Led primary by demand — Saturday at 9. https://theyoga.club/product/led-primary-series/

Because ive watched people make ad hominem attacks on my behalf in order to further their racist agenda, I’d like to share other logical fallacies that show up when arguing with ignorant or agenda’d populations.

The one occurring here, when drawing comparisons to George Flloyd, is an ad hominem attack— that’s when we attack the character of an individual instead of the subject matter at hand. When folks do that with George flloyd, that’s often a proxy for the black community. This is racist tell, friends. Of course, racism happens, and if you’re comitted to being anti racist, this won’t hurt your feelings. If you aren’t committed to being anti racist, then this might hurt your feelings.

When the comparison between this poor little boy and the comparison is to talking points associated with anti racist discussions, meaning someone else (“race” is a someone else, so that would be ad hominem on all black folk), it’s a classic red herring— meaning it’s meant to distract you from the true culprit.

So, this little boy is being used as either a proxy for all whites assaulted or killed by black folks (something i take seriously, based on my history) using a dead black man with no correlation, or a total red herring, because these situations don’t have anything in common except media propagation.

I would ask what and why regarding the logic— and then what and why regarding the comparison.

For those that are “why aren’t we talking about this dead little boy? We’re talking about this dead black man” I would encourage deeper reflection about why you think that comparison is apt.

For those that are like “this poor little boy was killed by a black man” I would ask what you want from this conversation and why.

"I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to "order" than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: "I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action"; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a "more convenient season." Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Birmingham city jail

I drew a line in the sand a few years ago to no longer hold close to my heart those who could not hold my community in their own. What community?

"Other." The marginalized. My community lives in a second America.

If you want to make America great, it means dismantling systems of oppression. That starts at home, with you.

Dear White folks, Straight folk,Christians.

Give this a read, tell me what you think.

https://sojo.net/articles/our-white-friends-desiring-be-allies

What does it mean to go to a place like Ecuador in order to create and participate in economy? And how does one do that in a respectable, regenerative, respectful way?

Ask Kristen.

She and her partner Juan are growing cacao and heirloom cacao in a regenerative food forest with zero waste.

The optics in this post hit close to home.

I try not to dress up in a costume for the purposes of selling you the product of yoga. I can’t actually sell yoga yoga— and sell you my time.

My time as a practitioner, a seeker, a student, and a finder. And as a yoga facilitator/teacher/guide, it’s why you don’t see me in my dhoti very often... And why i tend to only wear my mala when I meditate.

There are so many ways to signal your desire to be seen as aspirational— biceps and bindis and baba harem pants. Andean throws. The thing is, when you have something valuable to share, you want to share it.

When you have devoted your life to something, you hope that you can make enough money to keep devoting your life to it. And, you might even try to sell the image of the thing using appropriators prints.

It’s a tricky thing... this authenticity piece. I love that Kristen and Juan encourages folks to make of all of it what you will.

In the mean time... should I teach you to handstand, shirtless?

Join one of my favorite humans of all time for three of her favorite things: running, yoga, YOU!

Mister Gates done been told us, y’all.

His footnote on how preparedness also helps create a more “just” society while also keeping the economy ~3 trillion dollars stronger maybe is more than a footnote.

I have made a pivot towards online offerings— but the question becomes more existential. As someone who functions as a manual therapist *and* a facilitator/ of an indigenous practice that changes the mind and body radically... is my vocation dispensable? My life’s work?

Surely not— but we do need protecting.

And we done been known.

I worked at the improv during that impressionable 21-28 time frame. I am so grateful for that time. Night after night i got to watch masters hone their craft. Words, wit, and dynamic performance art... all at the same time. The relationships forged there— my friends, my own art, and with incredible artists... Wow. Please help if you can!

Here is an explanation or intersectional analysis as it relates to the Kobe story. I found it useful.

I don’t know anything about current athletes who aren’t gay and shirtless, so I only know of Kobe by how much he meant to a lot of people. When I saw he died, I said “oh wow.”

Later, I said, “didn’t he get accused of rape or something?”

My news feed is filled to the brim with stories of sexual assault— stories of black men, Indian men, and white men— and they are all intense and complicated and people hold these men up high on pedastels while others say to tear them down and distance themselves. I’ve taken down the smiling visage of one such Indian man.

But guys, can’t we think more deeply?

I am fascinated by ritual.

They have so many different forms and varied affectations— different elaborations, steps, and varied repetitions — I love them.

I am often *taken* by them, and occasionally my attention is so captivated it makes me want to try it. This medicated ghee speaks to me, and shows me the value of Annette’s practice in so many different arenas of life. Makes me want to participate.

Thanks, Annette!

Mike has a long read for you today. I know him from his time as a working stand up comic— his live performance was gifted. His writing is clear and powerful. Give this a read, his perspective strikes me as valuable.

