A lot of the yoga poses that we do have animal names because they were inspired by animals.
Although seriously I have no idea why it's called "camel pose" As you can see the camel looks no more comfortable than I do in that pose.
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yoga. Show all posts
Monday, August 01, 2011
Animals love yoga!
No seriously they do! Or yogis love animals.
A lot of the yoga poses that we do have animal names because they were inspired by animals.
Although seriously I have no idea why it's called "camel pose" As you can see the camel looks no more comfortable than I do in that pose.
A lot of the yoga poses that we do have animal names because they were inspired by animals.
Although seriously I have no idea why it's called "camel pose" As you can see the camel looks no more comfortable than I do in that pose.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
This feels interesting...
Do you want to know why yoga is such a humbling experience?
Because it’s widely acknowledged that two of the toughest poses are Savasana and Tadasana. For those of you not familiar with yoga speak that’s laying on your back and standing up strait. Getting the full benefits of these poses is tough. Mmm hmm. This is humbling stuff.
Right… I had yoga yesterday. It was the usual. I worked really hard, had a few moments when I started to beg to come out of position and laughed when someone said they couldn’t feel something in their hamstrings.
I can always feel something in my hamstrings. My hamstrings are so tight, I chronically worry about them during class. Not so much “Will I be able to stretch them enough…” I won’t but more like “Is that sharp shooting pain actually something tearing? Is that normal? Should I be on the verge of tears? Collapse?” And it’s always the hamstrings, or my hips, or sometimes my back. But the most excruciating pain is in the hamstrings. And we use them for almost every pose.
We did have one pose that we held for a little over five minutes. Sphinx pose. It doesn’t involve your hamstrings. It’s a small back bend. But after about 2 minutes I started to burn a little… after 3 I hurt… after 4 I began talking myself into coming out of the pose. And somewhere around five I began begging and bargaining in my mind to for the love of god let us out of the pose. When we finally came down I almost cried with joy. My arms and shoulders were aching. Our teacher tells us to think about the sensations we feel and notice if any are interesting. That’s her word for painful.
As in “Ah this root canal feels interesting.”
Mmm hmm. Sadist.
Because it’s widely acknowledged that two of the toughest poses are Savasana and Tadasana. For those of you not familiar with yoga speak that’s laying on your back and standing up strait. Getting the full benefits of these poses is tough. Mmm hmm. This is humbling stuff.
Right… I had yoga yesterday. It was the usual. I worked really hard, had a few moments when I started to beg to come out of position and laughed when someone said they couldn’t feel something in their hamstrings.
I can always feel something in my hamstrings. My hamstrings are so tight, I chronically worry about them during class. Not so much “Will I be able to stretch them enough…” I won’t but more like “Is that sharp shooting pain actually something tearing? Is that normal? Should I be on the verge of tears? Collapse?” And it’s always the hamstrings, or my hips, or sometimes my back. But the most excruciating pain is in the hamstrings. And we use them for almost every pose.
We did have one pose that we held for a little over five minutes. Sphinx pose. It doesn’t involve your hamstrings. It’s a small back bend. But after about 2 minutes I started to burn a little… after 3 I hurt… after 4 I began talking myself into coming out of the pose. And somewhere around five I began begging and bargaining in my mind to for the love of god let us out of the pose. When we finally came down I almost cried with joy. My arms and shoulders were aching. Our teacher tells us to think about the sensations we feel and notice if any are interesting. That’s her word for painful.
As in “Ah this root canal feels interesting.”
Mmm hmm. Sadist.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Fear and yoga in Jamaica Plain...
So yoga… one of the healthiest things that has ever happened to me. Yoga has given me strength, balance, confidence, calm, acceptance… forgiveness and most importantly humility.
Before practicing yoga, I was terrified of yoga. I’m not a fit person, I’m not a flexible person. I’m not a person comfortable in tight pants and tank tops. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. I would advance, I wouldn’t balance. Each pose would be to difficult. Each position would roll my flab into new exotic shapes. This was my fear.
