Headed up to CalArts today to take care of some library research and renewals; as usual found myself interested in way too many books in the library, especially those relating to my Integrated Media MFA, which I don’t often find my interests stimulated by elsewhere around LA. It was a beautiful day out, and I’d forgotten how terribly hot it gets up there in the summer. One of my priorities was attempting to avoid rush hour traffic, and I did OK with that.
Looking down on the lawn in the central area of the campus, I remembered how I had once found myself feeling run-down and sluggish and unable to think straight during a class and had slipped outside during the break to do some Kundalini Yoga on the lawn, and re-entered the class feeling a lot more clear-headed and comfortable. If only I’d had a regular practice at that point. I hadn’t even discovered the Kundalini Yoga studios in LA yet, and had to learn and practice everything from the manuals I had – Ravi Singh’s books.
The library uses my old student ID card as a library card, and it’s been falling apart for ages; it was issued in 1996! Every time I’d asked security, the librarians, and others about getting a replacement, I was told it was “impossible.” Today I went to the alumni office, they sent me to the registrar and she printed an alumni card out on the spot. Hmmm. Prosperity meditations? Well, the job board certainly didn’t support that hypothesis:
I felt a lot more “present” and outgoing today than my usually somewhat observant and sometimes introverted self, in any case.
I went to Balboa Lake Park and had some time to kill afterwards, and realized the 2 cups of coffee might’ve been to blame for me feeling a bit over-talkative on the phone, feeling a bit wound-up, and over-energized. Maybe yoga would bring things back into control? So I did the “Har” meditation for 11 mins. in the car, and then laid out my mat on the grass near the kids soccer game just south of the beautiful Japanese Garden and DWP water processing plant (both just beyond the walls in the picture). It looked like there was a big fire someplace down near the north side of the Hollywood Hills, and clouds of smoke, or perhaps smog, were drifting west over Tarzana.
I wasn’t sure what yoga set to do, and since Sahib Parnaam. is simple and easy to remember (though pretty challenging!) I jumped in and made my way through it.
Sixteen minutes of push-ups in downward dog, bringing my head to the ground in rhythm with Jap Sahib, revortexed my energy, followed by 14 minutes of tree pose and a couple minutes of Ajai Alai meditation while sitting. I was still pretty wound up tonight, but felt like my day was taking a more focused direction.
Later it sounded like I may be getting a full scholarship to Pacific Yearly Quaker Meeting in Marin County next month. I guess it’s time to quit scoffing about the prosperity resulting from the energetic shifts of my practice. Or perhaps I should refer to it as “grace” and, in either case, practice gratitude.