Two years ago I had an inkling of Jois’s abuses of power. I also had plausibility in my internal denial. I think Nigel has so eloquently stated so much of how i feel. I was reminded this morning by my statement of gratitude for Jois’s work from those two years ago— I am no less grateful for his vast accomplishment but also no longer interested in a purposeful naivety. Have nuance here— and leave space for others to do so also. And in the interim, please stop diefying, explicitly or implicitly, a flawed, complicated human. If you have real interest in helping others heal their traumas, take down your icons and your alters to an abuser.

One of my dearest friends and trusted counsel. Who got my teaching in the Mysore room for the first time!? This woman. Well worth your time (and she has killer online content, too!)

Hey fellow authorized ashtanga yoga teachers! y’all gonna go to “Bill Cosby school of comedy” or “the R Kelly Institute for Balladry”? What if they gave you your degree with the guys face on it and made you hang it up in your class room? Are you going to do it? If you wouldn’t do it, why not? Could you support an organization that demanded you do?

For multi discipline practitioners and seasoned Ashtanga yogis alike, this class breaks down the primary series in a manner that highlights its accessibility, adaptability, and brilliance.

Tuesday, Nov 13, 20, & 27.

7:30-9:00.

Want to hone your skills?

Interested in developing a system for working with individuals one-on-one or in group settings?

Learn how to use voice, touch, compassion and intelligence in your classes to facilitate students.

Learn how to receive assists in the spirit they’re intended.

Learn how to navigate and discuss consent in a clear and enthusiastic manner.

Find ways to allow your personal physical practice to flourish through small group work.

Participate in lively discussion and get some questions answered.

$120.

com·plic·it
kəmˈplisit
adjective
involved with others in an illegal activity or wrongdoing.

"Support of Trump makes you complicit in the dehumanization of woman. "
"Deifying Jois on Guru Purnima makes you complicit in silencing victims of sexual abuse in spiritual communities"
"Eating at chick-fil-a makes you complicit in the oppression of the LGBT community"
"Supporting India with your tourism dollars makes you complicit in radical Hinduism."

How much complicity can you stomach?

So many conversations over the last week about yoga and trauma-- there's a lot to say. On April 29, join me and a panel of my colleagues from a variety of yoga disciplines as we discuss yoga in the #MeToo era.

“…I must confess that I am not afraid of the word “tension.” …there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth. Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood. So, the purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation"

AS MLK WROTE IN HIS Birmingham letters, Rattling the establishment is very useful. Its true, you might find yourself a pariah, but to an unrepresented community of people, you are representation, giving voice to those that have been largely voiceless. It requires valor and bravery, as MLK later came to discover, as standing your ground may in fact become the hill that you die upon.

Much like my affinity for drag, I recognize that yoga will never truly be mainstream because it "mocks ego," as RuPaul says. Yoga is very good for marginalized people. It's goodness for the voices unspoken is directly proportionate to its threat to the establishment.

The establishment, the Man, is invested in maintaining its power, and because that power comes from a deified ego, the establishment further marginalizes those that dare question ego.

Anything that mocks ego becomes an inherent threat.

Those vested in the power that comes from the establishment, and for this I say as clearly as I can: especially ONLY from the establishment-- those people will always attempt to (at best) diminish and (at worst) silence (by any means necessary) that which shows that the emporer has no clothes. They will do it with a clear conscience as only those who have made a god out of a toothless tiger can murder guiltlessly.

The very best way to rattle the ego starts by creating tension. Without discounting your inherent value, question your worth. You can't use your privileges for good if you don't admit you have them. We all have god given rights and innate gifts. What are your gifts? Where have you struggled? You can't recognize your growth potential without a sober assesment of where you are. This will help build empathy.

Then, go out and get loud.
Rattle the establishment.
Do yoga.
Fight AIDS.

Make MLK, RuPaul, and this little yogi proud and go out there and color with all the colors in the crayon box.

Really, JT? A gropey robot? That's the best you've got for us in 2018? A cgi bot, basically a Wein-tron 4000, that gyrates at woman as a proxy for you, so as not to tarnish your "respectable image" ?🙅🏼‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️ Guuurrl, you threw Britney under a bus, did Janet hella dirty, and just worked with Woody Allen. At least come through with some art, jfc.

Oh man. Relaxed and joyful.

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14404-night-work/

‘Night Work’ is one of my favorite albums of all time by my favorite band of all time. This review is basically saying that music by gay people for gay people is not palatable to a straight audience and therefor not inclusive enough.

This is why I’ve been so fucking pissed for 2017 and will carry that fire into 2018. This is why Living Single isn’t on Hulu. Because I have participated in fucking straight people culture without complaint and have had to pull teeth to get straight people to even consider coming to a queer event (other than the pride parade-- but who doesn't love a parade? I digress ). This is to me self evident of the fact that straight folk (especially, but not limited to, white ones) think their activities are normal, and gay folks activities are not. No wonder gay folk dont want y'all in their safe spaces-- folks act like theyre on safari or doing something lurid. No gurl, it's a fucking Thursday and the drinks are cheap.

