We are in the third reading called Lech Lecha – Genesis 12:1 – 17:27. The reading starts with God talking to Abraham – “God said to Abram, “go away from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.”
Last week’s reading, Noach, was about the flood and the tower of Babylon. …. ..The portion ends with God destroying the tower. During this time there was one language with all the people (unity). “God descended” to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built. God said, ‘Come, let us descend and confuse their speech, so that one person will not understand another’s speech. God scattered them all over the face of the earth….”
Why did God flood the earth and why did He destroy the tower? Questions to be explored. Nevertheless, now Abram is told to move.
So, why do I include these Torah Portions in each week’s posts? I have been ‘following’ the Torah Portions over the past 10 or so years. Loosely at first and more intensely the last 3 years. Each week I research the portion and connect to the actual reading in the Bible. I also have a Zohar. The Zohar is a 23 volume work which interprets each Torah section. Each year I receive a new insight. Whether you identify as Jewish or Christian, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic or some other religious, spiritual or mystical school follower,, The first 5 books of the Bible; The Torah is a significant scripture.
I could be wrong, but as your yoga guide, I am confident that there is value in applying some inquiry here. Just as I am confident there is value in looking at the teachings of Jesus, The Buddha and other teachers of wisdom like Ken Wilber or Goenka or Genpo Roshi or Bill Harris..
REMEMBER: In order to do this work you do not have to believe or have faith in anything. In fact, the instructions are to remove your belief or better said…..suspend your belief as well as your disbelief…just like when you reach the end of the exhale….extend the exhale; stay empty….Find your “still point.
For those of you checking in to the weekly Torah sections we are in the 2nd reading in Genesis 6:9 – 11:32. I found 2 interesting videos to begin to paint a perspective on this reading. The second video is from one of Nedra’s favorite Kabbalah teachers who she knows personally…
As it is an initial, one-time, class, I have designed the session to be an orientation type of approach. Yoga is such a big and comprehensive “map of the territory” so an orientation can be done from many different perspectives. Since, the charity is supporting a dis-ease with some similarity to the dis-ease I have been challenged with for over 44 years, I will probably emphasize the “wellness” aspect of yoga. Since it is a first class, I will also stick to the basics of “Right Alignment” and “Discovering One’s Edge.”
I completed my Yoga Teacher Training at Kripalu Yoga Center in October of 2006. I engaged in this 200 hour – month long intensive training because I wanted to deepen my personal practice. It was not my intention to become a “yoga teacher” or own a yoga studio. I had been practicing Bikram Yoga since 1999 and was realizing tremendous benefits in managing my blood sugar levels and overall health as a Type 1 Diabetic since the age of 14. Both conditions involve the immune system.
One of the most referred to “maps’ to understand what yoga is all about is the Eight Limb Path. There is a beginning and there is an end. There is an apparent starting point and there is a destination. Yoga defined means “union.” Ultimately it is the union with self and Source; Samadhi; The Eighth Limb. Here is an image of the Eight Limbs:
In Kripalu Yoga there are 3 stages to the practice. First, Right Alignment. Second, Discovering and Exploring Your Personal Edge. And third, Authentic Free Expression. These three stages mirror the three levels of wisdom that The Buddha expressed. Level One-Becoming aware of a thing or idea by being told about it or reading a book about it. Level Two – Engaging in Intellectual Inquiry into the nature of the thing or idea. Level Three – Direct Personal Experience of the thing or idea.
There is a five step transformational process in Kripalu that we utilize to cultivate mindfulness and presence in the confronting of a “pose.” The acronym is BRFWA. I will introduce BRFWA and cycle through the process a few times. The 5 steps are:
Breathe – Relax – Feel – Watch – Allow.
At the end of the session I have agreed to engage in a question and answer session.
Over the last six months, since the lockdown, I have been guiding a group of about 15 people in weekly yoga, meditation and map questing sessions. We have been getting together four times a week and have journeyed through the 8 limbs. We have also inquired into several other “maps of the territory” with the objective of obtaining a more holistic and holographic picture of The Reality of Things; Dharma. The last 13 weeks of our work have been documented on this website under the Atwater Group Page. Feel free to browse through this page as well as the many blogs I have written over the past 13 years.
I look forward to guiding this session and connecting with the participants.
Today is the first Shabbat. It is called Bersheet or Bereshit. The Torah section is Genesis 1:1 – 6:8. It covers a lot of happenings and time….like 1500 years bringing us up to the next weeks reading which is called Noach – Genesis 6:9 – 11:32.
Here are two short videos that will provide youth some perspective.
There are 28 million Americans dealing with the dis-ease.
5% of these cases is Type 1 diabetes which is an immune deficiency disease brought on by a malfunction in the immune system from a virus or outside agent of some kind.
Type 1 requires injected insulin to survive.
It requires 24/7 monitoring.
However, there are no guarantees.
It is a very difficult situation and it requires tremendous resources to deal with.
Most diagnosed with Type 1 are children or adolescents.
Diabetes is a condition that arises in a person’s life which can create great pain and sorrow not only for the person afflicted but also for family, friends and co-workers.
There are the syringes, alcohol swabs, finger pricks, infusion sets, pumps, blood tests, doctor visits and a restricted diet.
Being outside of normal blood sugar range does not feel good.
Being above normal (high) is stressful and wears on the body.
Below normal blood sugar (low) is confusing and frightening.
Add to that the possible complications associated with the condition like kidney disease, blindness, neuropathy and death and you have an extremely challenging situation with this condition.
