yoga humor, yogini style, yoga personality, yoga tips - Y is for Yogini

turn your monkey mind upside-down { 8 inversions for mental poo-throwing }

artwork credit: etsy.com

Monkeys look most at peace when they're upside down...or picking things off each other. Let's focus on the former. You might get yourself arrested or throttled if you start thinking it's a good idea to look for fleas on other bodies.

Whether you like it or not, we have much in common with our banana-eating brothers and sisters. A. We think a lot, B. We eat a lot of freaking bananas (see: Cavendish banana extinction), and C. We're all crazy bananas. 

If you aren't in touch with your Monkey Mind, I envy you. I'm turning as green as an unripe banana as we speak. Mine is bonkers. It really is its own entity. It runs away with me, like a bad little monkey. It throws neurological poo at me. It swings me through mental trees and makes me dizzy!

One remedy I have found, thank Iyengar, is INVERSIONS.

8 Inversions for Attention Deficit, the Monkey Mind, and Temporary Insanity:

1. Puppy Dog - Be a dog, not a monkey. This first pose is doggie training and prep for Adho Mukha Svanasana.
2. Down Dog { Adho Mukha Svanasana } - Like a dog on a bone, you will FOCUS.
3. Handstand { Adho Mukha Vrksasana } - The translation is Downward Facing Tree Pose. Is there anything more grounded than a tree? I think not.
4. Feathered Peacock { Pincha Mayurasana } - Tunes you in to your own fierceness, not freneticness.
5. Dolphin - Dolphins are too smart to let their own monkey business run shit.
6. Headstand { Sirsasana } - This is what "they" meant when they said to go stand on your head.
7. Plough { Halasana } - Sow the seeds of mental acuity and ease.
8. Shoulder Stand { Sarvangasana } - The queen of all asanas, she'll leave you cool, calm, and collected.

Sometimes you have to get upside-down to get right-side-up again.

three cheers for sirsasana { not just for the sirs ... for the mademoiselles, too }

photo credit: thesuperficial.com 

Salamba Sirsasana, otherwise known as Headstand, is a gorgeous pose with lots of delicious benefits. Recently, Cora Wen issued Sirsasana Challenge 2010 and I heeded the call, as you can see above. Oh wait, that's Victoria's Secret supermodel Alessandra Ambrosio at a shoot with Elle France. You see, we look so much alike, I always get our pictures mixed up. :) Honest mistake.

Anyhoo, known as the "King of Asanas," Sirsasana is a pose B.K.S. Iyengar has noted to be "one of the most important Yogic asanas." (Light on Yoga, 179) I love, love, love this pose. It's freeing, empowering, and gently invigorating. You no longer need to skydive, drive fast, or tempt fate to get a rush. You can get just about everything you need with a little Sirsa.

Sirsasana Sweetness:

1. Stimulates + rejuvenates the brain
2. Regulates prana flow
3. Develops poise, lightness, + confidence
4. Relieves stress + anxiety
5. Improves digestion, circulation, + respiration
6. Strengthens the spinal muscles, arms, legs, and abs
7. An excellent way to practice equanimity
8. Fear-facer, world-changer { nothing like seeing things upside-down! }

Remember, a Sirsa a day keeps the kleshas away.

{ iyengar } paul cabanis' 1/2 class @ yogaworks main street

In addition to my upcoming YW Teacher Training, I also receive 6 months of unlimited yoga at any of the LA studios -- what a bonus! Although I hadn't heard anything about Paul Cabanis directly, a look into his background intrigued me, so I attended his Iyengar 1/2 class at YogaWorks Main Street (Santa Monica) today.

It was nice to see what a wide variety of students he attracts and the class was more full than I had expected. He is slight in form and figure, but not in presence or personality. I found his quirky sense of humor to be refreshing and he had many of the students giggling throughout class.

Hearing people laugh good-naturedly and heartily is always uplifting!

This class is very focused on form and alignment, with adjustments aplenty by Paul and his assistant. It felt like a workshop, but an interesting and rewarding one, with dashes of humor and fun. Paul brought in aspects of philosophy, spirituality, and psychology (all much appreciated). Savasana was lengthy and his dialogue throughout was thought-provoking, yet calming (a feat not often accomplished).

Because I enjoy more flow in my yoga, this may not be a class I go to every week, but I will most definitely be seeing Paul at least once a month.