A few months ago, while attending a friend’s pre-wedding party, I ended up at the kids’ table playing with Play-Doh. While kneeling in the grass next to the sturdy plastic child-sized table pressing animal-shaped cookie cutters into the brightly-colored clay I realized how much I enjoyed playing. A fellow guest came by, drawn in by the fun that we were having, and joked that I was hiding at the kids’ table. She was right in that I was avoiding the grown-up festivities, but not considering I didn’t enjoy them. It’s just that I interact with grown-ups all of the instance — but playing with Play-Doh isn’t something that I often find on my daily agenda.
The truth was that I had a box of Play-Doh complete with an assortment of fun-shaped cookie cutters sitting in my office/yoga room — I had bought it considering I remembered how much I used to love playing with the fun stuff (I just love that Play-Doh smell) and that it was high-time that I scheduled more play-time into my life. It had been opened and I had used one tin of the clay precisely once in the 3 months since its purchase. Kids schedule their life around play. Grown-ups schedule their play around life. Perhaps that’s why kids are generally happier than adults. I resolved to revisit the Play-Doh on a regular basis. soon after life happened and the Play-Doh sat — untouched — right where I had left it.
Since returning from Vermont, I’ve been taking things lightly. Yes, I’ve been slowly, but surely going through my to-do list, but I’ve been doing so with a lighter heart. I’ve been catching up with a sense of fun, a feeling of “it’ll all get done, so no worries” rather than the typical sense of urgency. I’ve been more playful in my yoga practice too. In fact, I’ve been practicing to a convinced DVD by and by again that week — Oxygen capability & Hatha Yoga from the Yoga-To-Go series from Yogi Ramesh. You might know him as the laughing yogi.
I first came across Ramesh a few years ago via a YouTube video. The footage shows a bubbly Yogi Ramesh laughing…maniacally. His broken record chant — “I’m happy, I’m relaxed” — sticks in your head like a song that plays by and by on the radio. When I first watched, I thought that Ramesh was a character but…I laughed. I couldn’t seem to help myself.
I’m not certain what possessed me, other than the fact that I felt myself getting bogged down by all of the minutia of life, but I ordered a DVD from Ramesh before I headed to Vermont. It was waiting for me upon my return and feeling rather playful after getting away for awhile, I practiced along with it. I surprised myself by liking it. Ramesh is like the Richard Simmons of yoga — his style isn’t for everyone, but his report is ultimately good. I definitely think that Ramesh is a character, but he’s a character with a happy report. After all, who doesn’t want to be happy and relaxed?
There were times I thought that Ramesh could include more instruction — like when he easily flows into Camel pose and soon after invites viewers to do so with the same ease that he does — and I disagree outright with his whole “no pain, no gain” note — but on the whole, I really enjoy the DVD. It starts off with about 8 minutes of energizing exercises with a little positive thinking mixed in. The remaining 45 minutes is a full-fledged yoga practice complete with what sounds like Kapalabhati breath, punctuated with some sort of “cosmic” noise that Ramesh emits at random moments.
The DVD is like my Play-Doh — it’s fun to work with every now and again and it’s a nice change of pace. It reminds me that it’s okay to not be serious all of the moment. After I have my nose in books on yogic philosophy and ancient yogic texts, I tend to get a bit “heady” about my yoga practice. Sometimes it feels good to bring a little laughter in and get playful. Ramesh does a good job with the laughter and play part.
Sure, there are times I think that he’s the infomercial king of yoga, but he includes quite a bit of healing poses in his practice. In fact, I often include these poses in my regular practice — but I typically don’t do so with the same vigor and sound effects of Ramesh. Regardless of Ramesh’s bombastic style, he promotes positive thinking and laughter. I’d say that the note is worth the sensationalizing.
This week — which I was thinking was going to be hectic after being away for so lengthy and being so close to the holidays — has been a heck of a lot of fun. I incorporated Ramesh’s “I’m happy, I’m relaxed” chant into my day and I added a bit more play to my regular yoga practice. I used Ramesh’s DVD quite a bit. Today I did a straight flow practice and I nearly missed Ramesh’s weird high-pitched “cosmic sound.”
It’s fun to mix things up a bit and not take everything so seriously. I know that I don’t want to wait until the next grown-up party with a kids’ table to be the next day I dig my fingers into some squishy Play-Doh. I’m looking at the Play-Doh box right now and it’s calling my name. And why shouldn’t it — after all, I’m happy, I’m relaxed!
Yep, even serious yogis have to yuk it up once and a while.
Namaste!
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