Yoga Pulse

I Moved

2009-02-12T04:09:00.000-08:00

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Inauguration Weekend, Yogi-style

2009-01-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Check out this post on Yoga Buzz, written by yours truly about my pre-inauguration yoga activities. Did anybody else do anything interesting over the inauguration weekend? I thought I saw YogaDawg sniffing around Dupont Circle.

Uma Thurman Does Yoga?

2009-01-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

My Google alerts finally paid off. Get this:

"Uma Thurman stunned passengers by doing a yoga routine on a recent flight."

The woman did what every yogi has thought of, but has never done. Apparently, she used the flight attendant station as a prop and spent about 20 minutes doing her practice in the aisle.

The Seated Psoas

2009-01-17T06:12:00.000-08:00

It’s time for asana practice. Do you know where your psoas is?

It starts on the lumbar spine, ends on the femur, and flexes the hip. But actually feeling it requires awareness and guidance. So, why bother to dig through the recesses of your pelvis to discover your buried pair of psoas muscles?

Discovering the psoas can lead to a whole new world of asana experience. Whereas most people spend their days sitting in chairs with constricted psoas muscles, most asanas are enhanced when the psoas is released.

For example, a relaxed psoas in Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose) relieves tension in the lower back and releases the knees closer to the ground by allowing the groins to open. (Liz Koch explains it much more accurately and eloquently in Release Your Psoas.)

Do you know where your psoas is? If so, what new observations has it led to in your asana practice? Any new emotional observations?

Is Mr. Iyengar Physically Fit?

2008-12-22T17:08:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago in teacher training, we pulled out Light on Yoga and scrutinized Mr. Iyengar’s photos.

“What do you think?” asked our teacher.

A couple students pointed out his impressive capacity for chest expansion. Then after a bit of discussion about the energy of his asanas, my true thoughts seeped into the discussion: The man has soft abs and not a whole lot of muscle tone.

But then our teacher had us look at plate 406—Bakasana. Hello, Mr. Iyengar’s arm muscles! Instead of walking around in a state of constant contraction, like most people’s idea of what physical fitness should look like, Iyengar uses each muscle precisely when he needs it.

This little lesson has started me questioning my idea of physical fitness. How beneficial are the standards I’m striving for? How sensitive and responsive am I? Can I let go of my exterior armor long enough to discover the internal workings of my body and mind?