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Yoga Lingo – Sanskrit Tips Part II
Hello BPY Yogis! Next up on our journey through yoga lingo, I would like to introduce some of the Sanskrit basics when learning yoga posture names. To facilitate understanding the names of poses in yoga, you may find it to be most helpful to gain an understanding of what the root words are that forms the construct of each Sanskrit word or phrase. The names can be broken down into similar categories and then observed how they can be combined. When we see the separate names that combine to create a pose, the logic of how they are formed easily leads to the understanding of other combinations/pose names, for many…
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Yoga Lingo
Have you heard your yoga teacher say something that you were pretty sure was not English? At the time you are desperately trying to stand on one leg and it just doesn’t seem the time to raise your hand and ask. In fact, you are sure you may be the only person that didn’t understand, and you certainly don’t want to call attention to that or the fact that you actually cannot stand on one leg. You get to the end of class and you know you wanted to ask your teacher something…what was it, what was it???? You are not alone….with the struggle to learn yoga’s terminology, balancing on…
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Student Spotlight: Christine Holihan-Boothe
Last week, something weird happened to me in yoga. I was not sure then and I am still not sure now where it came from. Maybe it was the two week break I took to nurse the tendinitis that flared up in my shoulder, maybe it was because it was cheat day and I had spent the day loading up on all of my favorite fatty foods, or perhaps it was the fact that I am a bit fluffy today ( a consequence of cheat day) Whatever the reason, today I allowed my body to break my focus. I did not like what I saw in the mirror today and…
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Walking The Path Towards The Subtle
A few weeks ago I was listening to a radio interview and heard something that I thought was profound. The gentleman being interviewed said that we suffer when we live from a dark place filled with thoughts and emotions like hate, anger, and fear. He said that we also suffer when we live from a place of light and love. The difference is that when we live from a place of light and love we have a greater opportunity to experience the moments of happiness and contentment that we all yearn for. To me, the tools and techniques that we learn in yoga can help us to live in a…
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Common Denominator
When you think everything is someone else’s fault, you will suffer a lot. When you realize that everything springs only from yourself, you will learn both peace and joy.” -The Dalai Lama Love this Dalai Lama quote that focuses on personal responsibility and awareness. We live in a world where we are constantly reminded that everything that happens is someone else’s fault. The stock market crashed because of bad people (Ok, so maybe some research would have been helpful). I’m late to work because of construction (yep, notified in advance). My kids are unruly because of violence on TV (yes, the television does have parental controls and there is this…
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The Road Less Traveled by Cheryl Betten
Take the scenic route… Whenever asked what is my favorite quote, I immediately whip out my favorite Robert Frost poem The Road Not Taken’s ending line: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I – I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” These lines highlight a distinct theme that has run through my life, and as I imagine, like many of you taking the time to read this blog. That theme for me is about choices and about seeing your choices, good and bad, as a learning curve and not a point of no return. Sometimes these choices have been simple in my days, such as…
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The Human Experience by Dave DiSanto
Sharing In The Human Experience Why is it the things that we’re all so vulnerable to talk about are the very same things that make us all so Human? What are we all so afraid of? Perhaps it’s the love, I’m sure it’s the tears. Why are we so hesitant to show one another the bottoms of our feet? Do we think people will only see the dirt and not the soul? At night, do we see only stars and not the Glorious, mysteriously Grand universe all around them as well? Would it be nearly as beautiful if there were only stars… or only darkness? If we meet someone…
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Teach Me To Handstand by Kate Behrend
If you have practiced with me, then you know that I have a passion for being upside down. Truth is, I’ve only been on this inverted journey for 2 years. Despite my years of gymnastics, dance and yoga, I could never stick a handstand. Day after day I would try and fail. Jump up and fall down. Kick higher and crash harder. I was so determined to get it right that I didn’t care how it looked or what it did to my body. Over time, I developed the perception that it just wasn’t something my body could do. Even though I kept trying, I was ultimately fighting a mental…
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BPY Mala Making Workshop
Join Shannon Harty, 500 ERYT to learn the art of mala making or connect with others while practicing your existing mala making skills. Mala making is a very meditative and grounding exercise that allows us to create something beautiful with our hands while finding more ease, balance and peace in our minds and hearts. Shannon will share the sacred practice of beading, knotting, mantra and symbolism that was imparted to her by her mentor and friend, Casey Abley of ‘These Seeds of Love’. Malas have been used in many spiritual and religious traditions as a tool to aid in prayer and/or meditation. Malas, also know as ‘garlands’, consist of 108 beads…
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Savasana – Why can’t I stop thinking?
Just about every class ends in savasana at BPY – which is some version of collapsing on your mat after the end of class. You know, the spot where you start to re-live the argument you had with your spouse before class, where you berate yourself about your performance on your last exam, and oh yea, where you start to wonder if you have enough time to stop for milk after class. A little tongue-and-cheek for sure, but probably pretty relatable to those of you who have just started practicing yoga and even those of us who have been practicing for a long time. Savasana is not as easy as it…
