How Lotion Helped My Supta Vajrasana, and Other Tips...

Supta Vajrasana is on my list of poses that are "coming". Practice, practice but still my elbows refuse to slide over each other. As a result, I always let go of my bind. One day, for reasons based on vanity, I placed lotion on my arms before practice. And lo and behold! My elbows slid over each other and I held my bind! *dance of joy*

This little miracle inspired me to list other tips and tricks, learned from my wonderful teachers and from our beautiful yoga community.

Eka Pada Sirsasana and Dwipada Sirsasana
Women with long hair will have a bit of help in these poses. When putting a leg behind the head, a ponytail can help keep the leg in place instead of having the leg slide up over the neck.

Urdhva Mukha Paschimattanasana
After rolling up on your sitbones, keep eyes gaze firmly on the toes. Keep them there as you move your hands to the heels of your feet. This will keep you steady on your sitbones for the 5 counts.


Lagu Vajrasana
As you bring your head to the floor, keep your intention on mulabandha and manipura (navel chakra). Also keep your gaze on your nose. Big inhale, then engage navel and mulabandha when coming up. 


Bakasana
Keep your gaze about a foot or two away from your nose. Since the floor is a vast monochromatic expanse, I sometimes put a clip or a hairpin in front of my mat to make sure my gaze is fixed at one point.


Happy practice!

Mummy Musings

As a mother to a willful 2-year old, here are some things I cannot do without

• Moist wipes
• 2-piece puzzles
• Sticker books
• iPad
• Yoga

In the craziness created by breastfeeding, sleepless nights and household responsibilities yoga has kept me sane. Prenatal yoga kept me from sinking into a black hole of boredom during the 9 moths of pregnancy. Hatha yoga one month after delivery helped me rediscover my body. Ashtanga yoga two months hence helped me develop my confidence and my strength.


Yoga can be many things to many people. In my case, it gives me a peaceful retreat in the midst of a riotous existence. When I get on the mat, there is nothing but me and my breath and the endless possibilities that exist in between. 


Yoga has reaffirmed my identity as  woman. I was not just a housekeeper or a caretaker or a milk source. When the tummy was sagging, the eyebags were darkening and the once-carefree girl was nowhere to be found, yoga helped me get my spark back. 


For that, I am forever grateful.

My Ashtanga Playlist

On days when I wake up too late to catch a class, or when I simply want to practice alone, my companions are my mat, my towel and my iPod. 

I find that a great playlist can mean the difference between a ho-hum practice and an inspired one. Here's what's on my Ashtanga Playlist (best played on Shuffle mode)

• Baba O'Riley by The Who
• Bullet with Butterfly Wings by Smashing Pumpkins
• Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It) by Beyonce
• Good Girls Go Bad by Cobra Starship
• Teenage Dream by Katy Perry
• Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds
• When We Were Young by the Killers
• Crazy on You by Heart
• Cherry Lips by Garbage
• War Pigs by Faith No More
• Paint It, Black by The Rolling Stones
• Elevation by U2
• Sabotage by Beastie Boys
• Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd
• John the Fisherman by Primus
• Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz

          (and more songs that betray my age...)

Purists may think that only New Age music or recorded chantings are appropriate when doing your sadhana. Some even think silence is required. But so what if I listen to Guns n Roses' greatest hits while sweating through the standing series? In the end, I finish my practice, happy and contented. And I guess that's what counts :)

Hair-asana

Ladies with layers. Chicks with ponytails. Justin Bieber. How do you manage your hair during practice?

Shaggy hair in Urdhva Mukha Paschimattanasana.
Photo courtesy of Manuel Ferreira

Pigtails coming out of Supta Kurmasana.
Photo courtesy of Eileen Grey

I have tried and tested many hair accessories to keep my shag in place during practice. It is quite annoying to have to swat away sweaty strands of hair each time you come out of a pose. 

Some products I've used:

Lululemon Slipless Headband

Stays in place most of the time but sometimes falls off during Prasarita Padottanasana A B C D. Available at lululemon.com ($12.00)

Image from lululemon.com

Prana Wide Headband

Wonderful for keeping those Anna Wintour bangs out of your face. Thin enough to keep on during Headstands. Unfortunately it slips off during the more vigorous parts of practice. Available at Certified Calm.

Image from nationaloutdoors.net

Hairpins

This is the cheapest yet most effective solution I've found. It is unobtrusive, it keeps my hair in place and it can, through strategic placement, tame even the most unruly hair. Just make sure you don't stab yourself in the skull when you get into Headstands.

Next question, what to do with your ponytail during Chakrasana? 

Yogi Toes

Every time I go in for a pedicure, I have to endure my nail technician's look of horror.  "Miss, what happened to your toes?!"

To be precise, my big toes and the underside of my feet are not Vogue cover material. Daily practice has skinned the area beneath my toes and callused the balls of my feet. There was even a time when I had skinned right through to raw skin <ouch!>. 

Feet in Kurmasana. Photo courtesy of Manuel Ferreira

Walking on cut skin forced me to find a solution. I started taping my toes.

The trick was finding a tape strong enough to keep together during jump-throughs yet flexible enough to roll with my toes during transitions from Chaturanga to Upward Dog to Downward Dog.

Found Cramer Athletic Tape while randomly browsing through a sports store. Started using them, and 6 rolls later my toes have regained some of their former skin layers.

Taping up before practice. Photo courtesy of Manuel Ferreira

For those in the US or with easy access to international shipping, Cramer Athletic Tape can be found in Sports Authority. ($5.99 for a 2-pack)

* Ran out of Cramer Tape. I went into Toby's and found Kindmax Sport Therapy Tape (Php 395.00). A little flimsier but works just as well.

Crazy Breathing

To anyone with the free time to visit this blog, welcome.


If you are looking to peek into someone's philosophical or spiritual musings, then hit the Back button, buddy, because this blog ain't for you.


This blog is dedicated to the fun and frivolous side of yoga. After all that ujjayi breathing, I often come up with random questions, humorous realizations and crazy quips. Hope you have a good read.


Shanti-Om, folks!

Image from etsy.com