tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post5757677397470373548..comments2024-01-24T11:41:28.022+00:00Comments on A Cuban In London: Sunday Mornings: Coffee, Reflections and MusicA Cuban In Londonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-13503319066813998102010-07-22T19:52:45.018+01:002010-07-22T19:52:45.018+01:00Many thanks for your kind comments.
Greetings fro...Many thanks for your kind comments.<br /><br />Greetings from London.A Cuban In Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-55919424381215369842010-07-20T22:05:23.602+01:002010-07-20T22:05:23.602+01:00Now I've read all the comments I've forgot...Now I've read all the comments I've forgotten the details of your post. I can't see anything wrong with using only the bits of something like yoga that one can realistically benefit from, and leaving the rest. It's not as if one then spoils it for everyone else, like only eating the pizza topping and leaving the crust. Merging aspects of various cultural traditions doesn't ruin the cultures they are from, it just makes a new, third, cultural tradition, surely.Erylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06008344023000459577noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-1053423848387183282010-07-20T14:20:46.049+01:002010-07-20T14:20:46.049+01:00Everything overlaps..there can't be any spirit...Everything overlaps..there can't be any spiritual secrets..those who adhere stubbornly to their own are still dancing with their ego!!<br /> I always thank you for your ability to awaken!!Lynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11985979258848310351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-44303273111100715272010-07-20T12:34:21.147+01:002010-07-20T12:34:21.147+01:00I agree that Hema makes some great points.
Also, ...I agree that Hema makes some great points.<br /><br />Also, I wanted to mention that I've been a fan of Nitin Sawney for ten years. I have his autograph from when I saw him at Sheperd's Bush Empire in 2003 and it's kept in my 'treasured things' box.<br /><br />JaiJai Joshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04858987106548357551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-48373112190545524282010-07-19T16:25:24.587+01:002010-07-19T16:25:24.587+01:00Thank you for all your comments. Hema, that was a ...Thank you for all your comments. Hema, that was a very interesting lesson on Hindu culture. Much appreciated.<br /><br />Greetings from London.A Cuban In Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-17845041871623881942010-07-19T15:14:47.786+01:002010-07-19T15:14:47.786+01:00Cuban, you're welcome (and thanks) for the kin...Cuban, you're welcome (and thanks) for the kind comment you left in my blog. As I responded there, I always find great pleasure in reading the in-depth analysis and reasoning you do in each of your posts, and then thinking to see if I can come up with an appropriate response.<br /><br />And I just realized that in my comment above, an exericse "regimen" would have been more appropriate than "regime" :-).Hema Penmetsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08448481721288158816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-10892786896347486342010-07-19T15:07:27.437+01:002010-07-19T15:07:27.437+01:00Oh, Cuban,
I have more than a bit of envy for your...Oh, Cuban,<br />I have more than a bit of envy for your flexibility in thinking, teaching and performing.<br /> To, as usual digress, when I was a child I took interpretive dancing lessons that were, more or less, based on Isadora Duncan. Now this was in white (not even predominantly, but almost entirely) suburbs, and in the late 40's. I loved the dance, the feeling of raising my arms from the rib cage. And even got to the point of teaching with my teacher, a rather dry old stick, when I was in my early twenties.<br /> Stop.<br /> How could I have stopped?<br /> I could write an essay about why that would indite me for being unwilling to explore different forms of dance (I'd been schooled against ballet...and believed in FREEDOM, what a dope) and explore the narrow culture I lived in back in those dark ages.<br /> Yes, I'd done yoga.<br /> And yes, stretching is crucial, something to continue long, long, long into old age.<br /> But your blog entries often stir up some really complicated experience that I've had and, consequently, I get thinking.<br /> For that I can't thank you enough.melissashookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02398008713376655570noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-60640937924542252752010-07-18T21:32:59.692+01:002010-07-18T21:32:59.692+01:00I don't think that I have the patience for yog...I don't think that I have the patience for yoga, and yet that's probably why I should try it out. I have a friend who's a teacher of it and goes out to India regularly. A great advert for all round chilledoutness.Madame DeFargehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08172239340844485940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-39608200760179956602010-07-18T21:13:48.148+01:002010-07-18T21:13:48.148+01:00Fascinating: "In fact one of the pioneers of ...Fascinating: "In fact one of the pioneers of modern dance in Cuba, Ramiro Guerra, influenced by the American choreographer Martha Graham, combined yoga and pilates successfully during his tenure with Cuba's Contemporary Dance Company."<br /><br />Some years ago, my yoga teacher here in New England said that it was almost impossible to achieve a certain degree of flexibility in a cold climate. He adapted.<br /><br />Yours for adapting!Mimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13039776441665375475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-74006713881964759902010-07-18T20:24:04.914+01:002010-07-18T20:24:04.914+01:00A wonderful analysis, Cuban! You constantly amaze ...A wonderful analysis, Cuban! You constantly amaze me with your depth of interest and understanding of so many completely disparate subjects!! <br /><br />As almost all of you mentioned, yoga in its purest form is a way of life; not an exercise regime. <br /><br />And this is how most elements that were born out of Hinduism are: everything has an inner/deeper meaning to it. For instance, every spice used in Indian cooking has a purpose to it in addition to taste: antiseptic (turmeric), cooling your body (cumin), heating it up (clove), good for your heart (green chillies) etc. Similarly, Hindus used to wear dots on their foreheads (which was made out of a natural plant extract originally) right on top of their pitutary gland, because it used to cool it down, thus helping the person achieve a balanced temperament. <br /><br />It's unfortunate that more and more of these things are losing their original meaning and are used as intruments of segregation at different levels (and I don't include yoga in this category -- yoga, I believe, in whichever capacity it is being used can only do good).<br /><br />Didn't mean to leave such a long message, oh, well... :-)Hema Penmetsahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08448481721288158816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-59329035761056896792010-07-18T17:08:47.078+01:002010-07-18T17:08:47.078+01:00Many thanks for your comments.
