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What Happens During Savasana in Your Class?

Fit Community — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 05:50:50 PDT

The final resting pose in a yoga class known as Savasana is so relaxing, but FitSugar reader bigestivediscuit shared an especially relaxing experience in the Yoga Stretch and Tell community group.

Last night I had a nearly orgasmic moment on the train ride home when the breeze coming through the hot subway carriage's window made the China gel my yoga instructor had massaged into my neck during Savasana feel a-mazing. The menthol cooled my neck and I breathed in the essential oils deeply, which was totally and utterly relaxing. Even after I showered, a bit of the gel remained in my neck and shoulders, making me drift off into the most peaceful sleep ever.

I can't lie - having a mini neck massage after a particularly challenging Vinyasa flow class is like heaven. Upon relating this to my best friend, she confessed that the reason why she returned to a certain instructor's class again and again is because he stood on his students' feet (I guess the soles of their feet were on the floor, with bent knees, so he stepped on the tops of the feet) for about ten seconds each during Savasana, which was insanely relaxing.

Some instructors guide their students through a meditation, light candles, play music or come by each student's mat to gently press their shoulders or hips into the floor. What's your favorite part of Savasana and what does your instructor do during that time?

If yoga is one of your obsessions, then you'll want to check out the Yoga Stretch and Tell community group.

Choose a Yoga Class That Fits Your Personality

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 03:00:05 PDT

When I tell people I teach yoga, I hear things like, "I always wanted to take yoga but it's way too hot," or, "I could never do yoga because it's way too slow." The thing is, there are so many different types of yoga that whatever your personality, one style will be right for you. If you've always wanted to try a yoga class, check out the chart below to see which kind of class you should attend.

Type of Yoga	Personality
Ashtanga	Type A, competitive with yourself, high energy, can't sit still, strict, rigid, likes order, likes knowing the right and wrong way to do things, needs to move in order to de-stress
Anusara	Scientific, interested in body alignment and how your body moves internally, introspective, creative, likes to use props, in touch with your emotions

If those two don't seem to fit your personality,

Guess Who Said It?

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 11:00:08 PDT

Can you guess who said this about her vinyasa flow yoga class?

"It hurts so good, and I feel euphoric after."

Yoga Video: Jump Through With Blocks

FitSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:00:00 PDT

The jump through vinyasa is one of the toughest moves to master in Yoga, but it's an important move to learn since it brings an amazing sense of fluidity to your practice. If you've tried it a million times, and are constantly kicking your hands or crashing your booty into the ground, then you are probably frustrated.

Here's a trick to make your attempts successful and to strengthen your core muscles, which are vital for mastering the jump through. Check out the video.

Want a detailed explanation of how to do this? Then

Begin in Down Dog holding onto a set of blocks. Keep those blocks stable as you hop both feet forward between your hands. Practice this a couple of times, working on making it all the way in between the blocks. It's very important to work on engaging your abs and pelvic floor to slow down the jump, so you can land as softly as possible (without making a sound).
When you're ready, this time instead of landing on the soles of your feet, you want to land on the tops of your feet. All your soft and slow jumping practice will come in handy here, because if you land too hard, it'll hurt your feet. As you jump from Down Dog, engage your core, bend your knees, point through your toes and land on the tops of your feet ever so gently. To get back to Down Dog, just press into the tops of your feet and pop back (that's my favorite part).
Once you've got that down, this time as you jump forward, you want to cross at your ankles as you land on the tops of the feet. Continue working on engaging your core muscles, which will help to slow this move down and give you more control when you land. Try to keep your knees as close together as possible since eventually they'll need to fit between your arms. Practice this a few times.
Now you're ready for the jump through. You're still going to cross at your ankles and point through your toes, but you're going to jump passed your hands and land in a seated position on your bum. Take it slowly at first because it doesn't take much to get you through. To get back to Down Dog, just bend your knees into your chest, cross at your ankles, press into the blocks to lift your hips off the ground and jump back to Chaturanga (4-Limbed Staff) or straight to Down Dog.

Have fun practicing this jump through. Not only will it work your core and stretch out your hamstrings, but all that jumping will work your heart as well.

Yoga Video: Vinyasa to Cobra

FitSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 11:45:00 PDT

When it comes to yoga, I'm a huge fan of the kinds that use vinyasas, like Ashtanga and Jivamukti, since the vinyasa keeps you moving. Vinyasas are movement transitions that link poses together making your practice like a continuous fluid dance.

I've already shown you how to do a vinyasa between seated postures. Now here's a video to show you how to do a vinyasa to get from a standing pose to one where you're lying flat on your belly, as in Cobra pose.

