t realize it and crossed out my answer. The Teaching assistant who marked it gave me a perfect mark because I did know how to solve the problem even though I had crossed it out.
1.8 In acting, knowing what we wanted in a scene, that want pulled us along, we didn’t have to think, we just had to let go and let our desire pull us. And I believe that is what happens when we know what we want in life, once we recognize that idea, it pulls us towards itself even when we forget what the idea is.
1.9 Maybe that’s a little like Love. Love pulling us towards the things we love even if we don’t know it or realize what it is that we love (or whom).
Showing posts with label basic principles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basic principles. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Scanning so we can see Everything at Once
SCANNING SO WE CAN SEE EVERYTHING AT ONE
1.1 Trying to notice what is around us it’s difficult to notice everything at once. We can learn to see everything at once, but in the beginning it’s helpful to notice one thing at a time and so that we see everything one at a time it’s helpful to scan.
1.2 Scanning, I like to think of radar screens where the beam of light sweeps around in a circle and as it passes over objects those objects get momentarily brighter on the screen then slowly fade till the beam passes over them again. It smoothly scans an area looking at one section while staying aware of the others.
1.3 Scanning our body, we can smoothly move the focus of our awareness from point to point, perhaps from joint to joint, while staying aware of our whole body, what we are doing. Or we can scan the world around us keeping our eyes open but moving the focus of our attention around our field of vision. In either case as we shift our gaze we stay aware of the residual image of what we have just seen, like a blip that slowly fades until it is refreshed again.
1.4 I scan my body when I do yoga (and teach it). If I am doing a pose and I am starting from the ground upwards, I work my awareness upwards from my feet, adjusting my feet, my legs, my hips, spine and then my arms and then my neck, making adjustments, changes to each joint as I go. And then because all of that affects my whole body, I go back to my feet and start again, each time going a little bit deeper, finding my way into the pose.
1.5 I work in synch with my breath so that each inhale I move my awareness upwards or outwards through my body. If I move my awareness slowly I have the opportunity to see more but scanning quickly, I see less, but I also notice changes a lot quicker and so can act on them sooner.
1.6 Feeling our body one section at a time we can take action, adjusting each point, each joint so it is balanced. However, when we change one joint we affect all of the others. It’s one of the challenges of yoga (of life). Every time we change one aspect of a pose, it affects everything else. And so scanning, we can see how one change affects the whole body.
1.7 Scanning our body while doing yoga, we can learn to feel our entire body and adjust it, without missing anything. Eventually, we learn to feel our entire body at once, in a single sweep as it were.
1.8 And likewise driving, we learn to open our eyes in such a way that we see everything at once. We may need to turn our head from time to time, but as we do we keep our eyes wide open seeing as much as we can. It’s like finding the ease in a pose instead of fighting or using strength. In the same way it’s allowing the eyes to see rather than focusing.
1.9 Scanning the pieces, the parts, the relationships, we are training ourselves to notice those things one at a time, then, once we’ve trained ourselves we move on to notice another type of little thing, another detail. Then once we’ve trained ourselves to notice all the little things that matter it is easier to notice in a single glance all the little things at once, and it is easier to notice when one of those things is out of place or different in such a way that it requires more of our attention.
1.10 Eventually when we are able to feel our entire body at once, we can go into the pose instantaneously. Not just bit by bit, but all at once, the whole body unified. It’s like riding a bike and acting as one, turning as one, the bike and our body an extension of one mind. Like a group of skaters all aware of the leader, accelerating as one simultaneously, staying together, working together, one.
1.11 Seeing everything at once, it’s like looking at the center point of a circle and seeing the edge of the circle at the same time.
1.1 Trying to notice what is around us it’s difficult to notice everything at once. We can learn to see everything at once, but in the beginning it’s helpful to notice one thing at a time and so that we see everything one at a time it’s helpful to scan.
1.2 Scanning, I like to think of radar screens where the beam of light sweeps around in a circle and as it passes over objects those objects get momentarily brighter on the screen then slowly fade till the beam passes over them again. It smoothly scans an area looking at one section while staying aware of the others.
1.3 Scanning our body, we can smoothly move the focus of our awareness from point to point, perhaps from joint to joint, while staying aware of our whole body, what we are doing. Or we can scan the world around us keeping our eyes open but moving the focus of our attention around our field of vision. In either case as we shift our gaze we stay aware of the residual image of what we have just seen, like a blip that slowly fades until it is refreshed again.
1.4 I scan my body when I do yoga (and teach it). If I am doing a pose and I am starting from the ground upwards, I work my awareness upwards from my feet, adjusting my feet, my legs, my hips, spine and then my arms and then my neck, making adjustments, changes to each joint as I go. And then because all of that affects my whole body, I go back to my feet and start again, each time going a little bit deeper, finding my way into the pose.
1.5 I work in synch with my breath so that each inhale I move my awareness upwards or outwards through my body. If I move my awareness slowly I have the opportunity to see more but scanning quickly, I see less, but I also notice changes a lot quicker and so can act on them sooner.
1.6 Feeling our body one section at a time we can take action, adjusting each point, each joint so it is balanced. However, when we change one joint we affect all of the others. It’s one of the challenges of yoga (of life). Every time we change one aspect of a pose, it affects everything else. And so scanning, we can see how one change affects the whole body.
1.7 Scanning our body while doing yoga, we can learn to feel our entire body and adjust it, without missing anything. Eventually, we learn to feel our entire body at once, in a single sweep as it were.
1.8 And likewise driving, we learn to open our eyes in such a way that we see everything at once. We may need to turn our head from time to time, but as we do we keep our eyes wide open seeing as much as we can. It’s like finding the ease in a pose instead of fighting or using strength. In the same way it’s allowing the eyes to see rather than focusing.
1.9 Scanning the pieces, the parts, the relationships, we are training ourselves to notice those things one at a time, then, once we’ve trained ourselves we move on to notice another type of little thing, another detail. Then once we’ve trained ourselves to notice all the little things that matter it is easier to notice in a single glance all the little things at once, and it is easier to notice when one of those things is out of place or different in such a way that it requires more of our attention.
1.10 Eventually when we are able to feel our entire body at once, we can go into the pose instantaneously. Not just bit by bit, but all at once, the whole body unified. It’s like riding a bike and acting as one, turning as one, the bike and our body an extension of one mind. Like a group of skaters all aware of the leader, accelerating as one simultaneously, staying together, working together, one.
1.11 Seeing everything at once, it’s like looking at the center point of a circle and seeing the edge of the circle at the same time.
Monday, June 23, 2008
A break and checking the answers, making an idea a part of us
A BREAK AND CHECKING THE ANSWERS
1.1 While I was in the army I loved studying mathematics. Whenever I had time to spare I’d find a place to sit and then get pleasantly lost in the process of solving problems. I found it soothing, like a form of self-hypnosis. But it wasn’t easy, at least not straight away.
