Ari Pliskin

Ari Pliskin

40p

45 comments posted · 0 followers · following 0

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - I'm Triggered. · 0 replies · +2 points

Well, I'm not nearly that bad, but I do practice Nonviolent Communication.

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - I'm Triggered. · 5 replies · +1 points

This could be a satire of me and its hilarious!

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Confessions & Life Les... · 1 reply · +3 points

You make an interesting point. In my Yoga Teacher Training, we learned how to modify poses for the menstrual cycle and for pregnancy. It was slightly awkward for me as a man, to discuss these topics in great detail, but I quickly got over it. I took it to be part of the package. We talked about how men have tighter hamstrings than woman and how to watch out for long-hair when we set up for shoulder stand. I don't ever recall talking about breasts.

11 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Why Women Spend so Muc... · 0 replies · +2 points

I've been practicing yoga and Buddhism for 8 years and I had taken pride in the fact that I've never purchased a yoga or Buddhism product- no spiritual materialism here, right? In fact, I would usually wear to yoga used clothes that I got at the thrift shop. However, there is a major problem: most men's athletic clothes are too baggy. When I'm teaching yoga or taking it with my teacher, it needs to be clear what is happening with my legs. During the winter, I prefer not to wear shorts. The solution?

Sports stores that sell women's yoga pants looked at me like I was crazy when I asked about men's yoga pants. I found a pair of women's athletic pants at the thrift shop, which were tighter, but still flexible. But this introduced a new problem: an awkward bulge resulting from the fact that the pants aren't cut for men. So, the last time I was in Boston, I reluctantly went to the Lululemon shop to try on some custom men's yoga pants. I thought they looked awesome, but I wasn't willing to shell out the cost on the price tag... so I peruse ebay.

12 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - We are the 100%: A Min... · 0 replies · +2 points

I'll be at the protest tomorrow (Saturday, Oct 8) and I'll see for myself.

12 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - We are the 100%: A Min... · 0 replies · +3 points

I think 99% slogan is great too. And 100%.

12 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Will You Pay $5 Fee fo... · 0 replies · +1 points

For my part, I switched my checking account to local co-op, but I still carry a Bank of America credit card. I'd like to stop using it, but I'm a fairly responsible credit card user and it comes in handy now and then.

12 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Perspectives clash at ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Marianne, those are very interesting stats. Where did you get them? We may see some similarity in the Buddhist world.

While the Pew U.S. Religious Landscape Survey of 35,446 respondents has been criticized for under representing Buddhists, it indicates that Buddhists are certainly a minority group within the United States. Nonetheless, it gives us some indication of who Buddhists are, relative to other groups. For one thing, more Buddhist respondents (50%) identified as liberal than any other group. Furthermore, Buddhists are more likely to support stricter environmental protection than Christians, Muslims and Hindus.

As one article on the history of American Buddhism describes: “For those first Americans who took up Buddhism, it was not primarily a means of dropping out. As Sojun Mel Weitsman, abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center, told me, ‘The bohemians and flower children were already dropped out. Buddhism offered them a way to drop in. It allowed them to create a culture out of the counterculture. ’” (1) As seekers of not only spiritual alternatives, but social ones, it is no surprise that Western Buddhists developed their own style of “Socially Engaged Buddhism.” However, the adaptation of the Buddhist tradition to contemporary social issues has been neither automatic, simple nor rapid. It is an ongoing process that takes hard work.

(1) http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=com_...

12 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Spiritual Wisdom from ... · 0 replies · +8 points

The best thing about yoga festivals: how many other places could you find a scene that is spiritual enough that you don't feel guilty for social climbing, but with people who are fit, hip and young enough that it is still fun?

12 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Are the kulas of today... · 0 replies · +1 points

I was also at WL last week. My partner had some similar struggles to you (http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/la-vie-bohme-exploring-privilege-creativity-and-activism-at-wanderlust--katie-sachs/). While some viewed the pronouncements of Off the Mat Into the World to be preachy, was quite swept away with them (http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/06/should-we-invite-social-issues-onto-our-yoga-mats-perspectives-clash-at-wanderlust-festival/). I get really excited about joining groups of like-minded people. Indeed, the festival as whole felt like finding my social niche. I hang around the Buddhist scene a lot, which I love, but I appreciated how much younger the WL scene was while still having a connection to serious Dharmic practice.

believe it is possible to maintain close ties with one group while staying close with people outside the group. I do think it is dangerous and undesirable to be part of a group that insults other groups or discourages connection to them. While some Zen teachers require their students to forgo study with other teachers, my Zen teachers encourage us to study with other teachers, including teachers from other traditions. That works for me. That being said, our Zen family is fairly loose-knit and you can assume very little about the similarities between a Sangha in one part of the world with one in another part of the world.