Music: Mountain Hare Krishna by Krishna Das

Are You Slipping on Your Mat? Try a Rug

FitSugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 13:30:00 PDT

Saying that Ashtanga, Bikram, and Vinyasa yoga classes are sweaty is a bit of an understatement. The room is heated (in Bikram can be over 100°F), and you're moving vigorously, so your body sweats profusely to cool you down. In the first 15 minutes, my entire outfit is soaking wet and little beads of sweat start dripping from my chin. The worst part is that my palms get really sweaty too.

That's great for your body, but not for your practice. There's nothing I hate more than trying to do Down Dog, while my hands and feet are slowly slipping away from each other. You can spend all your time trying not to end up lying flat on your belly, that you can't concentrate on following your breath. I have a solution.

You should try a cotton rug. You can continue using your regular sticky mat, you just lay the rug right over it. It makes a wonderful cushioned surface, which is awesome for poses where your bones are pressing into your mat. Rugs are 100% cotton, which means they are washable and biodegradable. Plus they come in tons of colors. Here are my favorites from Barefoot Yoga Company.

Cotton Rug	Cotton Practice Rug
Cotton Practice Rug	Cotton Practice Rug
Cotton Practice Rug	Cotton Rug
Coton Rug	Cotton Practice Rug
Cotton Rug	Pink and Brown Rug

Fit's Tips: After a sweaty practice, be sure to let your rug completely dry out. Hang it over a door, because if it remains wet, it can start to grow mold which is really disgusting. Pop your rug in the washing machine at least every 3 practices, if not more.

Strike a Yoga Pose: Beginner's Sage

FitSugar — Mon, 27 Aug 2007 04:00:00 PDT

I'm sure you all have your favorite yoga poses. We love ones that help you stretch out and increase your flexibility. Or the ones that help us heal or rehabilitate injured muscles. We also love the ones that relieve tension and stress.

Then there are the poses are all about strength. They're challenging to do, so when you finally get into them, you feel confident, safe, and stable. Sage is one of those poses for me.

Sanskrit Name: (beginner's) Vasisthasana
English Translation: Sage
Also Called: Side Plank

Want to know how to get into this pose? Then

Begin in Downward Facing Dog pose. Step both feet together so your big toes are touching.
Now move your right hand over to the left so it's at the center of your mat (still at the top of your mat).

Roll over to your right side and plant your right heel down so you are balancing on the outside edge of your right foot. You want your left foot to be stacked on top of your left foot with both feet flexed. If this is too hard, bend your left knee and place your left foot flat on the ground in front of your right leg for support.
Reach your left arm up above you and if you can, gaze up at your palm. Engage your right fingertips so you can take some pressure out of your wrists. Stay here for 5 or more deep breaths, trying to keep your core strong and the pose steady.
Now drop your left hand back down and place your right hand back where it was near the top right corner of your mat. Separate your feet so you are in a "top of a push-up" position (what I call Plank). Now take a vinyasa and come back to Downward Facing Dog. Then do the other side.

Source Pants and Tank courtesy of be present

A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Animal Names

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 08:45:00 PDT

When you take a yoga class (especially Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Jivamukti classes), sometimes the instructor will call out the names of the poses in their original language, Sanskrit. Here's a list of some animals in Sanskrit and the poses they're named after. Knowing these Sanskrit words really helped me to remember the names of certain yoga poses.

Baka - crow, crane or wading bird, as in Bakasana (Crow pose)
Bheka - frog, as in Bhekasana (Frog pose)
Bhujanga - snake or serpent, as in Bhujangasana (Cobra pose)
Gomukha - face resembling a cow, as in Gomukhasana (Cow Face pose)
Kapota - dove or pigeon, as in Salamba Kapotasana (Supported Pigeon pose)
Kukkuta - rooster or cock, as in Kukkutasana (Cock pose)
Kurma - tortoise, as in Kurmasana
Matsya - fish, as in Matsyasana (Fish pose)
Mayura - peacock, as in Pincha Mayurasana (Feathered Peacock pose, also called Forearm Stand)
Nakra - crocodile, as in Nakrasana (Crocodile pose)
Svana - dog, as in Adho Mukkha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog pose)
Simha lion, as in Simhasana (Lion pose)
Vatayana - horse, as in Vatayanasana (Horse pose)
Vrschika - scorpion, as in Vrschikasana (Scorpion pose)

Humans were not the first to do yoga. Way back in India, animals were observed in nature, and noted for their particular abilities and accomplishments. To imitate these qualities was considered a high sign of spiritual enlightenment, that's why so many yoga poses are named after animals. Check out this post to see animals doing yoga.

Vinyasa: The Link Between Poses

FitSugar — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:30:00 PDT

Yoga is all about connecting your breath with your body, and vinyasas help that happen. Vinyasas link static yoga poses together, so your practice becomes more of a deliberate, fluid dance instead of just a bunch of random poses thrown together. Vinyasa is a series of 5 movements, kind of like a shortened Sun Salutation. You do a vinyasa between different poses and between the right and left sides of poses as well. Vinyasas are like the glue that holds yoga poses together.