You know who does come to queer events when I ask? My non-white female friends. They also know how to treat the space (ie, putting away any urge to behave in an entitled manner). You know who came with me to see the Scissor Sisters tour Night Work? Wanna know who watches Living Single?

This article, and this situation, is garbage. If this made your asshole pucler, then maybe now you know why your gay friends low key think you’re the worst and if you’re white, your non-white friends low key think you’re even worse than that. But Facebook is an echo chamber, so if you made it this far, you’re probably not the problem.

Back to the pitchfork review:

“If the cover of Night Work did not clue you in, let's just state the obvious right now: This is a very, very gay album. Whereas the first two Scissor Sisters records found a way to translate specifically gay subject matter into big-tent camp that opened up their appeal to anyone with a taste for colorful dance music and 1970s radio pop, their third album isn't quite as inclusive. They are no less tuneful, but their aesthetic and lyrical themes are more firmly rooted in gay culture, to the point that many straight listeners may find themselves feeling like outsiders looking in. Instead of presenting a queer pop sensibility for the masses, they've gone deeper into their subcultural niche."

Too many mosquitos to do a long headstand. Ugh.

50% English and Irish... But there's enough Eastern European, French/German, Scandanavian, Ashkenazi Jewish, Balkan, and Iberian to be really interesting.

Welp, the new Mario came and so did my Merman tights. Omg happy weekend.

The overlap between being objectified by people of power and situations where assault of the sexual variety occurs runs the risk of allowing "me too" to be viewed from the cheap seats as a bit of a toothless tiger.

Sexual harassment occurs constantly. I have been sexualized and demeaned to some degree in every job I've had as an adult. I suspect almost every woman/gay men have, too. I know almost every gal in town has been catcalled, for sure.

On a hierarchical level we have given passes to strong men taking sex acts by force. The amount of people who voted for a man who literally propagated grabbing woman by their pussies and doing whatever he wants with them needs addressing. "They'll let me," he says.

At least 16 women have publicly accused Trump of forcibly attempting to kiss, grope and have sex with them. He is on the record saying he forcibly touches woman.

This is not sexual harassment-- this is sexual assault.

What kind of accountability do we reasonably expect men in power to have when we give them a "yes, but" along with a "me, too" So glad we're speaking up: remember this in 3 years, fam. The more voices we raise, the more potential we create.

Take that "Me, too" and talk to you husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, and kids.

Me, too.

I rely on mantra in so many different ways in my daily life, my yoga practice, and my teaching practice.

Regularly, the good Sis Britney is bringing me that patience and resolve to hold space in trying times:

Break it down, break it down, break it down
Break it down, break it down, break it down

This ain't no foolishness or fuckery
I'm handling my business (Business)
Holler if you hear me
Hey, can I get a witness
Preacher, preacher
I'm the teacher, you can learn
Watch your fingers, boy
You might get burned

If you've ever been to heaven, this is twice as nice. Break it down.

Oh man this sounds good!

WE'RE HERE! WE'RE QUEER! GET USED TO IT!

I wish that the White House would have acknowledged the male spouse of Luxembourgs's male prime minister. I wish that 45 would have made a statement for June, which is Pride Month. I do not wish I hadn't been assaulted physically and verbally most days growing up-- told my voice, my body, my mind, and my capacity for love were wrong, ugly and loathesome-- because it has made me who I am today. However, I do not wish it on your children, my children, or anyone else.

As a child, that kind of violence almost killed my spirit. As an adult, it almost killed my human form.

The silence is deafening and the message is clear. Systematic erasure. You want to help? Know that it's pride. Know when black history month is. Talk frankly and openly about sexuality and race. If you can't, ask for help. Im talking frank conversation from your cohort. If you don't have anyone you can have this conversation with, I'm here. Get real. Get woke. GET LOUD.

I assure you, WE aren't going back in the closet-- we won't die to the pages of history. Tell your friends.

New Orleans, man.

Thoroughly enjoyed "Champion," an opera in Jazz based on the real life experiences of a 50's champion welterweight fighter who just so happened to be queer... And killed a man in the ring. http://m.kennedy-center.org/home/event/orosd

Thank you for last time we had March for woman's lives. xo.

I liked "Sticks & Stones" (the second book in the cut & run series) even more than its predecessor. Taking the buddy cop/mystery/romance and shifting the setting made for compelling reading. Introducing a family that reminded me of mine added to the joy.

I am LIVING this trashy romance novel life.

So, my queer friends house in Philly has been egged & the church down the way has been vandalized with "white nation." Heard about these two older guys trying to decide whether or not to take off their "make America great again" hats before going into a Manhattan bar-- so easy for them, not so for the black church & the 'pink' house.

