IntenseDebate - matthew

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Ayurveda is a Politica... · 0 replies · +2 points

Thanks for the note, Ramani. If you read more carefully, perhaps you'll see that I'm not dispensing with constitutional analysis at all, but rather de-emphasizing its importance, especially to the extent that it unconsciously supports a consumerist and privatized-self vision of health. Of course prakriti is key: it's simply too unique to be commodified. I'm not critiquing its importance, but the manner in which it is used.

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - The Guru as Artist. ~ ... · 0 replies · +1 points

"A teacher who told everyone he was going to fail and that failing was love." Nice.

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - The Guru as Artist. ~ ... · 0 replies · +1 points

That's a very old question, Padma, and a good one. I don't know that abstraction necessarily expresses angst. I'm thinking of Pollock and Rothko: manic exuberance and space. Neither of these painted figuratively, as far as I know. Must we all really master older forms personally in order to break them? In aesthetics at least, doesn't the dominant culture impose the mastery of the old upon us? It never occurred to me to try the sonnet before writing the language poetry that came most naturally to me. I always felt that life was too short.

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - The Guru as Artist. ~ ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Thanks for the homonym check, \\mb (I corrected it) and for the Bubba Free John reminiscence. I wonder what an AD painting goes for these days. Blessings to you.

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Is Ayurveda Pseudoscie... · 0 replies · +1 points

Hi Bryan -- I share many of your concerns, which is why my tendency in practice is towards conservatism in expectation, to counter what I see as the overselling -- not downplaying -- of Ayurveda's capacities. As far as research in India goes, I am not well-versed, but this collection has been very helpful so far: http://www.sunypress.edu/p-4626-modern-and-global.... I also think that concentration paid to diet and lifestyle according to even a beginner's understanding of constitution and circumstance can be priceless.

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Is Ayurveda Pseudoscie... · 0 replies · +2 points

I suppose the critique is implicit/inverse, in the sense that by showing the problems of subjecting Ayurvedic practice to biomedical standards of evidence, I'm hinting at the narrowness of the latter. I think good science recognizes that it has stumbled upon a method (rather than vision) that at least tries to mediate subjectivity towards creating discourse that can be shared. What's unfortunate is that modes of evidence tend to dismiss each other, and so we see in our epistemologies what we see too often in our politics.

10 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Is Ayurveda Pseudoscie... · 0 replies · +1 points

Thanks Jenny for adding value from way beyond my pay grade. I'll have to read up on nonlinear repeated measures. Cheers.

11 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - The Problem of “God�... · 3 replies · +1 points

Can you point out a "vapid argument", please, Paul?

11 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - The Problem of “God�... · 0 replies · +1 points

Thanks for your comment, Lauren. My point wasn't about accessibility at all. I acknowledged that public ritual discourse is a long way off from the material and the actionable. The post was about psychological dissociation through metaphysical language, and the divergent agendas that this can serve.

As for the President's beliefs: neither of us know anything. Regrettably, I overstepped the evidence on this point. My approach was informed by my Religious Studies background: to take a person's religious speech as personally meaningful, whether it is instrumental or not.

11 years ago @ elephant journal: Yoga... - Seeking Evidence that ... · 0 replies · +1 points

Dear Truth --

My head is much more spherical than ovular, but yes, quite large.

No glossary to the book, I'm afraid. But for your trouble I'd be happy to send you a gratis copy if you email me directly with a mailing address. I promise to not compromise your anonymity. :)

threadsofyoga@gmail.com

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