1.2 I remember that the first time I looked at Binomial Coefficients, they looked so challenging that I put the book down after barely a quick glance. The next day I read the instructions again and was surprised because even though my first look at the new material had been quick, it was enough that while I rested I somehow began to open up it. Then the problems seemed easier, more understandable and so I began to try to solve them. A lot of my solutions were incorrect but I had the answers in the back so that I could see afterwards straight away where I went wrong. I didn’t have to wait for the teacher to correct my work. Instead, looking back over my attempted solutions, I saw for myself where I went wrong, and then carried on practicing.
1.3 While I was doing the problem I was “in it.” Afterwards, when I was checking the answer, I was resting and looking at the problem from another point of view, from the outside. The more regularly I changed my view of the problems, from being in them to looking at them from the outside the quicker I learned, and the quicker I was able to make the idea of what I was learning a part of me. And then I rested from it for a while and did something else.
1.4 After a while I got to a stage so that as I practiced the solutions would flow from my pen, and they were correct, as if the idea of what I was doing was a part of me and I was able to express it. I was able to check the answer as I was doing the problem. Those were the times when time seemed to stand still.
1.5 Learning a new idea, resting we get a chance to see that idea from another point of view, so that we can make the idea a part of ourselves. When have we learned the idea? When we can express it freely, when we can check our answers as we answer the problem, when we can watch ourselves doing what we are doing. Expressing an idea freely it’s like we are riding a wave, and the wave is time and because we are on the wave of time, time stands still.
1.1 While I was in the army I loved studying mathematics. Whenever I had time to spare I’d find a place to sit and then get pleasantly lost in the process of solving problems. I found it soothing, like a form of self-hypnosis. But it wasn’t easy, at least not straight away.
1.2 I remember that the first time I looked at Binomial Coefficients, they looked so challenging that I put the book down after barely a quick glance. The next day I read the instructions again and was surprised because even though my first look at the new material had been quick, it was enough that while I rested I somehow began to open up it. Then the problems seemed easier, more understandable and so I began to try to solve them. A lot of my solutions were incorrect but I had the answers in the back so that I could see afterwards straight away where I went wrong. I didn’t have to wait for the teacher to correct my work. Instead, looking back over my attempted solutions, I saw for myself where I went wrong, and then carried on practicing.
1.3 While I was doing the problem I was “in it.” Afterwards, when I was checking the answer, I was resting and looking at the problem from another point of view, from the outside. The more regularly I changed my view of the problems, from being in them to looking at them from the outside the quicker I learned, and the quicker I was able to make the idea of what I was learning a part of me. And then I rested from it for a while and did something else.
1.4 After a while I got to a stage so that as I practiced the solutions would flow from my pen, and they were correct, as if the idea of what I was doing was a part of me and I was able to express it. I was able to check the answer as I was doing the problem. Those were the times when time seemed to stand still.
1.5 Learning a new idea, resting we get a chance to see that idea from another point of view, so that we can make the idea a part of ourselves. When have we learned the idea? When we can express it freely, when we can check our answers as we answer the problem, when we can watch ourselves doing what we are doing. Expressing an idea freely it’s like we are riding a wave, and the wave is time and because we are on the wave of time, time stands still.
Words Matching Meaning
WORDS MATCHING MEANING
1.1 If two people are flying or driving together, one flies, working the controls of the plane; connected to the plane, the other does the navigating; connected to the earth. And they connect to each other by working out a means of communicating so that they can share information, when it is needed. If the connection, the language they use, is good, then they can communicate with zero parallax, zero error. The words match the same meaning for both the sender and the receiver. The words become their meaning. So that when the navigator tells the pilot where they are or which direction they need to go, the pilot has an image of what is coming up as if they are seeing it with their own eyes. And when the pilot asks the navigator for a specific piece of information, the navigator knows, exactly what the pilot needs.
1.2 If we want to communicate with zero parallax then we shape our words to suit the receiver. At the same time if we are listening then we shape our listening according to who is sending the information. It’s like devices in a computing system that talk to each other and understand each other because the device sensing the information also sends the receive information on how to decode the information. At the same time the receiver reads this decoding information so that it knows how to read what it receives.
1.3 Zeroparallax is sending information in such a way that it can be understood, and it is understanding how to decode information that we receive.
1.4 Understanding a clock, the old fashioned kind with hands that stand proud of the clock face, we know that for the most accurate time telling we have to stand directly in front of the clock and level with it to eliminate parallax. But understanding the clock and knowing where we are in relation to it, if we are standing to the side we can take our position into account when we check the time. As so standing to the side even though the clock looks like it says 12pm from our point of view we know that it really is about 12:05.
1.1 If two people are flying or driving together, one flies, working the controls of the plane; connected to the plane, the other does the navigating; connected to the earth. And they connect to each other by working out a means of communicating so that they can share information, when it is needed. If the connection, the language they use, is good, then they can communicate with zero parallax, zero error. The words match the same meaning for both the sender and the receiver. The words become their meaning. So that when the navigator tells the pilot where they are or which direction they need to go, the pilot has an image of what is coming up as if they are seeing it with their own eyes. And when the pilot asks the navigator for a specific piece of information, the navigator knows, exactly what the pilot needs.
1.2 If we want to communicate with zero parallax then we shape our words to suit the receiver. At the same time if we are listening then we shape our listening according to who is sending the information. It’s like devices in a computing system that talk to each other and understand each other because the device sensing the information also sends the receive information on how to decode the information. At the same time the receiver reads this decoding information so that it knows how to read what it receives.
1.3 Zeroparallax is sending information in such a way that it can be understood, and it is understanding how to decode information that we receive.
1.4 Understanding a clock, the old fashioned kind with hands that stand proud of the clock face, we know that for the most accurate time telling we have to stand directly in front of the clock and level with it to eliminate parallax. But understanding the clock and knowing where we are in relation to it, if we are standing to the side we can take our position into account when we check the time. As so standing to the side even though the clock looks like it says 12pm from our point of view we know that it really is about 12:05.
What is the Want?
WHAT IS THE WANT
1.1 Soon after taking a career course I started to take acting lessons to see if it was an option that I would like. Doing scene work, we were taught that in any scene we had to know what it was we were trying to do or trying to get. Rather than just saying words that we had memorized, we needed a reason to drive those words. The “Want,” and idea, drove the words and it drove the emotions, and then the acting became more like real life.
1.2 Practicing a scene with one partner she constantly questioned me about what my character wanted. Each time she asked me I got better at knowing. I began to learn the desire that was driving my lines. I got to the point where I no longer had to think about my lines or what it was that I wanted. The lines came out of my mouth like they would in real life driven by what I was trying to get. And the emotions, they were a result of my situation, trying to get what I wanted while my partner was trying to get what she wanted.