This is the Hour
We have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people
this is the Hour.
And there are things to be considered:
Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in right relation?
Where is your water?
Where is your garden?
It is time to speak your Truth.
Create your community.
Be good to each other.
And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be the time!
There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold on to the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart and they will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore,
And push off and jump into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water.
See who is there with you and celebrate.
At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally.
Least of all, ourselves.
For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.
The time for the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves.
Banish the word "struggle" from your attitude and your vocabulary.
All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.
"We are the ones we've been waiting for..."
- The Elders, Hopi Nation, Oraibi

I've had the good fortune to teach contortion to Pole Dancers the past couple of months at Pole Pressure in downtown DC. as most of you know, I have a great love of performance art-- especially burlesque and circus. It's been fantastic working with these athletes, performers, and artists.

Oh man, this should be fun!

Good Job, Kim Rhodes!

Now...

"As the fact check site Snopes points out, her sixth medal was covered by many major U.S. news outlets, including USA Today, the New York Times, CBS Sports, SB Nation, NBC, WGN and the Chicago Tribune. Other outlets like Time, Forbes, Huffington Post and NPR covered Rhode’s bronze medal and mentioned her pro-Second Amendment values.

Both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal wrote about the stigma attached to shooting sports but as Five Thirty Eight noted, Americans aren’t really excited about the event, and that more than anything is what is responsible for limited sponsorships.

Shooting sports are ranked among the least popular games at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It wasn’t even listed in an Adweek survey announcing the “11 Olympic Sports That Viewers Are Most Excited About Watching,” because it didn’t make it into the top 11 sports. If fans of the sport were more supportive of their event and encouraged a higher viewership, perhaps Rhode could score some sponsorships and the sport could get more attention."

Anywho, spend some time in the comments, but try not to respond. Avoid trolls, but don't create an echo-chamber for yourself.

Snuggling with Charlie and watching Batman V Superman.

I fell asleep on my yoga mat today-- I didn't make it far, and it wasn't time for rest.

Last night, I couldn't sleep... I was wrestling with black lives mattering, brown lives mattering, pink lives mattering, white lives mattering...how to find parity between that and the fact that I believe that no one exists on purpose and life itself is a consequence of action (and so, it's only meaning is that it is an effect).

Everything comes down to charachter, and the world is full of valorless men and woman who wear all kinds of uniforms and masks.

It is also full of people who do the right thing, even though no one is keeping score.

We are people. Disarm the police. Disarm the populace. Disarm your angry, bigoted minds. I don't know how. I have no answers.

All I want for all beings is peace.

Today, a picture of Rolf (a dear teacher of mine) popped up -- him with many of his dogs on the beach.

Yesterday, there were no pictures of me from David's (my dear teacher here) intensive, but many with Charlie. Rolf doesn't care for having his picture posted.

Today, a student came to me to borrow goggles to practice in. Not so long ago, I learned how to do just that.

Feeling parampara-y (tradition).

One of my first lovers, while we were in senior high, was assaulted outside a coffee shop in Aquia, VA. He also has a plate or two in his head.

I was "jumped" in my neighborhood when I was 11 or 12 for being gay. It was just one of many occasions. Before, and (of course) after.

Maybe you don't know what it's like. Someone you know does. What are you doing to stop it?

If you have power and don't use it, you are complicit in these horrors.

When will you do something? How many deaths inside black churches? How many rapes? How many of my brothers and sisters need to be slaughtered?

Get radical.

"A flower won't open if I yell at it and say “Bloom!" -- Marion Woodman

How many yoga studios make a chain? One extra location? Two? 30?

Friday's score card: Led primary. Led pranayama. Lunch date discussing financial planning. Ice cream (mango kulfi-- branching out). Pune style iyengar class. Up next: Dinner + Kingfisher.

"From silly devotions and sour faced saints, good Lord, deliver us," the mantra of Saint Teresa of Ávila.

Christmas carols are happening. Indian woman singing "Rudolph the red nose reindeer"

Oh man. Friends....
xx

I apologize for my purposefully divisive comments on prayer, fundamentalism, and letter of the law religion. I recognize in them a lack of compassion.

As an individual who prays to a supreme (not Diana Ross) power, I see value in prayer. Due to the value I also see in the dissolution of labels and constructed beliefs, I let my interest in the dissonance that can bring destruction override equanimity in tone and presentation.

I cannot destroy your constructed beliefs nor force an experience of any kind-- I forgot that, as my passion got in the way.

Please understand: I am challenged in tonality by strong opinions on faiths that recommend slaughter or subjugation. Many do.

A better framing: does your faith pray to a God that would cast anyone to a hell for getting the name of God "wrong"? That would enslave a people? That kills? How does this make you feel in light of recent tragedies?

Full badman morning. 8 counts on closing sequence, janet's new album during self practice, intermediate on a Friday. Call the Ashtanga Police, idgaf.

At the DC goodwill. Oh man.

