The butterfly metamorphosis is truly one of nature’s most miraculous events. As a caterpillar voraciously nourishes its body in order to grow and change, it molts and lets go of old layers. Sound familiar? We too nourish our bodies in our yoga practice. By inhaling oxygen, we nourish cells. And then we let go of the parts of the air…
Being fully present in the moment is the greatest gift you can offer yourself and others. We humans are wired to seek and thrive in connection with one another, to feel the experience of our life having purpose and meaning, and to emit joy flowing effortlessly through us. The most potent way you can gift yourself and others the felt…
In yoga, the final resting pose in every class is one where you are guided to just be. To be still and allow your body a chance to integrate the blessings of the practice, to find stillness inside your head. The original intention of the asana practice was to wear out the body and quiet the mind enough to be…
A student recently asked if yoga was good for vision and continued to share with me that each time she attends class after work and changes clothes in her company’s ladies locker room (yes, Hunter Engineering is incredibly wise), she needs her glasses to read the lock. Then after the hour of breathing, strengthening and stretching together, she consistently sees…
…OUT OF MY YOGA FABRIC So you rented a yoga towel for class and when you were down-dogging you noted a slightly pungent aroma wafting from its surface. You try to place the smell and decide it’s reminiscent of your boyfriend’s (insert sport) jock and uniform stench. Now how are you supposed to focus on the zen quality of the…
Ogayay in Pig Latin, the word yoga has Indo-European roots. Many yogis learn that the word yoga is translated from the Sanskrit word yuj or yug, which means “to yoke.” But did you know it has its root word in common with other words like: jugular, conjugal and zygote? These are all derived from yug as well. So yug means…
The mountain ranges surrounding the Valley of the Sun called to him in the early 80s. Those hills held possibility. A lifelong hobbiest, Dad spent my tweenish years prospecting for gold in the foothills of Arizona. Trekking to n’er before trampled soils to dig in, exploit, strike it rich. Perhaps this is where my inner explorer got nourished. Building campfires…
Why do yoga teachers use a language 1000s of years old? Sanskrit is no longer used as a spoken language, yet this oldest language on Earth is still prominent in Yoga classes. Attend enough Yoga classes in various locations, and you will likely arrive in a class some day where the teacher uses only the Sanskrit title to describe the posture…
(originally appeared in the Terrain Magazine‘s Life Outside Festival guidebook.) By Debby Siegel, MSA, RYT You know you want to, but you have yet to begin practicing yoga. You’re breathing, right? Great. Then, you’ve got everything you need! You don’t have to be flexible or able to stand on your head. Nor do you need to chant or know Sanskrit.…
BY DEBBY SIEGEL, MSA, RYTPHOTO BY MICHELLE THOMAS Upward Facing Dog is a backbending option in the four part Chaturanga flow, or vinyasa flow series, practiced multiple times in most vinyasa yoga classes. To find Up Dog, begin lying on your belly with your forehead on the floor and your feet hip-width apart and parallel, toes extended straight back from…
