The amazing Tara Judelle (pictured here) is back from her 3 month stint in Bali, where I'm not sure exactly what she did besides teach yoga, but I like to imagine that she did some riding of dolphins and levitating, as she is just that kind of gal.
Tara is the one who got me all revved up about the organ body...and had me spouting phrases like, "hyoid bone" and "zyphoid process"...and her departure for Bali created an unwelcome chasm in my organ name beef-up project (I don't really have a project like that, but I was really digging learning all about my insides)...but never fear, Shanti-Towners, she has returned and you can bet that this humble yoga blog will be chock-full of fun facts about the clavicular notch and the sacral dome (made that one up) from here on out!
Expect to be thrilled by anatomical superstars the likes of:
the Pineal Gland!!
the Dens!!
and the return of...the Hyoid Bone!!
(hold your cheers and stomping of feet...)
All of these characters I will get to, right quick, but want to contextualize first and tell you that ms. Tara has returned from Bali all a-fire with the following philosophical treatises:
1. That the microcosm IS the macrocosm (and vice-versa). Another way to think of this might be "inside is outside", or "the universal is the individual", or "you are what you eat". (Um...that last one maybe not so much.) But, basically what she's saying is that we, as individuals, contain within us all the workings of the universe in small-scale. War out there, means war in here...etc. etc.. I LOVE this, this is my favorite way of looking at the world, and has been for years...I think it makes the whole elaborate dance seem just, sigh, magical. Or terrifying (depending on my mood).
2. That our specific consciousness/personality has a purpose. i.e. that there is a point to waking up, and that point, ultimately, is SERVICE. Albeit, service filtered through our individual wants/needs and quirks, but service all the same. This, also, I am in total agreement with. I would love to say that this too is something I have felt for years, but quite honestly, this is a new (and unexpected) part of my world-view. Not that I haven't always been a fan of service, I have...just for other people. In fact, I used to be a bit incredulous about other people even having a desire to be of service. Do people really DESIRE to do that?! It used to seem to me like something that people OUGHT to want to do, but never did I really believe that it was something that anyone ACTUALLY wanted to do. (Geez, what kind of obnoxious 20-something am I?!)...Well, some mysterious and totally unplanned change has taken place in me over the last year or so and suddenly I am reduced to tears everytime I read or hear or think about anyone doing any kind of service, and I am overwhelmed by a desire to do the same...to have my life be of some purpose to someone other than myself. (This does not so much go hand-in-hand with the ol acting career, but more on that some other time...).
And, finally...
3. That all of this is URGENT. She is actually stressing this last one a lot, and sometimes it makes me feel inspired, and sometimes it just makes me feel really stressed out...as if I don't have enough little voices in my head telling me that everything needs to happen RIGHT AWAY! Anyhow, I get what she means...the time is now, no more excuses, dooooooooo it.
And so our learning of the organ body has been subsumed by these other, broader, principles, each new part of the body now being accessed in order to add to and support this larger idea that I would like to sum up here as:
WAKE UP! NOW! OR ELSE!!
tee hee. no pressure.
(Addendum: As the length of this post is already spiraling out of control, I am going to hold off on the anatomy lesson until later...so those of you who were on pins and needles waiting for me to explain all about the pineal gland and why it's going to change your f-ing life, you'll have to hold on just a little bit longer.)
Let me just say that I am delighted to have ms. Judelle back in my life. She is a hard-core yoga philosopher, with excellent long limbs and a very contemplative way about her that I just love, and the twice-weekly extra-long "The Practice" classes that I take from her feel like an excellently well-priced master class. So, hooray, Tara! Welcome back!!
Next Week in Shanti-Town: Pineal Gland...drool-maker or soul-shaker? You be the judge.