#tbt with @conman3500

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

#tbt My man @michaeljoelhall as an aspiring child actor. So cute!

Retweeted Cheryl Gnerlich (@BeamMeUpCheryl):

@BarManMichael So good to see you and @MichaelJoelHall at #CTCFireAndRain tonight @CONSTELLATIONDC!

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

Happy 1st Birthday you little rat! I love you! #charliegram #puppylove @michaeljoelhall

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

#todayspatterns via #India a la @michaeljoelhall #pink #black

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

#omg Peanut butter torte at All Set in Silver Spring. #allset #silverspring

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

He's home! @michaeljoelhall

Mapsua market getting set up. A #mansionhouse sign for @mroike

Many blessings are there. Coming home with prayer scrolls for #chamundishwari

Why Is This Woman Smiling? Because She Just Set Fire to a Yoga Studio

we gotta get in on this @barmanmichael

So many cells. The energy vibrations are palpable inside them.

Two woman I love in one place-- "Mind your (Mysore) Manners," by Zoë Ward on #ashtangadispatch

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

One of the early early early early days with @michaeljoelhall #facebookthrowback #allthefilters

Retweeted Emma O'Neill (@EmmaONeillYoga):

Hanuman Temple w @michaeljoelhall followed by an epic day in #India! #mysore #temple #epic #grateful…

Hanuman temple at the mysore palace.

“@PoPville: Street Sweeping Starts For Real this Time on Mon – $45 if you forget to move your car:
@BarManMichael

BEST PRICE ALERT: Manduka sized Yoga Rat brand Yoga Towel

Retweeted GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone):

It would be nice, if for #internationalwomansday, we actually recognized women of color and Trans women.

Check out the blue & green, too“@Food52: Add a little purple to your kitchen: @BarManMichael

Let's make momos when I get home! @Barmanmichael

Batgirl, Superman, Thor, Flash, Aquaman, and many more. Also, one student dressed as @Jen_Rene ~~ I love, I love, I love.

Retweeted Rebecca Armendariz (@whoabecca):

Girls left us without much to hope for but isn't that how so many feel rn? (made me think of:

today is the kind of day where I am just plain humbled to be in the company of such brilliant, intrepid, and strong human beings.

Retweeted Samantha (@Yogitastic):

Reminding myself that speaking poorly about someone reflects more on me than the person I'm talking about.

Jesse McCartney and @BarManMichael have the same haircut. #OnFleek #Grammys2015

If— by Rudyard Kipling : The Poetry Foundation @BarManMichael

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

Day 1: Juice Cleanse with @michaeljoelhall #green

.@pegmulqueen @BarManMichae-l Years & Years - King -choreographed by Ryan Heffington, who did Sia's Chandelier.

Retweeted Christina Cauterucci (@portmantina):

The most popular books sold at each @busboysandpoets outpost:

Retweeted Terms of Gemini (@GeminiTerms):

##GeminiPeople - A #Gemini man loves a good argument and will usually get carried away.

Retweeted Balance Gym DC (@balancegym):

The Men of Balance Gym put on quite a performance to raise some $$ for @CupidRunDC Donate:

Retweeted Matea (@mateeea):

"@leggzmackenzie: @RuPaul your bestie looking glam waking up. How many times you seen that look? Lol. glasses

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

This is what happens when you leave @michaeljoelhall alone and he gets bored. #nerd #charliegram…

My Facebook images have so many instances of me looking serene and properly seated for meditation. FACT: I am asleep in most of them.

Retweeted Dawn Kopecki (@Dawn_Kopecki):

Oh sh*t @frankkelly63 RT @BuzzFeedNews: Man Tests Positive For Ebola In India

Surprised to see myself on @BarManMichael Insta-- some yoga, since Charlie took over my acct.

I love my man and #westmorelandstatepark

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

This is how Charlie passed out after lunch. #charliegram #puppylove @michaeljoelhall

To my bestie, my co-captain, and one of the strongest woman I know: Happy Birthday, Puja!

“@BarManMichael: Progress on the #MBT Rhode Island Metro crossover. #finally #someday @michaeljoelhall #eckington

Retweeted Josh Courage (@JCourage):

Getting big while moving small. Trying to harness my inner Jim Bathurst! #courageperformance…

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

This is how most mornings are spent after @michaeljoelhall practices. #toocute #naps #charliegram…

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

Charlie says, "Next time, take me with you!" #charliegram #puppylove @michaeljoelhall

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

Charlie at the vet for the first time! #charliegram #puppylove @michaeljoelhall

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

Walking himself. #charliegram #puppylove @michaeljoelhall

Retweeted Michael Roike (@BarManMichael):

#damngooddog #charliegram #puppylove @michaeljoelhall

Oh no! Goin' in for my haircut and there is a line. But, wait! "Anchorman 2" just started & I haven't seen it-- yeeees!

Retweeted Manduka (@mandukayoga):

This #yogibear. We are powerless against it.

