Instead of Vengeance

Mercy! She felt better after a toke. Was it naive to be redeemed by a puff a smoke?

When he drove the beltway between Baltimore and the District of Columbia he invoked an inner mantra: Do not engage the serpent.

Her prose was a retelling of countless yesterdays. But she eventually grew tired of that approach. Nowadays she conjured voices for an infinite self. It didn’t matter if she told the truth anymore.

When he smoked weed he couldn’t read books. He could read, but he kept reading the same sentence over and over, which was annoying. So when he read, he’d sip a slow brewed dark roast instead.

She thought failure was a hoax so she removed the word from her lexicon in 1999.

He drove the distance between Maryland and Virginia countless times and he always succumbed to road rage. He couldn't shake it. He was seduced by anger and increasingly concerned. Driving was a miserable test of ego.

She appreciated an amusing page turner but she slowed down every now and again to ponder a bit of gospel.

He never liked the idea of declaring his lack of ambition. "So what do you do?" asked the barfly at the 2-for-1 happy hour in Midtown. His face wilted in reply. But if queried, "What do you obsess about?" He was fully attentive.

She used to drink red wine.

He enjoyed watching the Pittsburgh Steelers but he muted the announcers and the commercials. He didn’t talk to his family much but when he watched the games he thought about them.

She isolated herself from society yet delighted in the quotidian comforts of a liaison.

Temper is revealing, and the last time he drove to DC—he was cool as a cucumber. He practiced self reflection on a QWERTY keyboard and a yoga mat.

They are ready to write the next chapter.

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Sun Salutation

The Sun Salutation yoga sequence is traditionally practiced at sunrise and the 12 asanas within the sequence flow from one to the other. Our version has two minor tweaks: We love doing the yoga at sunset—because we’re night owls—and, we linger in the poses to improve strength and flexibility. The full sequence takes five minutes and you can stack multiple sequences back-to-back for more intensity.

In slow motion.

Daylight is beginning to wane and the birdsong is in bloom. Maybe you are listening to Savasana music. Perhaps you are burning a candle and lighting some incense. Excellent.

Let's begin.

Stand at the top of your yoga mat with your feet a few inches apart and close your eyes. Let your arms hang loosely at your side as you take a deep breath in through your nose, holding your breath for a brief moment at the end of your inhale, then slowly exhale through your mouth. And again. Big breath in through your nose and hold, then slowly exhale through your mouth. Last time. Big breath in through your nose and hold, two, three, and slowly exhale through your mouth. We will continue this circular breathing throughout the meditation.

{Asana 1} Gently open your eyes and bring your palms together in a prayer pose at your chest. Take a big breath in through your nose and hold, then slowly exhale through your mouth.

{Asana 2} Inhale and stretch your arms up toward the sky and slowly arch your back from the waist while gently pushing your hips forward.

{Asana 3} Exhale, nice and slow, and fold your arms forward resting your palms flat against the mat just to the left and right of your feet. Relax in this folded position for a cycle of three patient inhales and exhales.

{Asana 4} Deep breath in as you slightly bend your knees and gently extend your left leg behind you. Rest your knee on the mat and keep your palms flat against the earth while arching your back and looking upward. Slowly exhale. Hold this position for a cycle of three deep breaths in and out.

{Asana 5} Breathe in as you kick your right leg straight back, supporting your weight with flat palms and the balls of your feet. Fully extend your arms as you exhale, and keep your head and torso in a straight line while flexing the muscles in your arms, legs, abdomen and glutes. Hold this pose for a cycle of three restorative inhales and exhales.

{Asana 6} Slowly inhale as you bend your elbows and lower your forehead toward the mat while you lower your knees and balance on the balls of your feet, keeping your hips elevated. (Note: This asana immediately flows into the next.)

View fullsize

From the book “The Sivananda Companion to Yoga” written by Lucy Lidell with Narayani and Giris Rabinovitch. © 1983 by Gaia Books Limited, London and Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center.

{Asana 7} Big breath in as you lower your hips, point your toes, and arch your back while looking up to the cosmos. Exhale slowly. Hold this position for a cycle of three deep breaths in and out.

{Asana 8} Breathe in while you bend your elbows, lower your forehead and curl your toes under as you push against the mat to lift your hips into an inverted V-shape. Your heels and the palms of your hands should be flat against the mat and your arms fully extended. Slowly exhale. Hold this pose for a cycle of three nourishing breaths.

{Asana 9} Inhale while you step forward with your left leg and place it between your hands. Rest your right knee on the mat and keep your palms flat against the floor while arching your back and looking upward. Slowly exhale. Hold this position for a cycle of three cleansing breaths.

{Asana 10} Big breath in as you bring your right leg forward. Bending down from the waist, rest your feet next to each other and between your palms which should be flat against the mat, fingers pointing forward. Linger in the downward pose while treating yourself to three relaxing breaths in and out.

{Asana 11} Inhale and slowly unfold your body. Put your palms together and raise them above your head. Fully extend your arms and bend backward at the waist, nice and easy.

{Asana 12} Exhale and gently return to an upright position, arms relaxed at your side.


Breathe in love.

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Pop the Hood

This path? This path I'm walking on?

It takes me to the market, that's what it does—despite the lack of mercy. Thankfully I have these headphones pumping out deep, soulful house, so I boogie up that hill no matter how steep it is. Been doing the plank, you know, flexing that core. The work—gets me where I gots to go. Sure enough though, $40 dollars, it’s what I have in my pocket. And I’m proud of that. Pushed around some snow the other day. So yeah. I know I need a lemon. I'll figure out the rest after I make me a complimentary cup of coffee at the customer service desk, with the raw sugar and the oat milk—so generous, but also: check your rear-view, tend to those side mirrors, because you just might get an elbow in the rib if you’re not swizzle-sticking fast enough. So I bide my time and observe, entertained by the ballet of self determination and civility while simultaneously pondering my provisions list. You see, I consider myself a connoisseur of sorts: pine nuts, sun dried tomatoes, these kinda things. Just last week I bought this righteous bag of Nicaraguan dark roast thanks to a timely bit of freelance, which was auspicious, considering, on that very same day, I helped a friend move out of their shanty because the roof collapsed after twelve nights of relentless cats and dogs. My sodden comrade, so compassionate, just trying to make ends meet. Anyways, it’s a happy ending—because now we're shackin’ up!—dancing about the kitchen, praising our good fortune, preparing the mise en place. But enough about sustenance:

Where is the path taking you?

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