In my experience, one of the misconceptions about diabetes is that it is simply a physical condition that can be treated medically. This approach did not work for me.
The foundation of my approach is based on my experience of over 40 years living with the condition combined with a holistic, systemized process.
It effects the whole system of a person; physiology, psychology, relationships, career, emotions and will.
Simply addressing the physical is not enough if you want to truly manage diabetes.
I have lived through just about every experience that a person with Type 1 diabetes can have.
Living with diabetes, like living life, is really about starting over every day.
I am now 55 years old and in good health.
I have no complications.
While at my last visit to the eye doctor he said…”Michael, keep doing what you are doing because your eyes are perfect. I have never seen anyone with diabetes as long as you have had it without some changes in the retina.”
My A1C results have been below 7.0 for the past 10 years.
This has been done with eating anything I have wanted to eat.
Insulin, pills, pumps, syringes, blood tests, doctors and diet are all important components of diabetes management.
However, my experience informs me that the most important resource will be your personal connection and union with body-mind and spirit.
Balance reveals peace and joy.
This is not a quick fix and it is not the same for everyone.
It takes commitment and perseverance.
A few years after I was diagnosed I wrote an essay called…
“Walking the High Wire.”
‘I’m risking my life on the high wire, and they’re complaining!’
That is how I saw “my” diabetes then.
Felt like I was sent to the circus to perform this high wire act.
It was downright impossible to stay on that wire.
I was falling off all the time.
There are gusts of wind in the form of injection/infusion site issues, stress, hormones and the common cold.
Most of my time and effort was spent trying to get back up on the wire.
A fall to the right meant high blood sugar and being tired and run down.
A fall to the left was a low blood sugar episode that often resulted in a boomerang type effect that sent blood sugar soaring way up.
When I did find myself actually on the wire (in normal blood sugar range), it was often by accident and I was probably just passing by on my way to one side or the other.
It felt like a rollercoaster and I was damned if do and damned if I don’t.
Pretty much the definition of Helplessness.
Is it hopeless as well?
What was I to do?
Thank God for my support system back then.
Thank you Mom, Dad, my siblings, friends, coaches and teachers who looked out for me.
Without them I would not be here.
When short acting insulin was invented, I started taking Lantus once a day and several shots of humalog to cover meals.
I felt like I moved from the high wire to the balance beam.
I could stay in normal range for longer periods of time and the falls were not as drastic.
I had an easier time getting back up on the beam than I did getting on that thin high wire.
Still, the level of difficulty was high.
I spent most of my time on the floor getting back up.
About 15 years ago I got really good at it.
I made a decision that I had to take 100% responsibility for my situation.
I had to stop playing the victim and take full ownership for my path.
I re-discovered the athlete in me. I started to work out hard. I ran, walked, lifted weights and started to take yoga classes.
It was the balancing influence of yoga that awakened me to the metaphor of flying a plane.
Ten years ago I made the decision to go on the insulin pump.
Simply put, the insulin pump is the best way to deliver insulin for a person with type 1 diabetes.
I would qualify this statement by saying that it requires a commitment to “Fly the Plane.”
It is a condition that affects every facet of a person’s life and taking a shot or a pill is not enough to get the job done.
You can fly the plane if you are on Lantus and humalog injections.
It is just not going to be as well equipped as it would be with the insulin pump.
This is probably the best time to mention Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGM’s) (I have one and I have used it.)
Theoretically, it provides a more advanced altimeter for our plane. It provides a blood glucose reading every five minutes.
Personally, there are a few reasons I don’t use it.
It requires another “port site.”
My body does not like this.
The port is not stable enough for me.
I workout a lot and I sweat. The port came off often.
I have had some bad readings from them. It is too cumbersome for me. More information would be valuable but I will wait until they can figure out how to make it less intrusive.
Learning to Fly the Plane is a five step training.
It mirrors a process I learned 25 years ago and have used in my career as a Corporate Trainer and Systems and Procedures Designer.
I have learned a few things as a trainer that are important to go over at the outset.
First, there are basically three areas which can be addressed in training:
Knowledge. Information can be imparted and retained. You will certainly gain a lot of experiential information here that a doctor or healthcare professional does not have.
Skills. I will be covering some skills that are essential to managing and living with diabetes.
Attitude. Perhaps the most important area of all three. Attitude is our thought context. I have experienced many attitudes toward having diabetes. I will discuss many of them and point to a few that have been more optimal than others.
This process is not linear, it is cyclical.
Every day presents a new challenge and situation.
It is important to keep the cup half full.
Stay in the attitude of inquiry as you travel through the steps.
“People are like fruit. When they are green they grow, when they are ripe they rot.”
Stay green.
Step One: Confront
Confronting the reality of the situation
“Showing up on the mat”
Breathing
Building a foundation from the ground up
Being in the present moment
Introduction to Flying the Plane Analogy
Step 2: Understand
Everything is moving.
Learning to move with it
The Detective Attitude
Making modifications and adjustments
Step 3: Integrate
Putting it all together
Systems and Procedures
Integrating food and the workout.
Step 4: Master
Exploring Your Edge
Advanced Techniques
Getting Better Every day
Discovering the athlete in you
Step 5: Manifest
Validate Results
Recognizing Accomplishments
Growth
Transformation
Healing
Seven years ago I wrote a series of blogs in an attempt to share my approach to living with and managing diabetes. Here are the links to The Transforming Diabetes Series:
