‘Parks and Recreation’ Meditation Episode: Ron Swanson Opens His Heart Chakra

by YD on APRIL 22, 2012

in NEWS,PUBLIC DISPLAY OF YOGA,YOGA POP

Firstly, ‘Parks and Recreation’ is back! We’re huge fans and have missed it on its vacay. Perhaps we can call ourselves even bigger fans of the oddball and adorably hilarious NBC show now that they’ve based half of an episode on meditation. It’s not just for Liz Lemon!

Two of our favorite characters, the meat-moxied, mustachioed Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) and the “lit-ra-ly” fit as a fiddle Chris Traeger (Rob Lowe) have a heart to heart over a meditation sesh. Chris wants to promote Ron to assistant city manager, but has one more step in the vetting process: ”a quick session of heart rate meditation focusing on conscious breathing and opening the heart chakra.” Oh boy.

Ron begrudgingly obliges, but checks in with a lifeline, Chris’s ex-gf Ann, first. For anyone who’s ever felt utterly tortured or apprehensive about meditation you’ll appreciate this exchange:

Ron Swanson: Let me ask you a question. Did you ever participate inmedtiaion with Chris?

Ann Perkins: Oh yeah. When we dated he made me do it every week.

Ron: What am I in for?

Ann: Ok here’s the deal, it’s crazy boring, it lasts forever and you’re going to wish you were dead. Do you want to borrow my yoga pants?

teehee.

So Ron manages to make it through hours of meditation, and surprisingly well:

“All told we were in there about 6 hour, and no I was not meditating. I  just stood there quietly breathing. There were no thougths in my head whatsoever. My mind was blank. I don’t know what the hell these other crack pots are doing.”

Ah, but more, there is. Chris was just testing Ron’s “flexibility” in enduring something he didn’t want to do. Meanwhile Ron teaches Chris an important lesson.

Chris: You radiated mindfulness. What were you thinking about?

Ron: I wasn’t thinking at all.

Chris: Incredible. It takes a ton of work for me to get to that kind of a clear headspace no matter how hard I try.

Ron: Don’t try so hard.

Ding! There’s more to the plot like Leslie being called a dog killer, Tom’s amenity-brimmed apartment (refrigerator full of coconut water!) and April showing some heart and trying to save an animal shelter. We’ll let you catch up on the whole “Live Ammo” episode at hulu.