Yoga

As the Franklin Monologues is full of biting commentary on the sorry state of the American tale, I shift gears...sort of.

One activity that garners little attention here in Merika is yoga, but one that your author practices weekly. I think the reason it isn't very well received here is because you don't have to buy anything to make it go...no expensive running shoes, no racquet, can't watch it on television with major endorsers sponsoring the commercial breaks...you just need yourself. I suppose you could argue you need a mat, but that's only necessary to keep you off the cafeteria floor.

Yoga isn't popular here for the same reason soccer isn't. Soccer will never fly in this nation precisely because they can't cut to commercial break the fifty dozen or so times they can while broadcasting basketball, baseball, drag-racing or other 'American' sport. I think baseball was invented with nine defined 'breaks' solely to sell more hot dogs. A 45 minute soccer half without interruption? It's un-American, and it's exactly why it's not popular. I'm not suggesting yoga is a spectator sport, but Indian and Merikan philosophies don't exactly mesh; one of personal introspection and calmness, and the other of wanton-consumption-in-a-rush-to-make-more-money.

I discovered yoga almost a year ago, and it's probably the best thing I've started since riding a bike. It complements the shortening of the muscles that biking aggravates. I've known how tight I am ever since I joined the Army. Bending over to wink the browneye at the doctor in the MEPS recruiting station in Oakland, he commented how tight my hamstrings and calves were, and that someday, I'm gonna get injured because of them. It only took me twenty one years to heed his advice.

Yoga needs nothing except you, and it meshes perfectly with the Monologue ideals; non consumptive, public interaction with co-workers and neighbors. And it can kick your ass.
So yesterday while standing on one leg with the other leg behind my neck, I...well, I won't lie -- I was able to touch my thumbs to the ground in a forward fold! The first time I've ever done that! It will take a few years until I can get my palms on the ground, but I'm pretty sure I can do that with practice.