Aug 29, 2007
For some people the hula hoop is a kid’s toy, while others have found it to be a great exercise tool to strengthen the abs, back and legs. I see the hula hoop as both of these things, and something more. For me the hula hoop has become a device I can use to challenge the gravitational pull of the Earth!
My concept of the hula hoop expanded into the planetary realm a few months ago when I became obsessed with breaking the Guinness record for hula hooping with the world’s largest hula hoop. The rules stipulate that you have to keep the hoop rotating around your midsection for at least three revolutions. The most recent record-breaking hoop measured a whopping 13 feet 4 inches in diameter! I was desperate to get my hands on a giant hula hoop, so I called my mechanically-gifted friend Udar, hoping he would share my enthusiasm about the project. Fortunately he did, and by the next afternoon the two of us were in my backyard assembling an expandable 11-foot hula hoop made out of steel electrical conduit.
When the hoop was complete, I had only two thoughts: 1) that thing is HUGE! and 2) how the heck am I going to spin that massive ring around my body? After numerous failures, I figured it out. First, I had to spin round and round with the hoop to build up momentum and then release my grip, letting my legs and hips bolster the hoop’s energy to prevent it from falling to the ground. Finally, I got the hang of it, and Udar and I were ready to move on to bigger and better things.
Aug 29, 2007
The word “adventure” conjures up images of the African Serengeti or the Amazon rainforest. I am fortunate to have had my share of such adventures: pogo stick jumping in Antarctica and juggling underwater with sharks in an aquarium in Malaysia, to name a few. But adventures don’t necessarily have to be in exotic places. With the right attitude, you can have an adventure in your own backyard or, as in this case, at a nearby zoo!
I do like to find an appropriate backdrop for my record attempts. It’s part of the fun, but at the end of last year (2006) I was extremely busy with work and couldn’t spare the time to go to a faraway place. I wanted to attempt two records : the first-juggling three balls for the most number of catches while hanging upside down; and, the second-crawling the fastest mile. One of my friends suggested the Beardsley Zoo in Connecticut, which is less than two hours away from my house. I’m an animal lover, and it sounded like a lot of fun, so my friends and I piled into a car and visited the charming zoo.
I found a flat course on grass for the crawling mile, but I really got excited when I saw the tiger cage. On the outside of the cage was a post from which I could attach a bar to hang and juggle. I think the tiger liked the idea because when I approached the cage, he came to the fence and stood up on his hind legs. “Wow”, I thought, “either this guy really likes me or else he’s thinking what a tasty meal I would make!”
Of course, I still needed permission which is often not immediately forthcoming from the authorities. Fortunately, the zoo management couldn’t have been more encouraging (about the record attempts, not about the tiger eating me!) and we set up a date for the following week.
Aug 16, 2007
I apologize for not putting up a blog in a while – I’ve been involved in organizing a celebration in honor of my spiritual teacher’s birthday. Every year, hundreds of Sri Chinmoy’s students from around the world come to Queens, New York, to join in the festivities. Although the celebration centers mostly around prayer and meditation, there are other activities including classical music performances and sports competitions. Also, recently, it has become a tradition for a small group of us to break a Guinness record by building something GIANT.
A few years ago, we succeeded in creating the world’s largest bouquet and we presented the magnificent flower arrangement to Sri Chinmoy on his birthday. It was made up of 100,000 roses and, afterwards, we invited everyone in the neighborhood to take armfuls of roses home. For days, the entire area smelled like a rose garden!
In 2005 we presented Sri Chinmoy with a cake with 27,000 lit candles on it and last year we built the world’s largest sculpture made out of just popcorn and corn syrup. It was a 20-foot cake decorated like an Indian temple. Afterwards, we offered chunks of the caramelized popcorn to the neighbors, but the enthusiasm was dismal compared to the roses!
I apologize for not putting up a blog in a while – I’ve been involved in organizing a celebration in honor of my spiritual teacher’s birthday. Every year, hundreds of Sri Chinmoy’s students from around the world come to Queens, New York, to join in the festivities. Although the celebration centers mostly around prayer and meditation, there are other activities including classical music performances and sports competitions. Also, recently, it has become a tradition for a small group of us to break a Guinness record by building something GIANT.
Jul 25, 2007
I was watching the men’s British Open Golf Championship on TV this past Sunday and the commentators brought up a fascinating point. They said that in order to play golf well, a player must be in control of his emotions. They pointed out that many golfers are brilliant on Thursday, Friday and Saturday but, on Sunday, when all the adrenaline is pumping and they have a possibility to win the tournament, their games fall apart. They even have to take the effect of their adrenaline into account when they choose which golf club to use for a particular shot. My immediate reaction was that those golfers should learn to meditate!
Meditation really works. Meditation fills you with inner peace and I use it not only in my day-to-day life, but also to break Guinness world records. A perfect example is the record for doing the most deep knee bends on a Swiss Ball in a minute. When I can stay within myself, I’m able to balance on the ball and crank out the squats. However, as soon as I get a bit excited, I go flying backwards off the ball onto my back. So meditation keeps me centered, literally!
Jul 10, 2007
Sometimes a simple story can have a profound impact. More than twenty years ago, my friend, Adhiratha, told me about an incident that happened to his uncle and I have never forgotten it. In fact, every time something gets lost, I think of Adhiratha’s uncle and I’ve never even met the guy!
Adhiratha comes from a very religious Catholic family. Just to show you the level of their devotion, at dinnertime, before they began eating, they would take turns reading out a chapter from a book about the lives of saints. Anyway, one hot summer day, Adhiratha’s uncle, Francis, was taking a refreshing swim at Jones Beach, here in Long Island. Suddenly, he noticed that his wedding ring had slipped off his finger into the Atlantic Ocean. He was in shock. However, without a moment’s hesitation, he prayed to St. Anthony, who is the patron saint of missing things, and dove headfirst into the murky water. He touched the bottom, skimmed his hand along the sand and, when he re-surfaced, tears welled up in his eyes. The ring had miraculously slipped back onto his finger!
Adhiratha swears that it is a true story and I take him at his word. I totally believe in the power of prayer. Just this weekend, I heard another story about how a sincere prayer can produce amazing results.
