When I practice yoga, my hands sweat. There is no nice way to get around this fact, I have sweaty yoga hands. Now, there is nothing wrong with a little sweat, but when you couple my sweaty hands with a yoga mat for a hour long practice, you have the adult version of a Slip N Slide.
There is a great product out there called Yoga Paws. These are little gloves with actual yoga mat material on the palm of the hand, and it will help you to stick better to surfaces that might otherwise be slippery. These run about $30+ for a set.
I have improvised with weight lifting gloves. I find that those with a suede palm or little rubberized nubs on the palm work best. I have picked them up in stores like Target, KMart and Marshalls.
My husband is a very big fan of Star Wars. In fact our home is an odd blend of his love of Star Wars and my love of Yoga. Of all the Star Wars characters, Yoda is the one who is very much a true yogi. Check out this article by Steven J. Rosen where he writes of how the Jedi is much like the yogi. Interesting!
At a meditation seminar in 2006, Kausthub Desikachar told a story that has stuck with me ever since, I will do my best to retell it here:
Two monks are walking together along a road to get to a festival in a nearby village. A nun was walking along the same road a short distance behind them. Eventually the road came to a river, and the monks needed to get across to the other side. The monks decided that they would need to wade across the river. Nearby on the same river bank stood the nun, who also needed to get across. She called out to the monks asking for their help in crossing the river, explaining that she was unable to swim.
“I am sorry, but we cannot help you, we are forbidden to touch women.” said the first monk and he waded into the river and crossed to the other side. The second monk stood on the river bank listened to the pleas from the nun, asking him to please help her cross. The first monk yelled over to remind the second monk that touching women was forbidden. The second monk went over to nun, put her on his back, and together they waded across the river. Once at the opposite side, he placed her down and she headed off on her way.
The two monks walked in silence together until they reached the festival. It was then that the first monk broke the silence. “I cannot stay silent anymore, you know that we are forbidden to touch women and yet you carried that nun across the river. ” said the first monk.
“Yes, but when I got across the river, I put the nun down and I have not thought of her since. You, my friend, have been carrying the nun all this way.” replied the second monk.
This story reminds us of the importance of letting things go. We need to let go of anger, resentment and hostility. After all, you don’t want to be the one who continues to ”carry the nun” long after others have left her far behind.
Satya, or truthfulness, the second Yama, or restraint, in yogic philosophy. It asks for one to practice truthfulness in their words, actions and thoughts. One must try to live a truthful life without causing harm to others. Some days this may be easier in theory than in practice, but the intention to live a truthful life is a powerful thing.
This is a continuation of the 1938 film of a young BKS Iyengar practicing yoga. Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar, December 14, 1918, in India, is the founder of Iyengar Yoga. He is considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world and has been practicing and teaching yoga for more than 60 years. He has written several books on yoga practice and yogic philosophy, including ”Light on Yoga,” “Light on Pranayama,” ”Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali”, and “Light on Life”.
This is from the same 1938 film that showed Krishnamacharya demonstrating yoga. This film shows Iyengar doing advanced poses that constitute the advanced A& B astanga series. This was filmed before Iyengar dropped the vinyasa aspect from his practice and moved towards a greater emphasis on alignment.
This is a silent film from 1938 showing the great yoga master, Krishnamacharya (1888-1989), demonstrating asana and pranyama. He was the teacher of BKS Iyengar and Sri K. Pattahbi Jois, and father of T.K.V. Desikachar.
You buy your yoga mat, use it and get it broken it so it feels just right. Then you notice (dare I say) a funky smell. Yes folks, your yoga mat needs a bath. When we practice on them daily and eventually our beloved mats need a little TLC.
I recommend using a mild soap (Woolite works great) and toss the mat into the tub with warm water. Lather up the mat, rinse all of the soap off, and hang the mat up to dry. It takes a little time, but it is worth it to have a clean yoga mat. If you practice daily - a monthly wash is a good rule of thumb.
For times when you simply don’t have time for a full wash, you can make your own mat spray with a small spray bottle of water and tea tree oil.
And if you are going for a little luxurious treat, try Jo-Sha Wipes. They come in lavender, peppermint, eucalyptus and tangerine scents and you can give your yoga mat a quick wipe down with them anytime.
Savasana (corpse pose) is about completely letting go in body and mind. The obstacles to experiencing a good Savasana are sleepiness, boredom, mental agitation, and thinking you do not need Savasana. After a yoga practice, savasana is a good way to bring balance back into the body and the mind before we go off and continue the rest of our day. It is important to allow the body and mind to relax in this way … totally letting go. We seldom get that type of release in our daily lives, so savasana can become a wonderful oasis of bliss in our very busy daily life.
Savasana is not sleep, though sometimes we may doze off while in the pose. Sleep is being unconscious and the mind is unaware. In Savasana we are conscious as we experience the relaxation of our mind and our body. We consciously let go of the tensions, the stress, all that we hold on to within the body. We also let go of our thoughts and allow the mind too take a break. All day long the mind is working as we think, plan, work and play. Taking a few minutes in your day to simply “be” rather than silently making up yourgrocery list while laying on savasana … this can make a big difference in the rest of your day.
We can easily be distracted in Savasana by our own thoughts, or by the space around us. As thoughts drift through your mind, simply let them happen. Do not try to linger on any one thought. And as we recognize sounds and sensations in the space around us, trying simply to recognize them and move on. We are not holding on to any thoughts, ideas, or experiences in Savasana. We simply let go.
A friend of mine was getting in his car to leave a busy parking lot. As he starting to back out of his parking space he looked behind him. He stepped on the brakes as he saw that a young woman had begun to walk behind his car. The young woman turned and gave him a scowl to show her disapproval at his lack of awareness. As she continued on her way, my friend noticed a rolled up yoga mat under her arm. As he told the story to me, he said that he had hoped she was on her way TO yoga class. Because if she was coming FROM yoga class … it obviously had not worked.