Check out this video to see the flow of the 5 movements.

How did it get its name? To find out,

read more "Vinyasa" is a Sanskrit word that literally means "uniting breath with movement." Each of the 5 movements in a vinyasa is synchronized to an inhale or exhale, and those movements help to make the connection between your breath and your body even deeper. This helps to make yoga more of a moving meditation, by increasing your awareness and ability to focus. Vinyasas also make yoga more challenging, because those 5 movements really work your upper body and core. Vinyasas also enable you to maintain heat, which opens your muscles and allows you to get deeper into poses. Doing a vinyasa between each pose brings the body back to a neutral pose, so you're like a clean slate - ready for the next pose. Here's a simple description of a vinyasa and how the breath is connected to each of the 5 movements:

Inhale - LIFT your feet and hips off the ground.
Exhale - 4-Limbed Staff (Chaturanga) pose.
Inhale - Upward Facing Dog.
Exhale - Downward Facing Dog.
Inhale - Jump your feet through your legs and get ready for the next pose.

Now here's a more descriptive explanation:

Inhale - From a seated position (whichever pose you are doing), plant your palms firmly next to your hips and bend your knees up to your chest. Cross your right leg in front of your left just below the knees (not at the ankles), engage your abdominal muscles and LIFT your feet and hips off the ground.
Exhale - If you can, keep the lift and don't even let your feet touch the ground as you kick them back to Chaturanga. Since that's really tough, try at least to do the LIFT for a moment, then touch your feet to the ground and kick back to Chaturanga.
Inhale - Scoop your chest forward between your arms and come into Upward Facing Dog.
Exhale - Press into your hands and lift your hips up to the ceiling coming into Downward Facing Dog.
Inhale - Look between your hands, bend your knees, jump off the balls of your feet and come into a seated position, ready for the next pose. If you can, you want to try and jump your feet through your hands and land softly on your bum. If that's not happening, take 2 jumps instead of 1. Jump your feet to your hands, then jump your legs in front of you and land on your bum.

You'll do this vinyasa in Ashtanga yoga classes and in other yoga classes too, such as Jivamukti. There's even a style of yoga called "Vinyasa" (also called "Flow"), that involves doing vinyasas between poses, and that's how it got its name. Check out this video of a guy doing the LIFT back to Chaturanga without even touching the ground. Those are some serious core muscles!

A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Basics

FitSugar — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 02:30:00 PDT

When I go to certain yoga classes (especially Ashtanga, Vinyasa, and Jivamukti classes), sometimes the instructors don't demonstrate the postures. They walk around assisting students, and call out the names of the poses - in SANSKRIT! Here's a little lesson so the next time you go to a yoga class like this, you can have more of an idea of what poses you're supposed to be doing.

Asana - "pose," as in Tadasana (Mountain pose)
Urdvha - "upward," as in Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog pose)
Adho - "downward," as in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog pose)
Utthita - "extended," as in Utthita Trikonasana (Extended Triangle pose)
Baddha - "bound," as in Ardha Bada Padmottanasana (Standing Half Bound Lotus pose)
Kona - "angle," as in Supta Konasana (Sleeping Angle pose)
Upavistha - "seated," as in Upavistha Konasana (Seated Angle pose)
Parivritta - "revolved," as in Parivritta Parsvakonasana (Revolved Side Angle pose)
Supta - "sleeping," as in Supta Kurmasana (Sleeping Tortoise pose)
Namaste - A sweet gesture meaning "The light (or spirit) in me greets the light in you." "Namaste" is also a greeting than means hello or goodbye.

So now you'll recognize some Sanskrit words when you take your next yoga class. With a little practice, these words will flow right off your tongue. It's fun to learn the Sanskrit names of poses, but you can still call them by their English names - You won't get in trouble with the Yoga Police.

Source

Type of Yoga	Personality
Bikram	Type A, extreme, over the top, needs discipline, loves heat, loves to sweat, craves order and strictness
Iyengar	Strict, rigid, interested in body alignment, likes to be told the right and wrong way to do things, likes to use props
Kripalu	Easy-going, slow-moving, meditative, spiritual, introspective
Kundalini	Meditative, slow-moving, spiritual, likes to be physically and mentally challenged, likes to focus on breath and chant, interested in the chakras and awakening the energy (kundalini) that resides in the base of the spine
Jivamukti	Spiritual, meditative, creative, likes to move, needs to de-stress, likes to be physically and mentally challenged, likes to chant
Vinyasa	Creative, spontaneous, up for a challenge, likes to move quickly, likes to sweat