Philosophy – Yoga Sutras

Back in the US,  I was invited to attend a weekly yoga sutra reading hosted by my former yoga instructor, Steven.    The idea was to read the “Yoga Sutras” and discuss the passages in a very laid back enviroment.  I was able to attend to only two meetings; however, I made the point to read [...]

Did you know…

My initial idea for this post was a “Day of Body and Soul”.  I was ready to share some ideas about the perfect yoga day… Ashtanga Yoga by the pool, followed by a nice brunch.  All in the company of great friends.  To complement the post, I wanted to share a Puertorrican recipe but I was struggling [...]

Lesson Plan – Special Class

Introduction (Name and Questions to participants related to injuries) Start with 3 depth breaths and 3 AUMs. Warm Up (10 minutes) Rotation of neck, Rotation of arms and wrist, Rotation of hips and legs, Rotation of torso  Guided Surya Namaskar A ( 5 times) and Surya Namaskar B ( 5 times) (10 minutes) Standing Poses [...]

Yoga Philosophy – Yogic Diet

According to yoga philosophy, yogis should follow a lacto vegetarian diet.   In a nutshell, it is a vegetarian diet that includes dairy products but excludes eggs.                                                                             The dilemma…. Although there are several reasons to follow a vegetarian diet (e.g., physical, spiritual and psychological), the reality is that for many yoga practitioners a complete vegetarian diet may not [...]

Anatomy – Padmasana

Almost 4 weeks and I am still unable to easily get into a comfortable Padmasana.    My knees and ankles are in “pain”, where is the problem?  Padmasana (Lotus Pose) is the quintessential yoga pose.  It is the starting position for a variety of poses such Kukkutasana, Mathsyasana and my personal favorite: Garbha Pindasana.  More important, it is [...]

Utkatasana: Maybe not the most comfortable Chair!

Utkatasana - ( pronounciation: OOT-kah-TAHS-anna) Utkatasana is commonly referred to as “chair pose” since it resembles a person seating in an invisible chair ; however, to understand the depth of this pose, is important to understand the meaning behind the name.  “Utkatasana” is derived from the Sanskrit words: “Utkata” which means “fierce”, “powerful”, “uneven” and “Asana“, which mean [...]