Italian Yoga

Cambridge, MA (December 2012) – Italian Yoga is a documentary of old Italian men in Cambridge – our fair city – MA. Rather than stretching, sweating, or chanting, Tom, Peter, Ray, Drew, Richie, Pepe, Armando, and three guys named Tony sit at the café, sip espresso, and meditate on life through laughter and storytelling. 

According to the Kickstarter page for Italian Yoga, these men propose to share their expertise for il dolce far niente (aka the “sweet do nothing”). Practiced from the Greek Isles to Gibraltar, Italian Yoga is the art of Mediterranean mindfulness.  Rather than running to work with a venti latte, the goal is to sit and simply enjoy “yoga without the exercise.” 

Hoping for a gig that requires even less effort than a two-hour workweek, this unique group of friends is aspiring to Kickstart Italian Yoga.

Ray: Do you have the time?
Peter: For what?
Ray: Of day!
Peter: Nope, but I have time for everything else.

Demonstrating all aspects of Italian Yoga from the Morning Pose to the Nap Posture, this short documentary from the corner café is as serious as your soul will allow.  This lively group also includes occasional celebrity cameos, such as Tom and Ray Magliozzi of Car Talk fame.  “It’s impossible to describe what we are like together,” admits Ray’s son, Drew. “Although each of us is crazy in isolation, together we possess an uncanny enlightenment.”  

Did you ever wonder what sage wisdom old Italian men possess about life, leisure, love, automobiles and happiness? If you are yearning for transcendental comedy on the small screen, then this Kickstarter is for you. For the full Italian Yoga Kickstarter, visit the following link: http://kck.st/UCyBhm

Peter and Tom seem to have adopted the French Beret as the head-covering of choice this winter season. Not only is it warm, but it exudes the notion of Existentialism that is oh so important in a European Caffe’ setting. 
In Peter’s case, the look hearkens to Sartre’s thesis that we are all impersonating an identity. But, I will admit that Peter’s display is a fascinating example of improvisatory performance.

If the hat isn’t enough, Peter sometimes wears a cape as well. I haven’t yet figured out why.

While the cape is a rare accoutrement, the sandals are a mainstay—for the Winter season Bary made a set of toe warmers for our whacko friend.
This fashion style, I presume has something to do with Peter’s tendency to emulate Jesus Christ.
Finally, that reminds me. Did you ever hear the three reasons that prove Jesus was Italian? 

He was a 33 year-old man who lived with his mother.
His mother thought he was God.
And, he thought his mother was a virgin.

So, we got some good news the other day about the publication prospects of Italian Yoga from our agent. The proposal needs tweaking, but all signs point toward optimism. While most of us approach this project with a bit of healthy skepticism, Peter has taken another route. He has proclaimed that Italian Yoga “will be bigger than US Steel.” The fact that this is an obscure quote from the Godfather makes the observation slightly less outlandish but actually much funnier.

I have decided to take the reigns a little bit and channel some of Peter’s excitement into something resembling productivity. More specifically, I asked him to continue writing the stream-of-consciousness autobiographical manifesto that he had begun for our book proposal.

Here was Peter’s email response:

drew,

here is a story.

i will be more detailed at a later time

when i was young
i lived in north north carolina
we needed water
we took a branch from a willow tree
i walked around until the branch twisted my wrist’s to the ground
it was so powerful i couldn’t hold onto to it or hold it straight
we dug at that location and found water

peter

PS - I had a thought just the other day, Italian Yoga Coffee Beans,
how many people drink coffee in this county. That’s just the
beginning.