Barefoot, but not on concrete

Tried the Vibrams, they're a-ma-zing!

!!!!

I had a bigger grin on my face than any person on a treadmill has ever had.

Treadmill, you ask with a sneer?

Yes. And I raise the point because a chiropractor/doctor who's treated me and has worked with many elite athletes, including runners, before, cautioned me not to wear the Vibrams or go barefoot on the city streets or anything resembling concrete. He and his colleagues have seen many enthusiastic barefooters come in with injuries from barefooting on manmade surfaces. It seems we are born to run, yes, and barefoot, but on gentler surfaces like dirt, grass, and trails. (Treadmills are fine, too, which is excellent as winter is quickly approaching--blizzard today! in October!--and I live in Manhattan, not close enough to nature to run trails regularly.)

So my plan is to adjust to the Vibrams and build up the muscles in my feet this fall/winter on a treadmill, and when the sun pokes out its rosy face in spring, I'll be ready to do longer distances on trails. Training partners welcome!

Aging Like a Frenchwoman

So I'm pretty sure that 10 Ways to Age Like a Frenchwoman (NY Times) only lists nine, but I figured it would interest people anyway.

I like the idea of wearing minimal makeup, probably because I wear very little myself, except for special occasions, going out at night, etc.

I'm also a fan of the cold-water face rinse after showering or washing my face. Not only does it seem to increase circulation, as the article suggests, but it also may help to close the pores and keep out dirt.

I used to dread aging, and to some extent it's still something I struggle with when I think about, say, my future fifty-year-old self (which, fortunately, is seldom). More important than the physical stuff is a healthy attitude toward aging, something I want to cultivate. Rather than viewing aging as something to struggle through and counteract, I hope to embrace the gift of long life, cherishing the lessons and experiences that each year brings.

On that note, Happy Friday and Happy Halloween!

"Free meditation workshop" not what it seems

I cheerfully headed off to a free "meditation workshop" after work, not knowing exactly what to expect but looking forward to the chance to meditate in a group setting, learn a thing or two, and potentially meet an interesting group of people.

The group was certainly eclectic, and the attendees appeared friendly and inquisitive. I walked in early, having hustled there because of the cold weather, and was welcomed warmly into a spacious room with an ample collection of chairs designed specifically for meditation. Arriving early meant I had a few extra moments to pause and collect my thoughts before the meditation was to begin. I noted the ample sizing of the space rented out by the organization, the Art of Living Foundation (AoL), and its prime location on fifth avenue in midtown. What did they pay to rent the space, I wondered? And the sessions, offered twice weekly, were free! Where did this organization receive its funding?

My wandering mind stopped speculating and attended to one of the seats in the circle, where the teacher had taken her place once all the other seats were filled. She was pretty and never stopped smiling--she seemed to radiate joy, but was there something eerie about this excess? At the moment I was touched--now I'm closer to disgusted.

You see, the introduction, meditation exercise, and concluding sentiments that followed seemed on the surface a fantastic, high-quality introduction to the art and spirit of meditation, just as the reviewers on MeetUp had suggested it would be. (The session receives very positive reviews, a great number of them.) Yet there were aspects to the session that bothered me on an intuitive level; it wasn't until afterward that I understood why.

There was, for instance, the moment in the guided meditation session when the teacher said in her soothing, quiet voice "You are peace and joy." (Are we not, along with peace and joy, one with everything else, too, not only the "high" or positive sentiments? Talk of "peace and joy" alone connotes something messianic and instills in the listener a false sense of expectation and delight at one's own capacity and potential to exist on a quite lofty plane. Yet practitioners of Zen Buddhism, for instance, would likely say to forget the lofty plane and be wherever you are, accept wherever you are, and not strive for enlightenment or a lofty experience.)

To avoid further rambling, I'll simply say that all along I sensed a dark something underlying this exceedingly pleasant meditation session. And the volunteers! I almost forgot how there were "volunteers" present--at least three of them--and how they possessed a saintlike devotion to this practice and this place. Something was amiss, but what? If they were volunteering and if the whole thing were free, shouldn't I be relieved of any paranoid ideas, secure in the understanding that no one was profiting from this in any way? But alas, it wasn't so.