1.3 When it came time for us to perform in front of our classmates, I was so into my task, focused on what I wanted, that when I looked around the set that was “our living room” I was actually surprised to see people watching. I’d forgotten that I was acting.
1.4 I think that is when acting becomes believable, and that is when it is easier to take the audience away, when we know what we want as actors. And that’s what makes acting interesting, figuring out what is driving the character that we are playing. What do they want, how will they get it? Then we practice, and if it’s not quite right that’s alright, we adjust the desire, each time a little closer, a little more refined, until we are able to express the character.
1.5 It’s like life, trying to figure out what it is we are looking for and the more we live it the more we get to know what it is we want. Ah that’s not it, ah but that is it, a part of it. Each time a little bit closer to the truth, learning till what we have learned is a part of us. How do we know it’s a part of us, when we can express it freely, without doubt or thought, as if it’s a part of us and then we rest. Then we learn the next thing, continually learning, continually experiencing, continually expressing, continually growing. Dancing from scene to scene, from idea to idea, each of them ideas that we love. Eventually we get so into life the flow just takes us and all of a sudden there we are living the life we love, dancing with all the ideas that we love, helping to make them real.
1.6 And that’s a way of looking at life, part of it a practice, learning what we want. And then knowing what we want, knowing the idea we want to make real, we allow it to pull us towards it.
1.7 The closer to the idea we get, the clearer it gets. Like getting closer and closer to a planet we see more and more details. And the closer we get the stronger the idea pulls us towards it as if clarity and attraction are directly related.
1.8 Imagine that each of us is here to serve a purpose that only we can achieve. Like we are all part of a giant jigsaw, each one of us unique in coloring shape and size. The jigsaw may be constantly changing but so are we. It’s like each part of our life gives us a different view of ourselves, a different view of our truth.
1.9 By knowing what we like and seeing what is around us we can see how we can fit into the bigger picture. It’s like a heart realizing that it is designed to pump blood and then it finds a body to pump blood for so that it’s purpose is realized. And even as it is part of something bigger it is also still a heart.
1.10 “This is where I fit.”
1.1 Soon after taking a career course I started to take acting lessons to see if it was an option that I would like. Doing scene work, we were taught that in any scene we had to know what it was we were trying to do or trying to get. Rather than just saying words that we had memorized, we needed a reason to drive those words. The “Want,” and idea, drove the words and it drove the emotions, and then the acting became more like real life.
1.2 Practicing a scene with one partner she constantly questioned me about what my character wanted. Each time she asked me I got better at knowing. I began to learn the desire that was driving my lines. I got to the point where I no longer had to think about my lines or what it was that I wanted. The lines came out of my mouth like they would in real life driven by what I was trying to get. And the emotions, they were a result of my situation, trying to get what I wanted while my partner was trying to get what she wanted.
1.3 When it came time for us to perform in front of our classmates, I was so into my task, focused on what I wanted, that when I looked around the set that was “our living room” I was actually surprised to see people watching. I’d forgotten that I was acting.
1.4 I think that is when acting becomes believable, and that is when it is easier to take the audience away, when we know what we want as actors. And that’s what makes acting interesting, figuring out what is driving the character that we are playing. What do they want, how will they get it? Then we practice, and if it’s not quite right that’s alright, we adjust the desire, each time a little closer, a little more refined, until we are able to express the character.
1.5 It’s like life, trying to figure out what it is we are looking for and the more we live it the more we get to know what it is we want. Ah that’s not it, ah but that is it, a part of it. Each time a little bit closer to the truth, learning till what we have learned is a part of us. How do we know it’s a part of us, when we can express it freely, without doubt or thought, as if it’s a part of us and then we rest. Then we learn the next thing, continually learning, continually experiencing, continually expressing, continually growing. Dancing from scene to scene, from idea to idea, each of them ideas that we love. Eventually we get so into life the flow just takes us and all of a sudden there we are living the life we love, dancing with all the ideas that we love, helping to make them real.
1.6 And that’s a way of looking at life, part of it a practice, learning what we want. And then knowing what we want, knowing the idea we want to make real, we allow it to pull us towards it.
1.7 The closer to the idea we get, the clearer it gets. Like getting closer and closer to a planet we see more and more details. And the closer we get the stronger the idea pulls us towards it as if clarity and attraction are directly related.
1.8 Imagine that each of us is here to serve a purpose that only we can achieve. Like we are all part of a giant jigsaw, each one of us unique in coloring shape and size. The jigsaw may be constantly changing but so are we. It’s like each part of our life gives us a different view of ourselves, a different view of our truth.
1.9 By knowing what we like and seeing what is around us we can see how we can fit into the bigger picture. It’s like a heart realizing that it is designed to pump blood and then it finds a body to pump blood for so that it’s purpose is realized. And even as it is part of something bigger it is also still a heart.
1.10 “This is where I fit.”
Acting on what we sense
ACTING ON WHAT WE SENSE
1.1 When we sense ourselves it is that much easier to put ourselves in a position where it as easy as possible to do what we are trying to do, assuming we know what it is that we are trying to do. Sensing all the parts of ourselves and what we are connected to we can organize everything so that given what we are trying to do every part of ourselves is in the best position possible to do it.
1.2 Doing yoga I sense where all the parts of my body are relative to the earth and the pose I am trying to do. So that I can sense my body easier I move my awareness through it one part at a feeling my feet, are they far enough apart, are they pressing down, then I feel my knees, is the back one straight? Is the front one at 90 degrees? Then I feel my hips. Are they square to the front, am I pulling my pubic bone up. If not then I square them and I pull my pubic bone up more so that my lower back feels straighter. Then I feel my back and my chest. Are they both open? If not then I try to open them more. Is my neck long? Can it be longer? Are my shoulders feeling open as I reach my arms up? I sense all the parts of my body relative to what I am trying to do and I act on what I sense.
1.1 When we sense ourselves it is that much easier to put ourselves in a position where it as easy as possible to do what we are trying to do, assuming we know what it is that we are trying to do. Sensing all the parts of ourselves and what we are connected to we can organize everything so that given what we are trying to do every part of ourselves is in the best position possible to do it.
1.2 Doing yoga I sense where all the parts of my body are relative to the earth and the pose I am trying to do. So that I can sense my body easier I move my awareness through it one part at a feeling my feet, are they far enough apart, are they pressing down, then I feel my knees, is the back one straight? Is the front one at 90 degrees? Then I feel my hips. Are they square to the front, am I pulling my pubic bone up. If not then I square them and I pull my pubic bone up more so that my lower back feels straighter. Then I feel my back and my chest. Are they both open? If not then I try to open them more. Is my neck long? Can it be longer? Are my shoulders feeling open as I reach my arms up? I sense all the parts of my body relative to what I am trying to do and I act on what I sense.
