Author Archives: paulefallon

About paulefallon

Greetings reader. I am a writer, architect, cyclist and father from Cambridge, MA. My primary blog, theawkwardpose.com is an archive of all my published writing. The title refers to a sequence of three yoga positions that increase focus and build strength by shifting the body’s center of gravity. The objective is balance without stability. My writing addresses opposing tension in our world, and my attempt to find balance through understanding that opposition. During 2015-2106 I am cycling through all 48 mainland United States and asking the question "How will we live tomorrow?" That journey is chronicled in a dedicated blog, www.howwillwelivetomorrw.com, that includes personal writing related to my adventure as well as others' responses to my question. Thank you for visiting.

ICA’s World of Glass

Posted on 05/27/2014 by paulefallon

There isn’t much in this world as variable in terms of quality and meaning as contemporary art. Some pieces are sublime; others provoke no response at all. I visit Boston’s Institute of Contemporary Art (free on Thursday evenings) several times … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged A World of Glass, Boston ICA, contemporary art, ICA | 1 Comment

Maslow and the Chakras

Posted on 05/22/2014 by paulefallon

Human nature strives for structure and understanding. In studying the seven chakras, which are thousands of years old, I’m struck by how Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need aligns with this ancient tradition. First, consider the seven Chakras: 1. Muladhara – … Continue reading →

Posted in Yoga | Tagged chakras, hierarchy of needs, Maslow, seven chakras | 2 Comments

Le Grand Continental-Boston…in the Rear View Mirror

Posted on 05/20/2014 by paulefallon

Three times this weekend I stood on a blue circle in Copley Square and danced for thirty minutes with 111 other Bostonians in Le Grand Continental. It was an incredible experience in dance and community. Like many other peak experiences, … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged Celebrity Series, Copley Square, dance, Le Grand Continental, Le Grand Continental Boston, wheelchair | Leave a comment

Another Dancer’s Story from Le Grand Continental

Posted on 05/12/2014 by paulefallon

Thanks to all the people who responded to my article in The Boston Globe and shared their own stories of neophyte dancers with dreams of ballet and Broadway. One of the most inspiring was from Lill, whom I featured in … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged Celebrity Series, Copley Square, dance, Gene Kelly, Le Grand Continental, the Boston Globe, University of Iowa | 1 Comment

Learn to Love Something By Doing It

Posted on 05/11/2014 by paulefallon

This essay was originally published in The Arts Fuse, May 11, 2014. When I auditioned to be a member of the Le Grand Continental-Boston (LGC), Celebrity Series choreographed street dance of local citizens, I expected to meet people beyond my … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Alvin Ailey, Celebrity Series, dance, dance education, funding for the arts, Le Grand Continental, The Art Fuse, The Boston Conservatory, Urbanity | Leave a comment

12-Step Program to Turn an Angry Young Man into a Pollyanna

Posted on 05/09/2014 by paulefallon

Forty years ago, while discussing the inequities of our world at a deep night college party – ranting is the more accurate verb – my friend peered over his beer and shook his head. “You are one angry young man.” … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged 12-step program, Angry Young Man, Candide, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, Johnny Mandel, Michael Feinstein, Pollyanna, Sissy Hankshaw, Susan Jeffers, the best of all possible worlds, Tom Robbins, Voltaire, Where Do You Start | 3 Comments

In the Zone

Posted on 05/05/2014 by paulefallon

I went into the studio Sunday noon and laid my mat in a favorite place beneath the skylight tight to the front mirror. I like the way the rays highlight my poses. All the better still if the sun steaming … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bikram, CorePower, hot yoga, yoga | Leave a comment

Singing and Riding in the Rain

Posted on 05/01/2014 by paulefallon

One of the hidden pleasures of being a cyclist is singing as I ride. True, it’s possible to sing in my car, but the sound comes back at me instead of adding to the vibration of the universe. I can … Continue reading →

Posted in Pedaling Principles - Observations on America at Ten Miles Per Hour | Tagged April, April Showers, Camelot, cycling, forsythia, Frank Loesser, I Believe in You, Karen Carpenter, March, May, Merry Month of May, rain, Rainy Days and Mondays, Spring, You'll Never Walk Alone | 6 Comments

Shoulders and Plow

Posted on 04/28/2014 by paulefallon

I am obedient by nature. I follow the yoga teacher’s instructions and execute every pose. Sometimes I lag, since I flow slower than many, but I sequence through and catch up in downward dog. Teacher’s give permission for variation when … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged CorePower Yoga, plow pose, savasana, shoulder stand, yoga | Leave a comment

Foot Chakras

Posted on 04/24/2014 by paulefallon

In honor of Earth Day our yoga instructor Maureen led a class that emphasized our connection to the earth. We began in Toe Squat Pose. Toe Squat is a yin pose, and like most yin poses, it looks easy but … Continue reading →

Posted in Yoga | Tagged chakras, foot chakras, foot massage, Toe Squat Pose, yin yoga, yoga | 2 Comments