Category: 30 Days of Yoga

U talkin to – My Body?

Since I had to return home before completing a full 10 days of Anusara thought I'd just complete my comments with some follow-up notes -- about one of my favorite puzzles in yoga practice- the male authority body (as renown teacher "expert") instructing female student bodies. (more…)
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Day 6: Puffing My Kidneys

MS_Anusara_day6.jpgThat's what the yoga instructor said as he called my name in class, "puff your kidneys!" I am still capable of quipping back in a New York minute - "say WHAT?"

Developing a heightened sense of where your kishkas are may come after many years of yoga practice and study, but that instruction had me puzzled for the rest of the class. It's not the first time I've heard it in...
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Day 5: Who Says?!

MS_Anusara_day5.jpgA yoga class can be a place where students, especially female students, may experience issues around authority, self-authority, and their bodies. Certainly I have, when stepping into a class and placing myself onto my yoga mat in front of a yoga teacher I do not know, whom, I hope, will know how to work with my limitations. (more…)
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Day 4: Finding Yourself in Someone Else's World

MS_Anusara_day4.jpgYesterday I was having a casual conversation with a friend about the different schools of yoga. Well, as casual as any conversation can be on this topic with me right now! I started explaining the different approaches and what each school seems to emphasize in the physical postures and he asked, "How do they come up with this? Why would Bikram be all about building strong thighs...

Day 3: One Size Fits No One

MS_Anusara_day3.jpgSo I get that there is no set yoga sequence in Anusara Yoga. Although they seem to favor the upper body balancers and rotating thighs - somehow - still not clear about which direction we're spiraling. The yoga teacher is then responsible for choosing the order of the yoga postures and deciding how long students hold the pose and when to allow rest breaks. So if the teacher has something on his mind,...
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Day 2: Anusara Yoga

MS_Anusara_day2.jpgIt's difficult to explain this, but what keeps me coming back to a particular yoga session or teacher is the overall "tone" of the class, comparable to describing the aftertaste of a good wine or dining experience. The ingredients may all be there but it's in how it's all put together and experienced by the students that makes it effective and memorable. And so far my experience with the Anusara classes is,...
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