Ideas, Parts and Pieces
Parts and Pieces
1.1 After I left the army I went to university and while I was there my dad decided to buy a partially assembled motorcycle frame from a friend. The idea was that he and I, with some help from my uncle and various others were going to build a motorcycle, a custom Harley.
1.2 We thought we were getting a deal when we bought the partially assemble bike even though there was still a lot we didn’t have, an engine, transmission, controls and experience.
1.3 As the bike got built we found out that building a bike piece by piece is actually a very expensive proposition, more so than buying one ready assembled. Buying a bike partially assembled is even more expensive, especially as we undid a lot of the work the previous owner had already done, such as the paintwork. And because we had only part of an idea for the finished product there were quite a few learning experiences to be had. It was like me getting on my first bike and not realizing that steering a bike and stopping it were a special skill, a necessary skill.
1.4 We slowly bought the pieces we needed. Well actually, my dad slowly bought the things we needed while my uncle and I put the thing together. Some of the parts where brand new and some parts had probably seen the insides of several bikes. Several parts had to be modified to fit. But we got it together eventually and the day came when we tried to fire her up. We put fuel in the tank and pressed the start button. The starter motor turned but there was a noticeable lack of thunder. Though the starter motor was turning it wasn’t turning the engine and so the engine didn’t start. We wondered what was going wrong.
1.5 The problem was that the starter motor wasn’t turning the clutch.
1.6 There’s a little gear that slides out of the starter motor when the starter motor turns. It catches the teeth of a gear wheel on the outside of the clutch basket. When everything is working perfectly the starter gear is supposed to engage the teeth on the clutch basket, which then turns the motor and ideally starts it.
1.7 After scratching our heads my dad and I realized that whoever had the clutch basket before us had modified it so that the ring gear was in a different location. The starter gear popped out to a position where the clutch basket gear was supposed to be but wasn’t.
1.8 We took the clutch basket to a mechanic who re-welded the gear on to the clutch basket at the correct location. Excitedly we took it home and put the bike back together again.
1.9 Alas the bike still would not start.
1.10 Now the starter gear was engaging with the gear wheel on the clutch basket but while the starter was turning the clutch basket still wasn’t.
1.11 The starter motor was also second hand. We discovered that its magnets were switched so it was spinning the wrong way. We took it apart and reversed the magnets so that the starter spun the right way. Now when we tried to start the bike the engine turned over but the wires from the battery to the starter smoked. So we had to put thicker wires on the starter so it could get enough juice. After repeated test runs the bike again wouldn’t start. It took us a while to figure out that the bike had run out of gas.
1.12 I learned a lot working on that bike. I became conscious of the smaller ideas of a motorcycle and how those ideas relate. The starter gear comes out a set distance so it meshes with the clutch basket. The starter has to turn a certain way. I also learned that it’s fun figuring out how things work, but more so when I am not endangering my life.
1.13 Now that we know what it’s like to build a bike my dad and I agreed we could do much better if we ever do it again. We understood the pieces of a bike and how they go together so that now we can make another one if we choose. Now all I had to do is learn how to ride one.
1.1 After I left the army I went to university and while I was there my dad decided to buy a partially assembled motorcycle frame from a friend. The idea was that he and I, with some help from my uncle and various others were going to build a motorcycle, a custom Harley.
1.2 We thought we were getting a deal when we bought the partially assemble bike even though there was still a lot we didn’t have, an engine, transmission, controls and experience.
1.3 As the bike got built we found out that building a bike piece by piece is actually a very expensive proposition, more so than buying one ready assembled. Buying a bike partially assembled is even more expensive, especially as we undid a lot of the work the previous owner had already done, such as the paintwork. And because we had only part of an idea for the finished product there were quite a few learning experiences to be had. It was like me getting on my first bike and not realizing that steering a bike and stopping it were a special skill, a necessary skill.
1.4 We slowly bought the pieces we needed. Well actually, my dad slowly bought the things we needed while my uncle and I put the thing together. Some of the parts where brand new and some parts had probably seen the insides of several bikes. Several parts had to be modified to fit. But we got it together eventually and the day came when we tried to fire her up. We put fuel in the tank and pressed the start button. The starter motor turned but there was a noticeable lack of thunder. Though the starter motor was turning it wasn’t turning the engine and so the engine didn’t start. We wondered what was going wrong.
1.5 The problem was that the starter motor wasn’t turning the clutch.
1.6 There’s a little gear that slides out of the starter motor when the starter motor turns. It catches the teeth of a gear wheel on the outside of the clutch basket. When everything is working perfectly the starter gear is supposed to engage the teeth on the clutch basket, which then turns the motor and ideally starts it.
1.7 After scratching our heads my dad and I realized that whoever had the clutch basket before us had modified it so that the ring gear was in a different location. The starter gear popped out to a position where the clutch basket gear was supposed to be but wasn’t.
1.8 We took the clutch basket to a mechanic who re-welded the gear on to the clutch basket at the correct location. Excitedly we took it home and put the bike back together again.
1.9 Alas the bike still would not start.
1.10 Now the starter gear was engaging with the gear wheel on the clutch basket but while the starter was turning the clutch basket still wasn’t.
1.11 The starter motor was also second hand. We discovered that its magnets were switched so it was spinning the wrong way. We took it apart and reversed the magnets so that the starter spun the right way. Now when we tried to start the bike the engine turned over but the wires from the battery to the starter smoked. So we had to put thicker wires on the starter so it could get enough juice. After repeated test runs the bike again wouldn’t start. It took us a while to figure out that the bike had run out of gas.
1.12 I learned a lot working on that bike. I became conscious of the smaller ideas of a motorcycle and how those ideas relate. The starter gear comes out a set distance so it meshes with the clutch basket. The starter has to turn a certain way. I also learned that it’s fun figuring out how things work, but more so when I am not endangering my life.
1.13 Now that we know what it’s like to build a bike my dad and I agreed we could do much better if we ever do it again. We understood the pieces of a bike and how they go together so that now we can make another one if we choose. Now all I had to do is learn how to ride one.
Parts of an Idea-going up the gears
GOING UP THE GEARS
1.1 I’ve always loved motorcycles. Well maybe not always, but for a long time. One of my regrets was turning down the opportunity to buy my first bike. I was in the British Army at the time and I’d just finished basic training and was waiting to start my trade training. A fellow soldier had just completed his own trade training and was being sent to a different country so he wanted to sell his bike. It was perfect for learning on, only 100cc. Good condition too and cheap. The trouble was, that I’d never ridden before and I didn’t have a clue about taking lessons or getting licensed. Too difficult I thought, and so I passed it up, missing a fine opportunity to ride around in Europe.
