Video: Yoga with MJH

After I was assaulted and hospitalized in 2012, I became something of a media spectacle. We needed money for my surgery (titanium plates run about 14k a pop, and I needed a few), and my community rallied around me. From yogis to drag queens, so many people gave that we had to tell folks to stop. It was pretty amazing. There were even lots of news articles. I shouldn’t have read the comments in those articles. I know a lot about victim blaming now. Shortly after my recovery period, the non-profit activist group Collective Action for Safe Spaces (formerly: Hollaback!) approached me to raise some awareness for their cause: stopping street harassment. It should be a no brainer: you should be able to walk home without getting…

This is a post created for Ashtanga Tech, Michael’s online esucation platform. What is Bindu According to Yoga Texts? In yogic philosophy and spiritual traditions, the term “Bindu” holds significant meaning and symbolizes various concepts associated with energy, consciousness, and creation. Bindu translates to “point”, “drop” or “dot” in Sanskrit[3]. In yoga, however, the concept of bindu goes beyond its literal interpretation, symbolizing the absolute, the infinite, and the unmanifest potential that lies within each individual[3]. Bindu is viewed as the cosmic seed from which all creation arises[3]. It symbolizes the unmanifest potential that preceded the materialization of the universe[3]. In yoga philosophy, bindu is associated with the fundamental concept of unity, representing the underlying oneness of all existence and symbolizing the union of individual…

Talking about ashtanga can make you crazy. Or not. Or both. “Whenever we practice, we quickly run into paradox… this is what happens when we start to cling to any one formula or any one technique. We quickly run into this sense that it isn’t complete– when we run into another viewpoint coming up in the background–  there is this sense of paradox.  And, whenever this happens, we know that the yoga is starting to work. Its considered to be a very auspicipous sign. “ — Richard Freeman “The Self-Reference Paradox” With the right google search, you can find someone confirming any belief you’ve been kicking around. Confirmation bias takes us out of our present moment. It sets paramaters for our capacity to feel. And, I…