Week 9 Post!

Reading Response:

I completely agreed with Krishna's response to Arjuna's question.  Even though I would say I'm a hypocrite when it comes to it. Krishna states that action is the best way to nirvana of renunciation because in renunciation one just gains knowledge but not understanding that knowledge and action are the same.  The wording threw me off at first but I understand it better now.  When I used to explain to my friends that I don't eat anything that's not halal (zabiha=sacrificed in the name of god ritually=muslim version of kosher) or drink alcohol, they would state that that's a stupid reason to restrain myself of food and drinks.  One of my friends explained it to me like this: Nabi, if you don't want to drink alcohol or eat non-halal meat thats fine, but do it on your own will not another's.  Base it off of your own ideology, not another's.  He said if anything, try it and find out that it actually is pleasing to consume, because then restraining from it will be even more of a feat than having never tried it and staying away from it.  It made sense to me at the time but i've never consumed any of it anyways.  I guess its a little hypocritical but what can I say? I'm stuck in my ways and habits. Well the advice that Krishna gave Arjun made me think of my experience with food and alcohol.  

One passage that I think was really aligned with the Yoga sutras was when Krishna describes divinity by stating "These people are neither "elated by good fortune, nor depressed by bad," and live in constant joy. They do not look for peace in the sensual pleasures of the world, but rather in the "joy, rest, and light" that comes within themselves. These people see self-realization as their only goal, and make this quest the foundation for daily living".  This reminded me of sutra 1.24 "God is the supreme being, totally free from conflicts, unaffected by actions and untouched by cause and effect".   

Practice Response:

I really enjoyed our yoga practice last week.  It was extremely relaxing and time seemed to go by so fast.  I don't know if Dr. Schultz meant to make it relaxing for us since we were going on Fall Break but it helped me relax a lot and get more focussed on my weekend of studying. I also enjoyed the breathing exercises toward the end of class.  It seemed like a majority of the class we were doing chest opening exercises.  I liked it, but this week I would like to focus more on legs, specifically quads.