1.2 Perhaps because of that missed opportunity I began to want to ride more and more, and perhaps because of that I also programmed myself to jump at the next opportunity to ride. That happened in Germany. I’d just been posted there and as soon as I arrived had been sent on an exercise in the south.
1.3 The guys who let me ride the bike didn’t know I’d never ridden before. Because I’d never ridden before the one thing I wanted to do was move up through the gears. I thought that would be the most difficult thing to do. I didn’t think about how to steer the bike and how to stop it. I assumed those things were easy and natural. Actually, I didn’t even assume, I just didn’t think about them. I also didn’t pay much attention to the idea of coming off the bike with both the bike and me in one piece. All I thought about was getting on the bike and taking it up through the gears. That was the challenge.
1.4 Riding a bike for the first time I got to second gear with a marvel of hand foot clutch lever gear shifting coordination. From second I went to third and then all the way to forth gear. Shifting gears wasn’t that hard after all! And it was exciting to be riding so fast.
1.5 The road I was riding went slightly uphill and gradually swept to the right. As I got to fourth gear the straight road began to run out. I tried turning the bike with my mind but the bike continued going straight while the road went right. There was a ditch beside the road and I went into it. My friends observed a cloud of dust. I quickly got up to wave and show that I was okay even though I wasn’t. The bike wasn’t in very good shape either. I was told later that I had bent the frame beyond repair.
1.6 A quick cover up ensued and several years after I left the army my dad sent me on a motorcycle course where I modified my idea of what I wanted to do on a bike.
1.7 I wanted to learn all of the smaller ideas that went into making the big idea of riding safe and fun to do. Ideas like how to steer and how to stop the bike while keeping it in one piece. I wanted to have fun riding and I wanted to keep on riding, a continuing action as opposed to one that ends abruptly.
1.1 I’ve always loved motorcycles. Well maybe not always, but for a long time. One of my regrets was turning down the opportunity to buy my first bike. I was in the British Army at the time and I’d just finished basic training and was waiting to start my trade training. A fellow soldier had just completed his own trade training and was being sent to a different country so he wanted to sell his bike. It was perfect for learning on, only 100cc. Good condition too and cheap. The trouble was, that I’d never ridden before and I didn’t have a clue about taking lessons or getting licensed. Too difficult I thought, and so I passed it up, missing a fine opportunity to ride around in Europe.
1.2 Perhaps because of that missed opportunity I began to want to ride more and more, and perhaps because of that I also programmed myself to jump at the next opportunity to ride. That happened in Germany. I’d just been posted there and as soon as I arrived had been sent on an exercise in the south.
1.3 The guys who let me ride the bike didn’t know I’d never ridden before. Because I’d never ridden before the one thing I wanted to do was move up through the gears. I thought that would be the most difficult thing to do. I didn’t think about how to steer the bike and how to stop it. I assumed those things were easy and natural. Actually, I didn’t even assume, I just didn’t think about them. I also didn’t pay much attention to the idea of coming off the bike with both the bike and me in one piece. All I thought about was getting on the bike and taking it up through the gears. That was the challenge.
1.4 Riding a bike for the first time I got to second gear with a marvel of hand foot clutch lever gear shifting coordination. From second I went to third and then all the way to forth gear. Shifting gears wasn’t that hard after all! And it was exciting to be riding so fast.
1.5 The road I was riding went slightly uphill and gradually swept to the right. As I got to fourth gear the straight road began to run out. I tried turning the bike with my mind but the bike continued going straight while the road went right. There was a ditch beside the road and I went into it. My friends observed a cloud of dust. I quickly got up to wave and show that I was okay even though I wasn’t. The bike wasn’t in very good shape either. I was told later that I had bent the frame beyond repair.
1.6 A quick cover up ensued and several years after I left the army my dad sent me on a motorcycle course where I modified my idea of what I wanted to do on a bike.
1.7 I wanted to learn all of the smaller ideas that went into making the big idea of riding safe and fun to do. Ideas like how to steer and how to stop the bike while keeping it in one piece. I wanted to have fun riding and I wanted to keep on riding, a continuing action as opposed to one that ends abruptly.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tuned Connection, Moving as One
Tuned Connection, Moving as One
1.1 A partner was teaching me how to connect with her while doing the Cha Cha Cha. I had to hold my elbow at my side with my hand forwards, holding hers. Then with my elbow fixed at my side I leaned into my hand and she did the same, as if we were holding each other up by leaning against each other. Then when I moved forwards, or backwards, she felt me move through the change in pressure from my hand.
1.2 Leaning in to each other dance, we had to hold all of ourselves poised, so that we were pushing each other with all of our body, not just our hand. Our whole body was behind the push. And at the same time we both pulled inwards so that whether we were moving forwards or backwards, or to either side, we could move together, as one.
1.3 As I moved, whether forwards or backwards, my whole body moved. With my elbow fixed to my side as my body moved forwards, my elbow, and hand did too. Likewise when I moved back, in either case my partner was able to move with me.
1.4 Whenever I was not pressing, not leaning in, my teacher would remind me that we were not connected. I had to press inwards so that she could press back. Otherwise she would just fall into my arms.
1.5 Dancing with someone we pull them in a little and push them away at the same time. We both do this so that we create tension between us balancing firmness of the idea of ourselves with the ability to connect to ideas outside of ourselves. When we had the right amount of tension, she could feel me when I moved forwards or backwards and move with me as I did so. At the same time I could feel her and where she was able to go.
1.6 By being firm in our connection we both know what we want to do and are willing to share that knowing. Being soft in our connection we are willing to listen to our partner both so that we know where they are and where they are able to go.
1.7 Conscious, we tune our connection so that we can move together and at the same time feel each other, not too close, and not too far, connected but both of us with room to move, both of us centered on each other. Sensing and directing, we change ourselves and because we are connected we then change each other and so it is easier to move as one.
1.1 A partner was teaching me how to connect with her while doing the Cha Cha Cha. I had to hold my elbow at my side with my hand forwards, holding hers. Then with my elbow fixed at my side I leaned into my hand and she did the same, as if we were holding each other up by leaning against each other. Then when I moved forwards, or backwards, she felt me move through the change in pressure from my hand.
1.2 Leaning in to each other dance, we had to hold all of ourselves poised, so that we were pushing each other with all of our body, not just our hand. Our whole body was behind the push. And at the same time we both pulled inwards so that whether we were moving forwards or backwards, or to either side, we could move together, as one.
1.3 As I moved, whether forwards or backwards, my whole body moved. With my elbow fixed to my side as my body moved forwards, my elbow, and hand did too. Likewise when I moved back, in either case my partner was able to move with me.
