Lock-Down Yoga's Stockdale Paradox

Dear Yogis,

I heard Ross Edgley, the swimmer who swam around GB, talk about the Stockdale Paradox this week. It’s his inspiration to practice controlling the controllable and accepting the uncontrollable. I jumped on to Wikipedia so fast the ground shook.

The Paradox comes from James Stockdale's experience of capture and seven years of torture in the Vietnam War. He never lost hope of rescue but also had resignation and daily despondency.

He said in an interview: ‘You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end—which you can never afford to lose—with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be.’ The paradox is that the optimists with hopes of imminent rescue did not survive but died of a broken heart. Stockdale’s unwavering faith was not shaken by the day-to-day despair. He came out of prisoner camp stronger than he went in.

It’s a simple truth you find in yoga and Buddhism and other eastern philosophies: accept things as they are. Life has its ups and downs but you don’t need to be tied to the leash of its vicissitudes. Grasping of how things should be will be the cause of suffering. When you let go of ideals you can adapt to situations as they arise.

An address yesterday to mark Vesak, the biggest day in the Buddhist calendar, gave a reminder that: ‘The world is not an ideal world. The human body is not Ideal; it gets old and sick and dies and that isn’t ideal, but things are as they are’. If you feel let down or disappointed or angry, observe the state of mind. Your ideals, feelings, emotions, passions, anger… are not self. They arise and cease according to outside conditions. You are something much more still, permanent; ‘What you truly are is awareness itself’.

Training

If you would like to set up corporate yoga to bring you and workmates together during lock-down, I have a couple of mornings free and other times of the day. Get in touch with any questions.

Tomorrow I’ll be doing the Paul Grilley online workshop ‘yin yoga: the five archetypal poses’. It's on Saturday 9 May 17:00 - 18:30 for £20. Come with me… online!

Home Studio Zoom Classes

It’s Bank Holiday today! Imagine that! A day off! I’m still teaching today at 4.30. Also, I’ve been meaning to say, play music to accompany the class if you fancy it. If I play music the quality will be awful. You have complete freedom with your mute on.

Class booking for one or two classes is done via goodtimesyoga.co.uk/book-online . The Class Pass and Pay-What-You-Like are on goodtimesyoga.co.uk/livestream-yoga-price-options . Let me know if you don’t like online payment systems and would prefer my bank details. No problem.

Props! For the Monday and Tuesday classes, I’d really appreciate if you got a belt – if you haven’t already. A cushion for the kneeling postures might also help.

Yoga in the news

The Metro has an hilarious finger-pointing piece: Loads of people aren't showering or changing sweaty kit after home workout. Apparently, most of us 73% don’t shower straight after exercise, we keep sweaty clothes on... for days, and we don't clean kit! Encouragingly, we’re told ‘there is something thrilling about a midday shower’.

Hindustan Times has: Word of the Week: Yogi, a word for the spiritually wise. The writer says: ‘I remember describing my old boss, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, as someone who was “anchored in himself like a yogi”, immune to either pleasure or pressure, able to focus on the challenges before him with serene detachment. To the best of my knowledge he had never practised yoga’.

This is good! Grimsby Live has: The free 30-day fitness programme that requires no equipment. The bodyweight beginners programme has been designed by Mike Woodhall, the man behind Calisthenics Club. Exercises include squats, planks and push ups, but also some more gymnastics-based movements such as hollow body holds and dragon flags (Bruce Lee's signature move), and yoga exercises such as crow poses.

Have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend.