supta bekhasana

Bhekasana comes from the word bheka means frog. According to Light on Yoga, the action in this asana resembles that of a frog, hence the name. supta bekhasana on the other hand is the reclined version of bekhasana. Both poses allow the front of the body a nice stretch from the ankle-thighs-groins-abdomen-chest-even the throat-hip flexors.

B.K.S Iyengar in bekhasana

below photo was taken weeks ago of me in supta bekhasana. what i like most about this pose is the opening of the heart and the feeling of my neck & throat being stretched. its a kind of massage on your throat that you won't get from any spa :D

supta bekhasana

And of cos, i won't be able to get into this pose without the help of my teacher. here's a video how you could assist your partner into supta bekhasana. Try this only if you are comfortable in bekhasana and... enjoy!

the dying that brings life

yesterday was my group's turn to present our quality circle learning at office & our topic was on stress management. cool! so to de-stress, i made my fellow colleagues do some easy stretching and a loooong savasana, corpse pose. Is nice to die for a while. This is a good time to practice quiet the mind and to exercise the essential component of our inner peace practice.

more downdog!

because no downwardog is a wrong downward dog!

for the love of inversion

i love inversions. it is the opportunity where you can be at the moment, being able to look at fear, to stay present and to go into intensity of life.

my teacher-julie helping me into pincha mayurasana, translates as peacock feather pose but i ended up in Vrischika, scorpion instead. Feet just to heavy!

The peacock is the emblem of the Indian Goddess of the Arts, Saraswati. Like the goddess, the peacock is both beautiful and fierce. Most of the time the peacock walks with his beautiful fan of feathers dragging behind him on the ground. At the time the rainy season approaches or when enticing his mate with his attractiveness he lifts his splendid crown of feathers. The yogi's intention is to make themselves as attractive to god as possible. Just as the peacock lifts their feathers, the yogi adorns themselves with good intentions and an unconditional loving heart. This pose can be seen as a metaphor for this intention. There is a fierceness and a bravery to the peacock that is needed for the yogi to have an unconditional loving heart. This bravery is cultivated during this pose. The peacock can eat snakes and be unaffected by their poison. This symbolizes the yogi who can live in New York City and with its endless objects of distractions, remain steady and unaffected. The peacock feathers are adorned with "eyes" at the top of each feather. The eyes at the top of the feather remind the yogi that true sight does not come from the eyes but from the heart. While in the Peacock pose we see the world upside down with our eyes and are reminded that true sight comes from within. ~http://www.jivamuktiyoga.com
Vriscika, Scorpion; the eighth zodiacal sign, Scorpio. Some Hindu mystics say it represents Vishnu expanded as the universe: the expansion of the mystic bija (seed) of Vishnu into the universe, as a manifested emblem of creative activity. ~http://translation.babylon.com

yoga for japan

Yoga for Japan, a fund-raising event by Manasa Yoga. Let us make a difference because we can!

For details, visit Yoga for Japan on Facebook.

in praise of downward dog

Downward Facing Dog or Adho Mukha Svanasana (wow! that's mouthful, isn't it?) is one of the most frequently practiced poses. Adho Mukha Svanasana, yogi forms an inverted V shape, with the hands and feet on the floor and legs and arms straight, hip witdth apart. Sounds easy but, if you are new to this pose, or with a tight hamstrings, Adho Mukha Svanasana might make you want to howl.

In spite of how commonly it is practiced, Adho Mukha Svanasana is complex as there's a lot to remember because so much of you is active. But, the best part of Adho Mukha Svanasana is that you don't have to be perfect to gain its benefits because it does you good at any level. Because of this, its best lesson, perhaps, is teaching you to enjoy the journey instead of reaching for the goal!


Little Oliver, cute boy of my yogini friend - Michelle, in Adho Mukha Svanasana

transition

It was about 3 years back when I first attempt to perform salamba sirsasana II (tripod headstand). And a year after that, I saw my teacher Dina (then doing teacher’s training course) was practicing the transition from tripod headstand to bakasana. That was the ever first ‘transition’ in yoga that I’ve ever known and I try it almost every time during my self-practice. It didn’t come through so I took a break, thinking that I may not be ready for such ‘transition’.

This evening, I once again practiced salaba sirsasana II –to-bakasana transition. I got into inversion and with full awareness of my body, breath and more so on gravity, I balanced and settled myself into bakasana. And into squat, I gave myself a big smile. Again, I agree wholeheartedly - practice and all is coming - Sri K. Pattabhi Jois.

Some demonstration videos i find inspiring - Om Shanti: A Yoga blog