1.4 Whenever I was not pressing, not leaning in, my teacher would remind me that we were not connected. I had to press inwards so that she could press back. Otherwise she would just fall into my arms.
1.5 Dancing with someone we pull them in a little and push them away at the same time. We both do this so that we create tension between us balancing firmness of the idea of ourselves with the ability to connect to ideas outside of ourselves. When we had the right amount of tension, she could feel me when I moved forwards or backwards and move with me as I did so. At the same time I could feel her and where she was able to go.
1.6 By being firm in our connection we both know what we want to do and are willing to share that knowing. Being soft in our connection we are willing to listen to our partner both so that we know where they are and where they are able to go.
1.7 Conscious, we tune our connection so that we can move together and at the same time feel each other, not too close, and not too far, connected but both of us with room to move, both of us centered on each other. Sensing and directing, we change ourselves and because we are connected we then change each other and so it is easier to move as one.
Room To Move
Room to Move
When we know what it is that we are doing we are able to position our selves in the best way possible so that we have room to do what we are doing.
Riding a motorcycle what that means is that we are positioned on the bike so that we have room to steer it, and room to operate the controls. Also room enough to move ourselves relative to the bike when we need to. What that means is that we lean forwards enough or position ourselves forwards enough so that our elbows are bent so we have room to move the handlebars. It also means that our legs are bent enough that we can use them to shift our body from one side to the other or back to center.
Riding the bike itself room to move means positioning it while going around a corner so that we always have a little bit more room to lean it or turn it if we have to. Relative to the road itself and what is on it room to move means that we always have somewhere to go, a place of safety if we need to but it also means that we can also keep moving straight ahead, staying on the path.
Dancing with someone we give our body room to move, and we give our partner room to move too, whether we are leading or following we position ourselves relative to each other that we can both do what we have to do make the idea of dancing real. But we still stay connected. And we look for spaces on the dance floor where we can both do what we want to together.
Doing yoga while in a particular pose room to move is positioning each part of ourselves in the best position possible while still maintaining the shape of the pose. That means that each part of ourselves is involved in the pose so that then the pose becomes as easy as possible.
Room to move while driving is giving ourselves room to move but also everyone around us so that together we all flow. If one person gets into an accident because they don’t have room to move it can slow everyone down. And so room to move gives everyone room to flow so that we can all flow together.
When we know what it is that we are doing we are able to position our selves in the best way possible so that we have room to do what we are doing.
Riding a motorcycle what that means is that we are positioned on the bike so that we have room to steer it, and room to operate the controls. Also room enough to move ourselves relative to the bike when we need to. What that means is that we lean forwards enough or position ourselves forwards enough so that our elbows are bent so we have room to move the handlebars. It also means that our legs are bent enough that we can use them to shift our body from one side to the other or back to center.
Riding the bike itself room to move means positioning it while going around a corner so that we always have a little bit more room to lean it or turn it if we have to. Relative to the road itself and what is on it room to move means that we always have somewhere to go, a place of safety if we need to but it also means that we can also keep moving straight ahead, staying on the path.
Dancing with someone we give our body room to move, and we give our partner room to move too, whether we are leading or following we position ourselves relative to each other that we can both do what we have to do make the idea of dancing real. But we still stay connected. And we look for spaces on the dance floor where we can both do what we want to together.
Doing yoga while in a particular pose room to move is positioning each part of ourselves in the best position possible while still maintaining the shape of the pose. That means that each part of ourselves is involved in the pose so that then the pose becomes as easy as possible.
Room to move while driving is giving ourselves room to move but also everyone around us so that together we all flow. If one person gets into an accident because they don’t have room to move it can slow everyone down. And so room to move gives everyone room to flow so that we can all flow together.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Ideas and Systems, Units of Meaning
1 IDEAS AND SYSTEMS, UNITS OF MEANING
1.1 When I tell people that I studied Systems Design Engineering in University they often think that means I worked with computer systems but then I explain that the concept of systems isn’t limited to computers. It’s any type of system. So then the question is, “What is a system?” Whatever has the most meaning for us at the time. The key word is meaning. A system has some purpose or function, and depending on the way we look at it we can see one meaning or another. And because we can choose the way we look at a system, we can choose the meaning that we see.
1.2 Shooting rifles in the army we were part of a system and the function of that system was to make holes as close to the center of a target as possible. But the rifle itself was also a system designed to output projectiles. We, the person operating the rifle, were also a system and in this context we were a system whose function was to operate a rifle.
1.3 Systems are made up of components that are interconnected and that work together to perform the function of the system. Systems can be broken down into subsystems, which are systems in themselves. Systems can be combined with other systems to create a larger system. Whatever those subsystems or higher systems are, they all have a purpose.
1.4 We can substitute the word idea for system.
1.5 A motorcycle can be an idea and it stops there or we can think of a motorcycle in terms of its parts, an engine, a transmission, primary drive etc. Or we can go smaller, the gears, shafts, nuts and bolts and the things that they connect. If we wish to ride a motorbike then the idea that we become is that of a rider. But if we need to fix one or build one then the idea we become is that of a mechanic and then the ideas we need to be familiar with are the parts of the bike. Depending on what we have to do, we might need to understand the idea of a starter motor or we might need to understand the ideas within a starter motor. The more we understand (and the more tools we have) the more we can do. Or we understand the idea of a person who understands the smaller ideas of bikes and take the bike to them.
1.6 We are ideas made up of other ideas such as our heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and spleen. We are also part of other ideas, of a family or a loving couple, of the job we do or the hobbies we enjoy.
1.7 We are also the idea of ourselves.
1.8 The beauty of systems and of ideas is that we can choose the way we look at them. Which view gave us the best understanding?
1.9 Suppose we want to learn how to ride a motorbike then that is the idea we are trying to make real. Initially we learn how to make the bike stop, and how to make it go, at the same time learning how to keep it balanced. We also learn how to steer it. Eventually we learn all of these smaller ideas so that then we can make the bigger idea of riding real. Then we can express the idea.
1.10 Perhaps we discover that riding a bike is stressful, or not as much fun as we thought it would be. Do we want to ride a bike for transportation or are we more interested in riding a bike to go fast, in which case perhaps what we really want to do is race, or perhaps find a place where we can ride it fast without hurting ourselves or anyone around us. Or perhaps we simply don’t enjoy riding and so we leave that idea and look for another idea to make real.
1.11 Each of us has many ideas that we are either learning or expressing, helping to make real. Some of them are ideas we love, others not so much. Sometimes an idea isn’t quite what we think so we can either change the way we look at it, the way we connect to it or we disconnect and find a new idea to connect to.
