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The Mother Nature Network recently reported that a huge bear which roamed Europe during the Pleistocene epoch, was a strict vegetarian. Called cave bears (Ursus spelaeus), they would not have had interest in humans as part of their menu. Researchers have long suspected that cave bears were at least predominantly vegetarian due to their dentition. While these bears had huge teeth, those teeth appear to have been better suited for grinding than slashing. A new study analyzing the dentition of the cave bear's evolutionary ancestry, however, might just have settled it.
A research team from Germany and Spain looked closely at known remains of teeth from the so-called Deninger's bear, a direct ancestor of the cave bear. The new analysis used sophisticated statistical methods, called geometric morphometrics, to compare the shapes of the mandibles and skulls of both bears. "The analyses showed that Deninger's bear had very similarly shaped mandibles and skull to the classic cave bear," explained Anneke van Heteren, lead-author of the study. So at the very least, Deninger's bear would already have been adapted to a vegetarian diet before the cave bear descended from them.
This is just another example of the reality that a body can be large and strong with a vegetarian diet.
A research team from Germany and Spain looked closely at known remains of teeth from the so-called Deninger's bear, a direct ancestor of the cave bear. The new analysis used sophisticated statistical methods, called geometric morphometrics, to compare the shapes of the mandibles and skulls of both bears. "The analyses showed that Deninger's bear had very similarly shaped mandibles and skull to the classic cave bear," explained Anneke van Heteren, lead-author of the study. So at the very least, Deninger's bear would already have been adapted to a vegetarian diet before the cave bear descended from them.
This is just another example of the reality that a body can be large and strong with a vegetarian diet.
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We are, by nature, endowed with qualities of absolute goodness – purest love, compassion, wisdom and tranquility. - Lama John Makransky
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Yoga does not discriminate against any one, all you need is willingness to practice it. In a world of fear, yoga promises hope and courage. - Narendra Modi
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You are either vibrating higher and faster or slower and lower. There is no in between.
- Victor M. Parachin
- Victor M. Parachin
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Today is Guru Purnima Day (7/27/18) and considered extremely auspicious. Gurus or spiritual teachers are revered and honored by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains because gurus share enlightenment with others. Thus, they have a special festival celebrating teachers called Guru Purnima. It is s celebrated every year at the full moon (purnima) in the month of Ashadh (July - August). Along with celebrating and expressing gratitude for gurus/teachers, people often add spiritual disciplines which can include giving up meat, cigarettes, alcohol and committing to regular cycles of meditation, fasting, compassionate service.
Among Hindus, Guru Purnima is also the day they remember the great sage and teacher Maharishi Veda Vyasa. His contribution to Hindu life and culture is immense as Vyasa was the one who separated and categorized the Vedas into four parts – Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. He also composed the epic of the Mahabharata, and created the foundation and structure of the many Puranas, the vast encyclopedias of Hindu sacred teachings.
Among Hindus, Guru Purnima is also the day they remember the great sage and teacher Maharishi Veda Vyasa. His contribution to Hindu life and culture is immense as Vyasa was the one who separated and categorized the Vedas into four parts – Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. He also composed the epic of the Mahabharata, and created the foundation and structure of the many Puranas, the vast encyclopedias of Hindu sacred teachings.
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There is a simple way to become awakened:
if you refrain from unwholesome actions,
are not attached to birth and death,
and are compassionate toward all sentient beings,
respectful to seniors and kind to juniors,
not discarding nor desiring anything,
with no designing thoughts or worries,
you will become a Buddha. Do not seek anything else.
―Dōgen Zenji
if you refrain from unwholesome actions,
are not attached to birth and death,
and are compassionate toward all sentient beings,
respectful to seniors and kind to juniors,
not discarding nor desiring anything,
with no designing thoughts or worries,
you will become a Buddha. Do not seek anything else.
―Dōgen Zenji
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(public domain photo from: www.pixabay.com)
Good yoga instructors can be found anywhere: at a gym / fitness center as well as at yoga studios. However, doing yoga at a studio offers these ten unique benefits:
#1. The yoga teacher will have more experience. Generally, most yoga instructors begin their teaching careers at fitness centers. After they’ve gained some teaching experience they gravitate into yoga studios.
#2. The yoga classes will be smaller. Those larger yoga classes you see on Instagram and other social media are usually inside fitness centers where the yoga is “free”, meaning part of the monthly membership. When I took gym yoga classes there were between 20 and 35 per class. Most yoga studio have less than a dozen people per class.
#3. Your teacher will be more observant. A smaller yoga class means your teacher will likely know your name, will be able to address alignment and safety issues for you, and will provide brief individual assists if necessary.
#4. There will be continuing yoga education…..for your teacher as well as for the studio yoga community. Good yoga teacher are always seeking to enhance their knowledge. Yoga studios offer continuing education in the form of workshops and professional trainings.
#5. The yoga will follow more traditional teachings. Yoga studio teachers don’t hesitate to chant OM with the group, offer pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation. Many fitness centers do not support or promote these ancient aspects of yoga. The Yoga in a studio is holistic and doesn’t merely focus on asana (the poses).
#6. The room energy will be more relaxing. At a gym, the exercise rooms are shared with other systems – dance, weights, spin, etc. Walking into a yoga studio, you’ll immediately feel a different vibe, one more calm and peaceful.
#7. You will find community. Most yoga studio owners and teachers intentionally work to promote a sense of community and spiritual friendship. The small class sizes make it easy to get to know the teacher and the yogis by name.
#8. You will learn some of the more advanced yoga postures. It’s tough and more than a little unsafe to ask yogis to do a handstand or headstand when there is one teacher and 25 students in a gym yoga class. Again, the smaller yoga studio class sizes allow time and space to teach the safe way to do some of these advanced postures.
#9. You will experience a wider variety of yoga styles. Yoga at fitness centers tends to revolve around faster moving, flow classes called vinyasa. At a studio, you will find classes offering restorative, yin, power, slow flow, deep stretch, pre-natal, yoga plus meditation, and more.
#10. There’s no financial commitment. Join a gym and you will likely sign off on a yearly contract and make monthly payments. Yoga studios are “pay as you come.” If you quit using the gym, you’re still obligated to pay off the contract.
Yes, you will pay more to take yoga at a studio versus the “free” gym yoga class but the benefits gained more than offset the cost.
(feel free to re-post and/or share on your social media)
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Why do we make such a big fuss when we suffer? - Tenzin Palmo
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If the Buddha were here, all he could encourage you to do would be to practice. Nobody else can do our work for us—it’s up to us to do it or not. Swimming upstream toward the source takes effort and determination. Sorry, there is no quick fix. But in the end it is the only thing that’s worthwhile. The key is practice. But don’t put it on the shrine: take the key, open the door, and walk out of the prison. There are no obstacles. - Tenzin Palmo
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We must be conscious of not using the spiritual path as another conduit for the ego—a bigger, better, more spiritual me. - Tenzin Palmo