Rare birds and yoga poses: what I learned from Jawahar Bangera and the disappointed birder from South Carolina
Alan and I met the bird watcher in the parking lot of the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve a few miles north of Palm Springs. He was sitting on the tailgate of his car, a thin gray man in full birding gear: Tilley hat, multi-pocket vest, high-powered binoculars. He looked tired, and not very friendly. We […]
Take a Seat in Utkatasana, the Yoga Chair: Five-Minute Yoga Challenge
Ever felt like a bottom-heavy Daruma doll when you were squatting? Utkatasana can help.I disliked Utkatasana the first time I tried it. Wende’s demonstration made it look simple enough: raise your arms, bend your knees and sit back. Simple yes. Easy, no. I was shocked by how hard it was, and how at sea I […]
Forget about the Borg: resistance is utile
The Borg is quite possibly the most thought-provoking alien species ever to populate science fiction. “Born into a collective consciousness, they are collectively aware, but not aware of themselves as individuals,” as the article on the StarTrek.com database tells us. They’re never alone, always in the company of thousands of voices; deep in a […]
How is a yoga pose like a Russian matryoshka doll?
What does yoga have to do with matryoshka dolls? A lot, as it turns out. From the outside, yoga poses can look as though they don’t have much in common. Take this handful: extended side angle, triangle pose, tree pose, reclining big toe pose and extended hand-to-big-toe pose. On the simplest level, orientation to gravity, […]
Prop up in half-moon and learn to fly
The first time I lifted off in half-moon I was in a setup just like the one in the picture below, but without the belt. At that moment, after months of mid-room struggle, I finally understood why yogis so often count this demanding balance pose among their favorites. Between the wall at my foot and the […]
Five-minute yoga challenge: strap up and rotate your thighs in triangle pose
For the last few weeks I’ve been strap-happy – deeply in love with the simplest and most economical of yoga props. In every practice I do at least one pose, and often more, with a strap wrapped around one upper thigh. On strap extravaganza days, I wrap both thighs. Why? Getting a good strong rotation […]