I have a co-worker… Soap Opera Shane. (SOS) who lives in JP and practices yoga. Just like me. It was my cronic fear that I would see SOS in my yoga class. That one day he would show up. He’d been doing yoga for years. This would be the worst case scenario.
The first day went to yoga and was asked to go into downward dog… something kinking terribly in my shoulder. It was freakish. It was my body’s way of freaking out. And my mind followed. I sat down and tried not to cry. When the teacher came over to ask what was wrong all of the self doubt bubbled out of me and I left the class… It was just that scary. The next week I decided to face my fears, decided my shoulder spasm was just freakish, and I would try again. This time in the most beginner class of all. I loved it.
I’ve come a long way since those first classes. I’m actually starting appreciate my body’s abilities instead of focusing on it’s flaws. Although I still focus on the flaws too much. I’ve come to love difficult poses that I have yet to master. I’ve come to enjoy breathing.
Last week I came into yoga and was talking about our office Diwali Party. All of a sudden I hear “Kate”. I turned with a complete lake of focus. I never thought about the voice or who it might be… I turned and smiled and saw Soap Opera Shane. We’ll blow me over with a feather. Just when I thought I’d lost my fear of yoga. I smiled and commented that he missed our Diwali and went to set up my mat with that shocked smile frozen on my face.
Panic intensified as I realized the only open space was somewhat across the room from him. We’d have to see each other twisting, contorting, practicing yoga… I steeled myself and said… it’s okay. You’re doing fine. You are doing the best you can do, and your improving. This is going to be fun. Think of the stories you’ll have to tell in work. You’ll do fine. And then he moved his mat to be on the same side as me two people down. Suddenly I was disappointed. I wouldn’t have moved. I would have gotten over it. It’s yoga, its about focus. But this way I watched him without him noticing me. I watched the teacher correct him. Watched his handstand, his downward dog, his lunges, Warrior one, Upward Dog… And he was very good. He’d been doing it for years.
After class he asked me how I liked it. I stared blankly at him wondering what he could possibly mean by that. How did I like practicing yoga with a coworker? How did I like yoga?
The class? He clarified.
Oh right, the class, it’s been great I said, really great, I’ve been coming here Tuesdays and Thursdays for 4 months.
He looked surprised. Really?
Sure.
You must have been surprised to see me! He joked.
I smiled. Right. I was surprised to see him and I was glad that it happened. I wouldn’t have to wonder anymore. And I had a great story to tell my co-workes.
Before practicing yoga, I was terrified of yoga. I’m not a fit person, I’m not a flexible person. I’m not a person comfortable in tight pants and tank tops. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to keep up. I would advance, I wouldn’t balance. Each pose would be to difficult. Each position would roll my flab into new exotic shapes. This was my fear.
I have a co-worker… Soap Opera Shane. (SOS) who lives in JP and practices yoga. Just like me. It was my cronic fear that I would see SOS in my yoga class. That one day he would show up. He’d been doing yoga for years. This would be the worst case scenario.
The first day went to yoga and was asked to go into downward dog… something kinking terribly in my shoulder. It was freakish. It was my body’s way of freaking out. And my mind followed. I sat down and tried not to cry. When the teacher came over to ask what was wrong all of the self doubt bubbled out of me and I left the class… It was just that scary. The next week I decided to face my fears, decided my shoulder spasm was just freakish, and I would try again. This time in the most beginner class of all. I loved it.
I’ve come a long way since those first classes. I’m actually starting appreciate my body’s abilities instead of focusing on it’s flaws. Although I still focus on the flaws too much. I’ve come to love difficult poses that I have yet to master. I’ve come to enjoy breathing.
Last week I came into yoga and was talking about our office Diwali Party. All of a sudden I hear “Kate”. I turned with a complete lake of focus. I never thought about the voice or who it might be… I turned and smiled and saw Soap Opera Shane. We’ll blow me over with a feather. Just when I thought I’d lost my fear of yoga. I smiled and commented that he missed our Diwali and went to set up my mat with that shocked smile frozen on my face.
