Wracked by the emotional turmoil of my 21-year-old angst and prematurely high levels of anxiety and stress, last semester I finally resolved it was high time to obtain some inner peace.
Time to balance the yin and yang, establish a harmonious existence between my mind, body and soul, focus on my seven chakras, strengthen my inner chi and, most importantly, emulate Madonna and reach nirvana.
Ah, inner peace. It's such a well-rounded, succinct and peaceful little phrase that evokes mental images of calm Buddha figures with sweepingly languid, multiple arms and serenely patient figures scantily clad in flowing neo-hippie garb with hands in prayer, like the image which graced Time Magazine's August cover.
Browsing through the over 52,000 books on the inner peace on amazon.com, however, I grow increasingly flustered and confused. Our beautiful entity -- inner peace -- contradictorily is referred to as a journey, a path, a key, a door, something instant (like coffee I imagine? Or potatoes in a box?), something to be reached, allowed, earned and for some reason I am reminded of Alice and Wonderland.
What was she doing listening to the enigmatic maxims of the Cheshire Cat, eating those mysterious cookies and being ridiculed by an irascible caterpillar when all she had to do was sit in the middle of the dark wood and perform a couple of sun salutations and perhaps utter a soothing hum or namaste? Really now Alice, no need to make everything more difficult than it is.
So I take a yoga class and attempt to concentrate on the energy in the room because the instructor is very emphatic that she can feel it (and it's so "wonderful and powerful" by the way), but I nearly realize too late that concentrating on the breathing rhythms of the class doesn't preclude the need for me to breathe. Then I find myself extremely preoccupied with watching the mirror to make sure the person next to me doesn't become unstable in downward facing dog and topple over and knock me down. And how am I not supposed to worry about "what the other people in the class are doing" when I can barely stand on one leg while three quarters of the girls are concentrating ferociously, performing the advanced move of standing on one leg with the other leg somehow twisted around the head, all while the arms are extended at a perfect 90 degree angle to the body and the head is slightly tilted up and to the left with eyes staring center
Read More
Top 10 Thanksgiving break moments
By Sam Saks | YesterdayWhether you’re spending break near or far, here are some of the most iconic moments destined to befall your Thanksgiving next week.
Corn pudding — the easiest Thanksgiving side dish
By Kate Johnson | 3 days agoLook no further than this recipe if you need a last-minute accompaniment to your turkey next week.
Students practice art of persuasion at Karsh Institute of Democracy Oratory Competition
By Grace Roddy | 5 days agoThe finalists — four undergraduate students and four graduate students — answered the prompt “Tell the story of a hero of our American democracy” for the chance to win $1,000.