I keep seeing gigantic German Shepherds and I wonder just his big Charlie is going to get.

Camping with @mroike (@barmanmichael) and #charliegram

Chez Hareg open for breakfast and lunch? New management? #eckington

Gentleman, your posture is *terrible*. #h&m

Retweeted DC Public Library (@dcpl):

Na na na na na na NA BATMAN! tomorrow celebrate 75 years of chiropteran crime fighting at Francis A. Gregory Library:

Retweeted Tyler Coates (@tylercoates):

Miss Piggy is the one woman who has it all.

But really @rgryffo and @elliekaufman this is the truth.

We miss you too @rgryffo and @elliekaufman !! Pool time!

Retweeted Calvin (@aurosan):

I want the woman who plays Morello on OITNB to play Harley Quinn in the next Batman movie.

Friendship is magic. I may not get the face-time I'd like with 'em as often as I want, but o! man, it's great when we do.

"Why were you late?" Oh man. Not me, thank god.

Retweeted Wall Street Journal (@WSJ):

The story behind the "Tank Man" photo taken near #Tiananmen Square on June 5, 1989:

“@OhOhShirubang: 󾌺 i miss sleeping at nights @BarManMichael

8 mile run, surprise six flags adventure, red robyn bottomless fries. Life is good. Love my manskis.

Michael Roike is the bestest. Yesterday, he manned the front desk so I could teach at the White House. Today, I left my keys at home and had to hide my bike in some bushes. While i taught, he brought my keys, found my bike, and locked up. The BEST! I love you, shmoopy!

That moment you realize you've jocked Richard Freeman's hair game.

The manner of dress in these older ashtanga videos? So many feelings. I'm not even talking OLD-old. I can't look away.

"Life is so short. You have to get into as many spandex outfits as you can with the amount of time that you have." ~ RuPaul Charles

My man's running 3 miles, no problem, on the regular. I can't wait to try and keep up.

"the siddhis are essential to achieving samadhi, which is the true power ... to deny them [the siddhis] is to deny your ultimate freedom. You can only step beyond these powers once you've acquired them. Renouncing them beforehand, as many practitioners of yoga do, mimics yet forestalls the true liberation... In addition, renouncing the siddhis, as some yoga teachers today advocate, keeps you powerless, and perpetuates your suffering as a victim." --Yoga, Power, and Spirit: Patanjali the Shaman, Alberto Villodo, Ph.D

"For better or worse, the areas that Fives explore do not depend on social validation; indeed, if others agree with their ideas too readily, Fives tend to fear that their ideas might be too conventional. History is full of famous Fives who overturned accepted ways of understanding or doing things (Darwin, Einstein, Nietzshce). Many more Fives, however, have become lost in the Byzantine complexities of their own thought processes, becoming merely eccentric and socially isolated."

Managed to nip a nipple and give myself tracks whilst trimming chest hair. #moondaymadness

And a sense that I'd entered into an Ashtanga version of a Dan Brown novel as I woke up realizing Norman Allen hadn't really tried to break my rib in my sleep.

So many samskaras to burn through, so little time.

Pop Francis continued: “A person once asked me, in a provocative manner, if I approved of homosexuality. I replied with another question: ‘Tell me: when God looks at a gay person, does he endorse the existence of this person with love, or reject and condemn this person?’”

“This church with which we should be thinking is the home of all,” he said, “not a small chapel that can hold only a small group of selected people.”

A wise woman said that there are three pillars for a supported practice: the method, the teacher, and the community. I am so grateful for my community's support. Emotions are there, words are not. xo.

When you are unemployed, which is to say when you are underfed, harassed, bored, and miserable, you don't want to eat dull wholesome food. You want something a little bit 'tasty'. There is always some cheaply pleasant thing to tempt you. Let's have threepennorth of chips! Run out and buy us a twopenny ice-cream! Put the kettle on and we'll all have a nice cup of tea! That is how your mind works when you are at the P.A.C. level. White bread-and-marg and sugared tea don't nourish you to any extent, but they are nicer (at least most people think so) than brown bread-and-dripping and cold water. Unemployment is an endless misery that has got to be constantly palliated, and especially with tea, the Englishman's opium. A cup of tea or even an aspirin is much better as a temporary stimulant than a crust of brown bread.
- George Orwell, The Road to Wigan Pier

Nicole Kdman: "'In the second half of my life, I don't want to succumb to any complacency,' she said. 'I want to push myself and keep pushing myself to places of discomfort and discovery. I am still very curious."

Looking for a used (yes, used) manduka pro. size long. ebay and amazon flop at this.

My brain this weekend: dadsupermansupermandadsupermanyogasupermandad

Got to share practice with my man & my besties. Saturday couldn't possibly start better.

...and I broke the DC DMV website contesting too many parking tickets. Ha!

First run in many, many, many months. Beautiful day, beautiful friends.