1.12 Which ideas do we want to put our attention on? What are the ideas that are important for us, what are the ideas that help us to balance the idea of ourselves? What are the ideas that we subconsciously or unconsciously think about? Ideas, what are the ideas in our life? Knowing the ideas, we can choose the ones that we want to make real and continue to make real. And just as ideas are made up of other ideas we can ask ourselves this question, “what are the ideas that I am a part of.”
1.13 This book is an idea that I am helping to make it real. Before I started I was working on another idea for a book, “Belly Breathing to Tone the Abs,” but then I realized that I liked the idea of this book better. And that’s the thing about ideas, we can choose the ones we like, the ones we want to help make real.
1.14 Here’s an idea. Imagine an ideal life. Imagine leading a life where all the ideas in our life work together instead of pulling us apart. Or imagine something simpler, perhaps a life that we love or even just a job that we like with people that we enjoy working with.
1.1 When I tell people that I studied Systems Design Engineering in University they often think that means I worked with computer systems but then I explain that the concept of systems isn’t limited to computers. It’s any type of system. So then the question is, “What is a system?” Whatever has the most meaning for us at the time. The key word is meaning. A system has some purpose or function, and depending on the way we look at it we can see one meaning or another. And because we can choose the way we look at a system, we can choose the meaning that we see.
1.2 Shooting rifles in the army we were part of a system and the function of that system was to make holes as close to the center of a target as possible. But the rifle itself was also a system designed to output projectiles. We, the person operating the rifle, were also a system and in this context we were a system whose function was to operate a rifle.
1.3 Systems are made up of components that are interconnected and that work together to perform the function of the system. Systems can be broken down into subsystems, which are systems in themselves. Systems can be combined with other systems to create a larger system. Whatever those subsystems or higher systems are, they all have a purpose.
1.4 We can substitute the word idea for system.
1.5 A motorcycle can be an idea and it stops there or we can think of a motorcycle in terms of its parts, an engine, a transmission, primary drive etc. Or we can go smaller, the gears, shafts, nuts and bolts and the things that they connect. If we wish to ride a motorbike then the idea that we become is that of a rider. But if we need to fix one or build one then the idea we become is that of a mechanic and then the ideas we need to be familiar with are the parts of the bike. Depending on what we have to do, we might need to understand the idea of a starter motor or we might need to understand the ideas within a starter motor. The more we understand (and the more tools we have) the more we can do. Or we understand the idea of a person who understands the smaller ideas of bikes and take the bike to them.
1.6 We are ideas made up of other ideas such as our heart, lungs, kidneys, liver and spleen. We are also part of other ideas, of a family or a loving couple, of the job we do or the hobbies we enjoy.
1.7 We are also the idea of ourselves.
1.8 The beauty of systems and of ideas is that we can choose the way we look at them. Which view gave us the best understanding?
1.9 Suppose we want to learn how to ride a motorbike then that is the idea we are trying to make real. Initially we learn how to make the bike stop, and how to make it go, at the same time learning how to keep it balanced. We also learn how to steer it. Eventually we learn all of these smaller ideas so that then we can make the bigger idea of riding real. Then we can express the idea.
1.10 Perhaps we discover that riding a bike is stressful, or not as much fun as we thought it would be. Do we want to ride a bike for transportation or are we more interested in riding a bike to go fast, in which case perhaps what we really want to do is race, or perhaps find a place where we can ride it fast without hurting ourselves or anyone around us. Or perhaps we simply don’t enjoy riding and so we leave that idea and look for another idea to make real.
1.11 Each of us has many ideas that we are either learning or expressing, helping to make real. Some of them are ideas we love, others not so much. Sometimes an idea isn’t quite what we think so we can either change the way we look at it, the way we connect to it or we disconnect and find a new idea to connect to.
1.12 Which ideas do we want to put our attention on? What are the ideas that are important for us, what are the ideas that help us to balance the idea of ourselves? What are the ideas that we subconsciously or unconsciously think about? Ideas, what are the ideas in our life? Knowing the ideas, we can choose the ones that we want to make real and continue to make real. And just as ideas are made up of other ideas we can ask ourselves this question, “what are the ideas that I am a part of.”
1.13 This book is an idea that I am helping to make it real. Before I started I was working on another idea for a book, “Belly Breathing to Tone the Abs,” but then I realized that I liked the idea of this book better. And that’s the thing about ideas, we can choose the ones we like, the ones we want to help make real.
1.14 Here’s an idea. Imagine an ideal life. Imagine leading a life where all the ideas in our life work together instead of pulling us apart. Or imagine something simpler, perhaps a life that we love or even just a job that we like with people that we enjoy working with.
Connection, Change and Relationship
CONNECTION, CHANGE AND RELATIONSHIP
1.1 Computer systems deal with the flow of information from one idea to another. As that information flows from one part of the system to another it causes change. The part of the system sending the information changes as it sends the information, just as we change when we open our mouth to speak. And the part of the system listening for information, it changes when it receives the information as we might do when we see the traffic light ahead of us turn to red while we are driving. In going from one place to another information causes change. And when that information is read and acted on even more change occurs. (Sitting in a car, the speedometer is always there, but do we always notice it changing? “...Sorry officer, I was not conscious of my actual speed...”)
1.2 Even the simple act of delivering the information, electrons flowing along wires, is change but in order for change to occur, for one idea to change another they have to be connected. They have to have a relationship so that information can be exchanged.
1.3 A relationship is two or more ideas connected in such a way that information can be exchanged so that change is caused. Depending on the connection and the relative size of each idea that change may be big or it may be small. One idea may change more than the other. Change may occur simultaneously, fish turning simultaneously as one or it may occur sequentially, like in a conversation, two people taking turns listening to each other.
1.4 I am connecting to this idea, that of basic principles, and in connecting to my computer I am helping to give that idea form. And in the process of writing I am changing myself. Both the small changes as my fingers tap out words on the keyboard and bigger changes as my understanding of what I am writing about improves. The more I connect to this idea the better I understand it and the more I grow and change as a result.
1.1 Computer systems deal with the flow of information from one idea to another. As that information flows from one part of the system to another it causes change. The part of the system sending the information changes as it sends the information, just as we change when we open our mouth to speak. And the part of the system listening for information, it changes when it receives the information as we might do when we see the traffic light ahead of us turn to red while we are driving. In going from one place to another information causes change. And when that information is read and acted on even more change occurs. (Sitting in a car, the speedometer is always there, but do we always notice it changing? “...Sorry officer, I was not conscious of my actual speed...”)
1.2 Even the simple act of delivering the information, electrons flowing along wires, is change but in order for change to occur, for one idea to change another they have to be connected. They have to have a relationship so that information can be exchanged.
1.3 A relationship is two or more ideas connected in such a way that information can be exchanged so that change is caused. Depending on the connection and the relative size of each idea that change may be big or it may be small. One idea may change more than the other. Change may occur simultaneously, fish turning simultaneously as one or it may occur sequentially, like in a conversation, two people taking turns listening to each other.
