Never Question Your Zanity.

Yes Zanity. Another needed word. You can't look it up until I create my dictionary. You could look up zany and you'd see "outlandish" even "comical because of incongruity". Love the latter ;) I even found "harlequin" which must be some harlot-mannequin hybrid. I sure hope to run into one of these soon. 

People who practice Zanity, have gone way beyond worrying about what others think of their mental states. As with all things you'll find in my blogs; Zanitists aka Zanatics; always use their powers for good; never evil. They feed on making life fun; or making fun of life, when necessary.

I'm suggesting that you not suppress your natural urges. Also, that you have plenty of them. 

Keep it kind and if illegal, take measures so that you do not get caught. Start with something simple. I keep a enormous amount of marbles around so as never to lose mine; which I understand to be dangerous. I keep an emergency bottle of bubbles in my automobile so that zanity can be injected into those tense road hazard situations. I once told a man who had displayed a lovely bird gesture with his hand that "the peace sign has two fingers". This is where zanity can be risky and so staying fit is also a good rule, in the event that running quickly is required (insert as well by the "if illegal" bit up there).

ZANITY FOR ALL HUMANITY 

The Art of Neti

Neti or nasal lavage, is a low tech way help to maintain pathways for proper breathing. Breathing, as you know, is a major component to life and proper breathing helps to ensure the elimination of toxins from our bodies both physically and energetically.The importance of breath in life is well noted in the Sanskrit word prana which denotes both the English words breath and life. Breath and life are inextricably linked. Some say your life is measured is breaths.


To those who may be tempted to Google yourselves silly here, you shall find many types of neti in hatha yoga, including those that do not involve salt and water and will freak you completely out.
Stay with me.

In 1996 when I opened my first public yoga/meditation center, I introduced our students to the neti pot, its use and benefits. Over the next 10 years, I sold more than 1000 neti pots in our small yoga center and gave countless demonstrations of proper application of nasal lavage. I explained that it is a low tech solution to allergies, as well as simply maintaining clean a nose, sinuses, throat, et cetera. Many an ENT (Ear-Nose-Throat) and General medical practitioner balked at our little claims or even cautioned our students from trying such a bizarre things because they just weren't familiar with or open to the idea.

Flash forward about 15 years


Every corner drug store carries the neti pot (and some higher tech versions that force water up) for about $15. You may certainly thank the popularity and sigh the commercialization of yoga in the U.S. directly for this. Funny how economics drives our culture.

Those who tried it, became true believers, those who shied away from the simple act of letting gravity and briny water work, and found it more palatable to dose themselves with drugs and/or invasive medical procedures and preferred to suffer from many sinus headaches, colds and so forth.

In another post, surely I would like to discuss breathing practices/pranayama. For the very next one, we will learn how easy it is to do so that you may begin reaping the benefits.

Roundtrip

Ahem. Upon waking today I realized that the idea of getting up and returning to work after such a marvelous bunch of merriment, was such a new feeling. Simultaneously discovering, that I could not transport my life to an even newer place where I could do otherwise. Though try, I did ;)

I remain quite tickled with life. I keep hearing that one needs to count blessings often to appreciate them. Nah. Keep them close enough. Besides, math has never been my forte and the number of blessings is so large and ever expanding. Those that are "who's" you know who you are, and you know I will mugger hug and praise you whenever your guard is down.

All this said, I have a feeling about these years we've invented to amuse ourselves:

watch the odd ones (like last year) they can be tricky

the evens (like this one) will wow you so don't you worry

Happiest New Year - 2012