Scooting through Mysore with boy is equal parts romantic & terrifying. Sounds about right.

Older man watching his grandson in the barber's chair, me, and a business man reading the paper sitting respectively. This memory's a keeper.

"It startles me sometimes, that glow emanating from the faces and bodies around me...how did it get there? Does it take from my own? ...no, that light is so full, so diffuse, so slippery it slides over and illuminates all. It is my responsibility and choice to stand clear of the shadows, not only to encourage the light to come out, but also to let it in." -- Kristen Krash, I love you.

I was attacked and hospitalized this year for being gay. My partner was refused from the hospital. He spent the night alone scared *I* might die alone. I did, too. This election year, there is a gentleman asking for your vote who believes we do not deserve equal rights-- including being together in the hospital. In the ever-after. Nor fiscally. I ask you to please not think of your wallets at the ballot, but of your hearts. Could you let your husband die alone? Mitt Romney would say that I deserve to die that way-- and I can't elect him. I hope that you cannot either. If you love me (or love your spouse) I ask that you pause and reflect on morals and compassion. I have never been so scared in my entire life as I was in that night-- alone. Please know that your vote goes beyond laissez-faire notions of capitalism and concerns of modified socialism and hits me directly at home. A vote for Mitt Romney will bolster an opportunity to strip me of civil rights, and I pray that your heart won't allow that. If you can in good conscience and faith elect an official who will allow me to die alone with a catheter but no solace, may peace be with you. I cannot. There is no tax break worth my humanity or my husband's tears. I pray that the reality of that notion means that you cannot either. If it doesn't, however, I wish you a moment of reckoning. Again, may peace be with you.

“@scissorsisters: Let's Have A (Muppet) #KIKI @BarManMichael

India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. -Mark Twain-- Happy Independence Day, Ma India!

RT @HuffPostDC: '"Path to Prosperity?" For Many Senior Citizens, VP Pick Ryan's Plan Would Be Path to the Poorhouse' @wendellpotter

RT @VideodromeDisco: RIP Gore Vidal. Here he is on the Dic Cavett show, squabbling with Norman Mailer

@BarManMichael

Camping with my man!

"Beauty & The Beat-- “@BarManMichael: This is hilarious! Welcome to our neighborhood!" #eckington #love

His @esquire madonna i'view is ace -@HuffPostDC: N. Pelosi, Jane Lynch & Kathleen Turner out 4 Norman Lear's 90th bday

@BarManMichael yaaay! “@Popjustice: Basically play this then this - amazing.”

“@nytimes: Eat: Chili Lobster for Father’s Day @BarManMichael

Headed back to the house to see it with some daylight. Maybe grab something other than a manduka, yellow knee socks, and hot shorts.

I like my man best.

I'm not a business man. I'm a business, man.

So many things to report: no water in my part of Gokulum, as such I smell like India, multiplied by white boy. Also: I've had three chais at Amruths, and so I have no shame in sharing.

Eat a little, drink a little
Talk a little, sleep a little
Mix a little, move a little
Serve a little, rest a little
Work a little, relax a little
Study a little, worship a little
Do Asana a little, Pranayama a little
Reflect a little, meditate a little
Do Japa a little, do Kirtan a little
Write Mantra a little, have Satsang a little
Serve, Love, Give, Purify, Meditate, Realize
Be good, Do good; Be kind, Be compassionate
Enquire 'Who am I ?', Know the Self and be Free

Navigating Mysore City is a daunting task. Fear not, with a copilot like Antonella, I fared well. The haul? A stove-top coffee maker, fisherman's pants, and "gym vests" (aka 4 bright and shiny tank tops) in hand. A warning: I am going to come home dressed like a yogi (I have a custom pair of 3/4 length pants being made). I am not done.

Survived led primary with Delhi Belly. Talk about humbling-- I felt like a human level.

As many of you know, I abhor groupons... But a weekend at the Satchitananda Ashram from 1/2 off would likely do both you & the ashram a favor. I know I'd like to go for a weekend. May, anyone? bit.ly/ywRCSQ

My first conference was fascinating. I got to view Sharath, the (these are my terms) titleholder of the Ashtanga lineage, through the lens of a man who deals with keeping the purity of a practice in the real world-- the world of parties, internet gossip, and multiculturalism. A fascinating, non-textbook experience. A highlight, paraphrased: "A man with two gurus (gu ru: dispel dark) is like a man with two doctors-- take both pieces of advice/take both pills, and you surely are worse for it."

Self Yoga Coaching: Recording my Primary Series Practice to Richard Freeman's commentary, then watching a split screen of us together. (I may have gone off the deep end)

In my quest to stream Richard Freeman lectures and videos, I discovered that the DC Public Library streams books and videos. How glad am I to be a member of the Library?!

Being the best man to my best friend is pretty much the best. All is full of love.

My Steve Jobs Update: LSD User, India for enlightenment go-er, and a man who also thought that maybe "Thomas Edison did a lot more to improve the world than Karl Marx and Neem Kairolie Baba put together.”