1.4 I am connecting to this idea, that of basic principles, and in connecting to my computer I am helping to give that idea form. And in the process of writing I am changing myself. Both the small changes as my fingers tap out words on the keyboard and bigger changes as my understanding of what I am writing about improves. The more I connect to this idea the better I understand it and the more I grow and change as a result.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Idea Space
IDEA SPACE, AN ABUNDANCE OF IDEAS
1.1 Waiting for a friend to arrive for lunch one day, I pondered teaching yoga to kids. I thought of helping them learn what their body could do before they got stuck into habits that limited their body’s potential.
1.2 I’d seen children who’s posture mimicked their parent’s almost exactly and I thought that if I could help them be aware of their body they could then choose how they held themselves. Aware of their body maybe they’d be able to operate it without artificially limiting it.
1.3 I thought of the habits or mannerisms that we picked up from those around us. If we were conscious of what we were doing and what those around us were doing we could choose the things we pick up, or at least the things we keep.
1.4 At one level that is what yoga is about, becoming more conscious, in this case conscious of possibilities. Aware of what the possibilities are we can choose the things we do and how we do them. Teaching kids yoga I wanted to help them understand what their body is capable of, as well as their mind, and rather than limiting them I wanted to teach them frameworks within which they could express themselves.
1.5
1.6 I’ve been living in Taiwan for a number of years now and before I started teaching yoga here I taught English to young children for a year. There are quite a few foreigners teaching English and part of my idea was to train those same teachers, those who wanted to, to teach Yoga as part of their kids exercise time. I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to learn to teach something as well as English. At the same time they’d be helping the kids as well as themselves stay flexible (or get flexible.) And I would get the chance to develop a training program that would benefit teachers as well as the people that they taught.
1.7 The other part of the idea was selling yoga to the schools where it might be taught, and in turn to the parents of the children who might be taught. I thought that perhaps one of the biggest things to sell it on is how it can benefit the mind, perhaps if the children stayed flexible in their body they’d also stay flexible in their minds, be able to think more creatively.
1.8 I wasn’t aware of any evidence to that fact and it seemed like a pretty slim connection and so I thought that perhaps the mental flexibility could come in the way I taught yoga. Teach the teachers, and through them the children a set sequence of poses, and then teach them how to vary the sequence and then the poses. Give them a framework and show them how to express themselves within that framework.
1.9 Another benefit, more in line with what the parents were sending their kids to English school for was that it would be a great opportunity for kids to learn about their body in English, or indeed in both languages, Chinese and English.
1.10 The school could possibly benefit by getting more students whose parents want their kids to learn yoga (as well as English) and perhaps even the yoga studio I worked for could benefit either through getting their name out into the community or in having a potential source for future yoga teachers or students.
1.11 Why was I so keen on this idea, because I thought that everyone involved could benefit.
1.12
1.13 When my friend arrived I told him about my idea and asked him if he be interested in helping me develop it and teach it to kids. He would think about it.
1.14 The next time I saw my friend I asked him if he was still interested in teaching kids yoga? He said not to worry about it. There were plenty of ideas to go around. That it didn’t matter if we did this idea, there were other ideas we could do instead if it came down to it.
1.15 In the last few years I’ve had a lot of exposure to talk about wealth consciousness, focusing on thoughts of being wealthy, of having lots of wealth as opposed to its opposite. And all of a sudden I realized that the real key wasn’t an abundance of money but an abundance of ideas. There are an infinity of ideas waiting to be made real.
1.16 Wow, imagine, not only picking the ideas we want to make real but having an infinity of ideas from which to choose from.
1.1 Waiting for a friend to arrive for lunch one day, I pondered teaching yoga to kids. I thought of helping them learn what their body could do before they got stuck into habits that limited their body’s potential.
1.2 I’d seen children who’s posture mimicked their parent’s almost exactly and I thought that if I could help them be aware of their body they could then choose how they held themselves. Aware of their body maybe they’d be able to operate it without artificially limiting it.
1.3 I thought of the habits or mannerisms that we picked up from those around us. If we were conscious of what we were doing and what those around us were doing we could choose the things we pick up, or at least the things we keep.
1.4 At one level that is what yoga is about, becoming more conscious, in this case conscious of possibilities. Aware of what the possibilities are we can choose the things we do and how we do them. Teaching kids yoga I wanted to help them understand what their body is capable of, as well as their mind, and rather than limiting them I wanted to teach them frameworks within which they could express themselves.
1.5
1.6 I’ve been living in Taiwan for a number of years now and before I started teaching yoga here I taught English to young children for a year. There are quite a few foreigners teaching English and part of my idea was to train those same teachers, those who wanted to, to teach Yoga as part of their kids exercise time. I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to learn to teach something as well as English. At the same time they’d be helping the kids as well as themselves stay flexible (or get flexible.) And I would get the chance to develop a training program that would benefit teachers as well as the people that they taught.
1.7 The other part of the idea was selling yoga to the schools where it might be taught, and in turn to the parents of the children who might be taught. I thought that perhaps one of the biggest things to sell it on is how it can benefit the mind, perhaps if the children stayed flexible in their body they’d also stay flexible in their minds, be able to think more creatively.
1.8 I wasn’t aware of any evidence to that fact and it seemed like a pretty slim connection and so I thought that perhaps the mental flexibility could come in the way I taught yoga. Teach the teachers, and through them the children a set sequence of poses, and then teach them how to vary the sequence and then the poses. Give them a framework and show them how to express themselves within that framework.
1.9 Another benefit, more in line with what the parents were sending their kids to English school for was that it would be a great opportunity for kids to learn about their body in English, or indeed in both languages, Chinese and English.
1.10 The school could possibly benefit by getting more students whose parents want their kids to learn yoga (as well as English) and perhaps even the yoga studio I worked for could benefit either through getting their name out into the community or in having a potential source for future yoga teachers or students.
1.11 Why was I so keen on this idea, because I thought that everyone involved could benefit.
1.12
1.13 When my friend arrived I told him about my idea and asked him if he be interested in helping me develop it and teach it to kids. He would think about it.
1.14 The next time I saw my friend I asked him if he was still interested in teaching kids yoga? He said not to worry about it. There were plenty of ideas to go around. That it didn’t matter if we did this idea, there were other ideas we could do instead if it came down to it.
1.15 In the last few years I’ve had a lot of exposure to talk about wealth consciousness, focusing on thoughts of being wealthy, of having lots of wealth as opposed to its opposite. And all of a sudden I realized that the real key wasn’t an abundance of money but an abundance of ideas. There are an infinity of ideas waiting to be made real.
1.16 Wow, imagine, not only picking the ideas we want to make real but having an infinity of ideas from which to choose from.
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