Panic intensified as I realized the only open space was somewhat across the room from him. We’d have to see each other twisting, contorting, practicing yoga… I steeled myself and said… it’s okay. You’re doing fine. You are doing the best you can do, and your improving. This is going to be fun. Think of the stories you’ll have to tell in work. You’ll do fine. And then he moved his mat to be on the same side as me two people down. Suddenly I was disappointed. I wouldn’t have moved. I would have gotten over it. It’s yoga, its about focus. But this way I watched him without him noticing me. I watched the teacher correct him. Watched his handstand, his downward dog, his lunges, Warrior one, Upward Dog… And he was very good. He’d been doing it for years.
After class he asked me how I liked it. I stared blankly at him wondering what he could possibly mean by that. How did I like practicing yoga with a coworker? How did I like yoga?
The class? He clarified.
Oh right, the class, it’s been great I said, really great, I’ve been coming here Tuesdays and Thursdays for 4 months.
He looked surprised. Really?
Sure.
You must have been surprised to see me! He joked.
I smiled. Right. I was surprised to see him and I was glad that it happened. I wouldn’t have to wonder anymore. And I had a great story to tell my co-workes.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Hope for the future!
Seriously folks, I have hope for the future.
Hope came to me yesterday in the form of a handstand. That’s right kids, a handstand, a genuine handstand against a wall. I kicked up and I stayed. And I stayed. And when I was done I gently came down.
Now I’ve been working on handstands for weeks, for months really if you count class. I wouldn’t because my efforts have been so half hearted there. It just seamed so unobtainable. Honestly I was having a hard time believing I could do it. In fact I still have a hard time believing. And fear is definitely a factor. Still. I’m terrified. But it’s so damn cool! And so unexpected. And so unlike my body to be able to do something like that. It’s kind of crazy sexy cool!
And it gives me hope.
In yoga, at the end of practice they always tell you to thank your body, for its hard work, for committing to this practice. I don’t say it enough. I don’t appreciate it enough. I don’t marvel at it enough. I’m a lousy friend to my body sometimes, I’m the friend who criticizes, and complains about you, who abuses you and expects too much from you.
So I just want to say thank you to my body, for doing something so amazing.
Thank you for letting me see that there is still hope. That a body like mine is still amazing, still wonderful, still unexpectedly capable. Thank you for fighting the good fight, for helping me balance, for kicking up there. And a special shout out to my arms and hands for supporting the entire weight of my body, without letting me crash onto my head, breaking my neck etc. I really appreciate it.
Hope came to me yesterday in the form of a handstand. That’s right kids, a handstand, a genuine handstand against a wall. I kicked up and I stayed. And I stayed. And when I was done I gently came down.
Now I’ve been working on handstands for weeks, for months really if you count class. I wouldn’t because my efforts have been so half hearted there. It just seamed so unobtainable. Honestly I was having a hard time believing I could do it. In fact I still have a hard time believing. And fear is definitely a factor. Still. I’m terrified. But it’s so damn cool! And so unexpected. And so unlike my body to be able to do something like that. It’s kind of crazy sexy cool!
And it gives me hope.
In yoga, at the end of practice they always tell you to thank your body, for its hard work, for committing to this practice. I don’t say it enough. I don’t appreciate it enough. I don’t marvel at it enough. I’m a lousy friend to my body sometimes, I’m the friend who criticizes, and complains about you, who abuses you and expects too much from you.
So I just want to say thank you to my body, for doing something so amazing.
Thank you for letting me see that there is still hope. That a body like mine is still amazing, still wonderful, still unexpectedly capable. Thank you for fighting the good fight, for helping me balance, for kicking up there. And a special shout out to my arms and hands for supporting the entire weight of my body, without letting me crash onto my head, breaking my neck etc. I really appreciate it.
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