Salutation Nation, Tux Shopping, Grooming, Tosca at the Kennedy Center, Shmancy Cocktails in Formalwear. Go!

O hai mango. O bai cleanse.

Southern woman are fixin' to be the death of me.

Have we talked about my Strong & Sweet: A Labor Day Master Class? Noon on Labor Day at STROGA-- oh man, I'm excited.

After a hot outdoor practice, listenin' to my Daddy's Eagle's vinyl whilst getting ready for a date with my man. Life sure is good.

I am the type of man who wakes up before 7 on the weekends. How has this happened?

Monsoon & Sons was spectac! Love you Lauren Waggner, Jay Wilson, Jonna Ashley, and of course Miss Emily Monahan. Sad I missed Peg Mulqueen, Augusta Zoe Hemann, and @Jen!

2 things: 1) "Those are some hot pants, mmhmm," said the homeless-ish gentleman nicely (if twitchingly). 2) The guy on the courtesy call today sounded hot & on my team. Conclusion: I love the compliment and i also wanted to hollar at a telemarketer. Me=crazy

Somehow or another, I've ended up playing the role of little old man... again. I reckon its off to bed before too long 🙂

Heavy Deadlifts demand... protein. Then yoga.

Happy 4/20, everyone! Today is Sebastian Cole Hall's 6th Birthday!

Fun Trivia: Seabass's given name from the pound was "Redman."

deadlifts demand yoga.

Old Man Michael hates getting to practice at 7 but likes sleeping till 6.

Food + Mani + Pedi (w/ sparkles) + friends

Not unlike my time spent at the ashram, I managed to accidently sleep through pranayama. Well hello, 6:40.

What good is Yoga? "Eradicating the instinctive weaknesses of human beings. For some it may be quick for some it may be slow. But change has to take place, transformation has to take place, whoever it may be, in whatever average intellectual condition they are." -- BKS Iyengar

Loses his ability to bear insult or injury to others when he's stressed. To the two gentleman I ripped into for making a meter maid's job harder: stop being dicks, but I'm sorry I lectured you. I don't like tickets, either. But seriously: leave 'er alone.

saw my landlord's henchman photoging a mattress someone pitched next to the dumpster. I know this is going to somehow end up with me going to court.

"Length before strength" is a new mantra for me.

When tempted to skip a pose today in my practice, I thought of what Peggy shared: "The ashtanga yoga system should never be confused with "power yoga" or any whimsical creation which goes against the tradition of the many types of yoga scriptures. It would be a shame to lose the precious jewel of liberation in the mud of ignorant body building." -- Mr. Jois

I didn't skip.

revels in knowing that others are invested in his success and wellbeing. I hope I'm man enough to return the favor.

Wait wait wait... YOGA is back on the taxing block and IHOP gets a permanent tax break? You've gotta be fucking kidding me. No wonder we have a divide in this city between obesity and super healthy. Shit like this.

found the card his friends gave him when he left the DC Improv to start his own business. Choice quotes: "You will be Great Yoga Master <3 Melba Davis " "Bend over and Show me something Nasty!! Love ya Baby, Kazi Jones" "My lifelong running partner. Thanks for helping me find my version of adulthood. Love, Bryson Turner ps: tell sebastian hi" sooooo many good ones.

will not fear needlessly, cry heedlessly, nor celebrate joylessly. I am a man of valor and swagger.

On Gymnosophists (naked philosophers)-- Alexander [the great] asked how a man could be most loved; "If," said the philosopher, "he is most powerful, and yet does not inspire fear." Ahhhh, ancient yogis.

"He's not even wearing a costume! Thats just his caveman outfit and some S&M gear!"

As a man, there are few things more beautiful and intoxicating than giving your favorite woman away.

's learning what it really means to be a man. His father's a great example. His friends are incred(able?ulous?).

's Dad is a wise man.

Went to the mountains. Competed in Caveman Olympics. Survived. Barely.

Team Cave Sketch is in 3rd at the Caveman Olympics.

is on his way to the mountains to compete in the Caveman Olympics

is bleeding, bruised & wants to sue the city for a faulty manhole. My poor bike & I will survive.

knows that sometimes you have to try things that don't work to find what does... but man, its hard not feeling like fail.

Oh man!

is soaked from running-- and managed to listen the whole time to his body. "I love summer!"

"A famous financier understood [life value] when he asked and answered his own rhetorical question: "When does a man have enough money? When he makes his next million." Time and time again, we find that the people who are truly satisfied and enriched in this life, the ones who have achieved what is indisputably happiness, are the ones who have sought to create value for others. -Charles S. Sanford, Jr

is so fucking sick of gender normative marketing! I want a god damn man sized kettlebell in (IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK) glitter pink! If you're gonna make it in a 5lbs size, make it in a 24lbs size, PLEASE!