Recently, Peter Barnett— an easy-going South-African, and the owner of Black Dog Yoga in Sherman Oaks, CA where I’m germinating a Hatha practice— sent me an email comment soon after he began reading Fitness, Straight-Up. He said,
Hi Christopher,
I’m enjoying the book very much. You have a knack of answering the questions (excuses) that have been circulating in my cranium for many months/years. On page 9/10 you make the comparison between the wealthy and out of shape and the poor with lean bodies. It reminded me of a message from the Bhagavad Gita: (paraphrasing) “By our action or inaction our future manifests.” So I googled it and came up with these links which I thought you’d appreciate (if you haven’t already discovered them, or similar, in your research).
See you at the studio,
Peter
I flashed back to walking into a LAX airport terminal one summer day, after a week long stay with relatives. Straight away some bald-headed chap draped in an orange sheet approached and handed me a boldly colored, coffee table tome— the Bhagavad Gita. As I thumbed wide-eyed through the pages he asked for a donation. Nine years old and traveling solo I respectfully declined, closed the book, and raised it in return. Not so quid pro quo he said, smiling, “You can keep it, anyway,” and left.
Minutes later, sitting on an Eames tandem sling seat near my departure gate I remember being fully entranced by this heavy book on my lap, even though today I can’t consciously recall any specifics. Could it have been that my present philosophical leanings were influenced right then and there by the words and images of that revered and heralded text? It seems plausible enough, based on my writing. So, I wonder…
Then on second thought I realize the actual source of my convictions probably comes from reading MAD magazine.