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Raise Your Voice and Lift Your Heart: Chanting Music
I am a fan of Kirtan, aka chanting using Sanskrit mantras. It is great way to meditate, relax your body and mind, and uplift your mood by opening your heart. I know that sounds a bit "wop-woo," but it is true.
A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Counting
The thing I love about Ashtanga yoga classes is that they are the same every time you go. Same poses, same order, same amount of breaths in each pose, and the class is always an hour and a half. There are no surprises, so you always know what to expect.
A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Animal Names
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.
A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Body Parts
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 body parts in Sanskrit, so you can get familiar with them. Knowing these Sanskrit words really helped me to remember the names of certain yoga poses.
Vinyasa: The Link Between Poses
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.A Little Sanskrit Lesson: Basics
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.
Opening Your Heart With Kirtan
Meditation may not come easy to a lot of people - trying to sit still and quiet may prove to make you cranky, irritable, and uncomfortable.
Kirtan might work better for your personality. Without the work of mentally quieting the mind, kirtan can carry us effortlessly to a place of quiet stillness.
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Strike a Yoga Pose: Intense Side Stretch
For all you runners and bikers with tight hamstrings, this is the pose for you. It's one of my favorite stretches to target the backs of the legs, but it'll also give you a nice stretch on the sides of your body, as well as your chest and shoulders.
Sanskrit Name: Parsvottanasana
English Translation: Intense Side Stretch Pose
Also Called: Scissor
To learn how to do this pose read more
Strike a Yoga Pose: Staff
Some yoga poses require flexibility like Tortoise, some are all about your strength like Scissor Legs Side Crow, and some demand extreme balance like Headstand Scorpion. Then there are poses that don't call for much but your stillness and attention to breath.
Sanskrit Name: Dandasana
English Translation: Staff Pose
Also Called: Stick
To learn how to do this simple pose read more
Strike Yoga Pose: Locust
We've talked about some extremely challenging variations of Locust pose such as Inverted Locust where you're balancing on your shoulders and chin, and Locust Scorpion where your feet are touching your head. Now let's take it down a notch and do plain old Locust pose. It's a great way to tone the muscles in the back of your body.
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