I fell in love with baseball.  I fell out of love with baseball.  I fell back in love with baseball.

And, over the years I discovered that baseball was a lot like the other things that sustained me … the Yoga, the meditation, the mindfulness of being present, right here, right now.   It may not mean anything to anyone else.  But, it all weaves together and it’s the stillness, and mindfulness, and, yes, even the oft-time unending slowness of this simple sport that seems to have a lot in common with my Yoga mat.

Just like my Yoga practice … a baseball fan sits and watches and waits for something to happen.  Trying to enjoy the present moment, even when there’s no exciting “action” to hang onto.  It is the sitting and watching that IS the bliss.  True fans know that.

Occasionally, your Yoga practice is upended by a burst of Samadhi — that purest of bliss, however fleeting.  Those fleeting moments are like the moments of action in a baseball game.  Having watched … and waited … there comes a moment of athletic beauty the blossoms out of a play in the outfield, or a baseball is hit way into the stands, or a pitcher simply, smoothly, effortlessly, fires a fastball right by a batter for strike 3.  But, those moments of baseball Samadhi are just that … moments.  And, then the quiet and the waiting and the watching begins again.  The stillness.

I don’t play.  I’m just a fan.

It’s who I am.  And, I like to type words which is sometimes thought of as writing, but often is just typing.  But, I thought, why not type about baseball?  And, Yoga.  And, Zen.  And, me.

When I’m not scoring games, watching games, checking out an arcane baseball stat, or reading about the history of baseball, … or unrolling my own Yoga mat in search of bliss in my practice … I’m a Yoga instructor and a massage therapist.

And, in case you’re wondering … I bleed Orange & Black.  That’s for the Orioles.  But, I bleed a little on the side for the Giants.  So, I can see the Yogic appeal of having a DH … or not.  And, I married a Yankees fan … which shows my capacity for understanding and compassion.  Although I have been able to squeeze a bit of Orange & Black out of him in recent years.

In any event, I don’t know if anyone will ever see this … or read a single word.  I don’t have any clue where this will go, or if it will stall out like other blogs that come from a person’s real passion, but never quite make the transition onto a page.

But, to see baseball and Yoga on the same page makes me feel very happy indeed.   And, if you did find this and read this far … Namasté!