Rachel, the drums ...Many thanks for your comments.<br /><br />Rachel, the drums were reproduced in Cuba by the first Yoruba slaves brought to Cuba at the end of the 1700s and the beginning of the 1800s. In Cuba the Yorubas were one of the last ethnic groups to be introduced, after the Bantus, Araras and Carabalis. Yet their influence has far surpassed that ot the aforementioned cultures, except for the Bantu one, which is still quite strong. Yoruba culture (although 'Anago' is the name most anthropologists and researchers use when referring to the sixteen kingdoms of Yoruba) gave us 'santeria', one of the most practiced and worshipped religions in Spanish-speaking Caribbean and northern South American (Colombia and Venezuela). In Brazil, they call it 'candomble'. 'Santeria' is the union of Christian (mainly Catholic) religion and Yoruba deities (orishas).<br /><br />Judith, I've been tempted. Believe me, I have. And the students I had on that occasion, although at a basic level, were very good. If they're reading this, thank you, guys, for letting me teach you.<br /><br />Jai, I absolutely agree with you and that's why yoga has been so easy to use. And misuse, some others would say. I confess that I only found out about the discipline, once I started practicing the asanas.<br /><br />Thanks, Deborah. I do the salutations, too. And you know what? I did them many years ago when I first went to Granada, in the Alpujarra mountains, early in the morning and I felt spiritually enriched. No joking. And I believe that's what yoga is about, oneness of mind and body. That I don't pay attention to that spiritual side more often, is a result of the quackary that passes for yoga these days, not because of the discipline itself.<br /><br />Thanks a lot for your kind words. As always, it's a pleasure reading your comments.<br /><br />Greetings from London.<br /><br />PS: Funny that I have htat Nitin Sawhney record on my stereo now. Talk about 'coincidences'. It's not the same woman, though, but she's still belting it out.A Cuban In Londonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16423293358605007539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-78640971880892274242010-07-18T16:04:00.125+01:002010-07-18T16:04:00.125+01:00I couldn't wait to get to the comment section ...I couldn't wait to get to the comment section because of a whole bunch of things I wanted to say. <br />(I did read every word, promise!) <br />First the fawning adulation. <br /><br />1. Do your wife and children know how lucky they are? Any guy who does yoga is on his way to being perfect, in my book. <br /><br />2. I want to be in one of your classes, except I'd do it <i> incognito </i> <br /><br />Moving on...<br /><br />3. Diluted yoga is better than no yoga at all. I do yoga periodically for the stretchiness of it (half a dozen sun salutations yesterday morning). I know I'm missing out on the bigger picture, and don't need to be convinced that it would do me some good, but as an exercise it's exceptional and I'm happy with that. Spiritual bliss will pass me by, but my goal is to be able to touch my toes when I'm 80. <br /><br />Back to F & A<br /><br />4. So happy to get here while this piece is fresh, Cuban. And how fresh and wonderful it is. 'Daylight robbery has never felt this good before'. You're brilliant.Deborahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10892637441668897411noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-79391533136790138572010-07-18T14:41:52.216+01:002010-07-18T14:41:52.216+01:00I don't think there's any kind of music yo...I don't think there's any kind of music yoga isn't compatible with. It goes with everything because it's about bringing out your serenity and life in a way that is harmonious for you.<br /><br />I don't hold with patenting anything but I do think it's important that people understand what they're doing and why they're doing it when they do yoga. That's the only way they'll get the full benefit out of it. Otherwise it's like singing a song without understanding the lyrics. Pleasurable but only half the fun.<br /><br />I hope you had fun guest tutoring!<br /><br />JaiJai Joshihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04858987106548357551noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-38555511350570028912010-07-18T13:24:05.035+01:002010-07-18T13:24:05.035+01:00"doing the Crane pose to the sound of the okó..."doing the Crane pose to the sound of the okónkolo, itótele and iyá. Those drums, those three drums, speaking the ancient language of the Yoruba kingdom whilst shaking hands with Ganesha and Kali."<br /><br />That is something I'm sorry to have missed! If you ever tape that experience, please post it on your blog.Judith Mercadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13739476600999112092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1165773290907101242.post-54009372002391934252010-07-18T11:43:38.720+01:002010-07-18T11:43:38.720+01:00So how did the Yoruba drums reach Cuba? (a topic f...So how did the Yoruba drums reach Cuba? (a topic for another day, perhaps) Interesting reflections as usual, thank you :)Rachel Cotterillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08969719330048416996noreply@blogger.com