Episode 5: Yoga, Stoicism, and Philosophy
by Imran Kasam & Steve LedwithPublished on 18 June 2020. This is approximately 46 minutes long. This episode is sponsored by Anchor.fm.
Overview
This episode is a continuation of Episode 4 and takes a deeper look into Yoga and Stoicism, the two schools of thought we most identify with.
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Show Notes & Selected Links
Really wrong definition of Yoga: a bunch of people in tight fitting pants with fancy mats gathering in a room to do aerobic exercise.
Reall wrong definition of Stoicism: a person who is basically devoid of emotion, who feels nothing regardless of what’s going on around you.
Maybe a little room to improve!
The philosophy of Yoga is centered around the idea the mind, body and spirit are all one and cannot be clearly separated. Yoga Basics has a good description, and is a great place to start.
The philosophy of Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy which teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions. The Basics of Philosophy has a pretty straight forward introduction if you’re interested.
2 min: Imran talks about Yoga means to him.
Yoga is about union, and oneness with the universe. Learn about yourself and your true nature.
Steve talks about what Stoicism means to him.
Stoicism is about learning that emotion doesn’t have to rule your life, or your day. You don’t have to let it control your actions.
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. …” —Epictetus, Discourses, 2.5.4–5
3:45 min: Adiyogi by Sadhguru
What is a guru? Someone who sheds light on the path.
- Imran summarizes the story of Adiyogi - The First Yogi.
Stillness - can you sit with yourself, and be okay with what’s in your mind.
- Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” — Blaise Pascal a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and Catholic theologian
8:30 min: Inner Engineering by Sadhguru
9:30 min: What’s Stoicism about?
- Can I take everything that’s happening and accept it for what it is?
- Can I accept what happens without applying judgement?
- Good and bad are value judgements which most people apply to external things
Understand the things I can control
- Not a long list; what am I thinking?
- What are my thoughts? That’s all I can truly control
Commonality – you have the ability to control how you experience whatever is happening.
12:30 min: You are responsible for your life. No one else is responsible.
Karma means action, work or deed; it also refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect) according to Wikipedia.
You can choose to be happy, or joyful, every day.
14:30 min: Story about making a choice; you choose to not follow a shared rule, like a stop sign.
Events are not happening to you. Events happen. You may be there to experience it, but it’s not about you.
Remember too that many common annoyances are pain in disguise, such as sleepiness, fever and loss of appetite. When they start to get you down, tell yourself you are giving in to pain.” — Marcus Aurelius
Pain is information about your environment.
18 min: side story about breath hold diving, or free diving
An interesting article about suffering from Awaken Psychology.
When angry count to ten before you speak. If very angry, count to one hundred. – Thomas Jefferson
Acting on Impulse from the Guardian
22 min: Transitioning to ego and responsibility
26 min: Memto mori
Imran shares a story about chasing physical things, when you’d rather want to be boundless.
- Don’t get stuck trying to get the corner office
No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have. – Seneca
30 min: Living life accidentally; Live for a purpose
31 min: Yoga postures and positions
- What does your body language do for your state of mind?
A Ted Talk by Amy Cuddy about Body Language
Your body language says a lot about you. Make sure you’re presenting the right message. Perception frames reality.
“Another's opinion of you is none of your business”—Imran Kasam
“If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, ‘He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.'” ― Epictetus
Markdown request: Please! Someone ceate a code for sarcasm! Please! Think of good this would do the world.
“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” – Marcus Aurelius
39 min: Another school of thought - Toltec
- The Mastery of Self: A Toltec Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz Jr.
- Be impeccable with your word.
- Don’t take anything personally.
- Don’t make assumptions.
- Always do your best.
When you see someone in need, look upon the person as yourself. Instead of helping someone else, you’re helping yourself.
- It could be you next time; treat others as you’d like to be treated
What’s up next?
- We’re going to do a series on using low code at scale in an enterprise environment.
- We have a unique perspective on using low code, and we’re excited to share with everyone
Do you even bastion bro?
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