The organization offers free sessions twice weekly, sure, but after being exposed to the sometimes relaxing, enchanting, even blissful sensation of meditating, attendees are vulnerable to AoL's subtle solicitations to return for another visit (free, of course). At the end of each session they pass out evaluation forms for the session, and you have the option of providing your contact information in case of interest in further participation. (By this point they have already informed you of several longer classes being offered; these, of course, carry a price tag.)

Oy. When I came home after that session, I still hadn't put my finger on what exactly was bothering me, what exactly had been wrong with that place, but I felt physically sick and even dissolved into a short bout of tears before it occurred to me to open up google and do some research. A few websites told me all I need to know: the Art of Life Foundation is a business, not a nonprofit, and they function like a cult. There's a hierarchy with god-like "gurus" at the top and tiers of followers below, there's an intelligent strategy behind the seemingly benign "free meditation workshop," likely designed to recruit and reel in, and there's something damn sketchy about the whole operation, which, I gather, is mammoth. As your involvement increases, it seems, so does your exposure to the idea of "enlightenment" and desire to obtain it, and your allegiance to the organization and the gurus at the top heightens as you slowly hand over your autonomy and lose your ability to think critically about the concepts and people involved.

Stay away, folks. This experience served as a reminder to remain firmly rooted in what experience has taught me to be true; to trust my intuition; and never to get so wrapped up in a search for an elusive spirituality that I neglect to use my head. Indeed this organization's modus operandi is insidious, the way it capitalizes on the undermining of ordinary thought processes in order to subvert your skepticism altogether. Way to pervert and profit from beautiful and wise teachings, Art of Life!

Not sure where to go from here (as far as my own spiritual journey is concerned). I find myself wanting to embrace Judaism, the religion into which I was born and with which I unhesitatingly identify today. Yet surely it's still possible also to learn from "Eastern" teachings by reading from primary texts, such as the Tao Te Ching, and to incorporate them into my daily life and my understanding of morality, wisdom, and life.

Barefoot Running (almost)

Drumroll........

("Drumroll" was supposed to appear BEFORE the picture, but that's okay..)

My new VibramFiveFingers! Woohoo! Woot! Yeehaw!

Here's to a lifetime of healthy, injury-free (or as close to it as humanly possible) running! I am *secretly* plotting to build up to 50-milers on trails, hoping to do it within a couple years. But the main thing, I remind myself (and try truly to believe), is the process, not the destination.

And yes, I know it must be a slow transition to running in these since, like most Americans, I've been plodding around in cushiony sneakers for twenty some-odd years.

!!!!

Moderation and balance: the path to a long, healthy life

As I'm freshly released from my crutches and Frankenstein boot, it seems like the perfect time to start the health/wellness blog I've been thinking about. The doctor I saw today thinks it was tendinitis that attacked my foot after the soccer game on Sunday--not a sprain. Whatever. In any event, I'm delighted to be back on my feet, almost devilishly happy, and even had the fleeting impression this afternoon that I wanted to unload my pockets and supply change to every homeless person I passed on the way home. That resolution deserted me when I passed the first homeless person, and the evening concluded with dinner with my boyfriend, some healthy debate about Occupy Wall Street, and a pot of green tea.

I'll leave you with this nugget:

Dr. Lorraine Maita, a geriatric health specialist, suggests in Vibrance for Life: how to live younger and healthier, that moderation and balance are the secret to a long, healthy life. She notes about six zillion ways in this Health Zone article that stress negatively affects us (it raises blood pressure and heart rate, drains our bones of calcium, lowers muscle mass, contributes to fat stores, raises insulin, alters body composition, depresses the immune system, etc, etc.). That list was enough to make me re-evaluate the way I cope with stress and to remind me to keep my stress level at bay, even in Grand Central at rush hour. If I can do it there, I can do it anywhere. Here's to kindness and order on the subway platform--and thanks to the woman who offered me a *moist towelette* when I spilled my chai everywhere trying to jump into the S train as the doors clamped their jaws on me (won't happen again, fellow commuters)--and here's to everyone who held open doors and issued words of comfort as I slogged along on my crutches! Thank you, New York!