Filed under: Yoga Stuff
Perhaps one of the biggest complaints I hear from my students is that they are slipping (sometimes flying) off their mats because of sweaty palms and/or bodily perspiration that has accumulated on the mat. This is especially problematic in the summer, and also for certain styles of yoga like hot yoga or Bikram yoga. Fortunately, there is a product out there that pretty much solves this problem: SKIDLESS by Yogitoes. (more…)
Filed under: Yoga Los Angeles
I’m moving back to Los Angeles in mid-August, and am now officially starting my search for yoga teaching jobs in the greater Los Angeles area. I’m willing to teach classes at a studio, gym, or other similar sort of place, and I’m also available to do private lessons. If any readers of Om Shanti have job leads or can make a referral, I’d really appreciate it. I can be reached at eugene [at] bloomingtonpoweryoga [dot] com.
I have references from some well-known LA-area yoga teachers, as well as past and present students of mine. The only potential hang-up is that I’m not “certified” (but I plan to be by the end of the year). My teaching style and practice are pretty well captured within this site, in my Digital Asana Project videos, the Bloomington Power Yoga website, my Manduka Ambassador profile, and my Flikr photos. I can also provide a short online video demo of my teaching for anyone interested.
Filed under: Digital Asana Project
In an effort to organize the Digital Asana Project videos, I’ve made a separate page (to the left side of the screen, in the “Info” section) where all of the videos can be accessed in one location. I’m organizing the videos according to the following categories:
1. Advanced Transitions and Sequences
2. Inversion and Transition Practice
3. Core Exercises
4. Yoga and Rock Climbing Sequences
Links to all of the Digital Asana Project videos should be up soon.
Filed under: Yoga Musings
I did Bikram yesterday for the first time ever at a nice little studio in Louisville, Kentucky, called Bikram’s Yoga College of India – Louisville. My friend suggested that I try out Bikram since my wrist is still in recovery, and I can’t really do much vinyasa flow these days. (Bikram is ideal for people with wrist problems because you never really place your hands on the floor.) Even though it took us almost two hours to get there, I’m glad I went and finally had a chance to find out what this whole Bikram craze is all about. (more…)
Filed under: Yoga Stuff
Once again, Yogitoes has taken an oldie-but-goodie, the yoga strap, and tried something new with it. They have created something called the ySTRAP, a stretchy yoga strap that provides resistance when you wrap it around your arms or legs. It’s elastic, and it is adjustable, so you can vary the resistance or tension in the strap according to your size and needs. The best poses for this strap, I found, are poses where there is a tendency for your arms to drift apart. For example, this is a useful strap for Pincha Mayurasana, Vrschikasana, Dolphin Pose, Urdvha Dhanurasana, Salamba Sarvangasana, and even Bakasana. One of my teachers likes to use this strap to keep her arms tucked in tight when she does the transition from Bakasana into Handstand, and vice versa.
I didn’t find this strap too useful, however, for some more basic purposes where a traditional strap might be better. In some poses, if you use a strap, you really don’t want any elasticity. For instance, in Utthita Hasta Padangustansa A, if you can’t reach your toes with a straight leg, it’s often nice to compenstate by wrapping a strap around your foot and holding onto the strap with your hand, which allwos you to get your leg straight(er) while maintaining good posture in the upper body. In such a pose, I don’t feel like it’s useful or desirable to have any give or stretch in the strap. In fact, I prefer to have a perfectly inelastic strap for this purpose so that I feel sturdier and more in control of the posture.
Overall: A- The ySTRAP is definitely a useful prop to have in your yoga tool box, but it’s not a necessity by any means. It is something that beginners and more advanced students alike can use, but regardless of your experience level, if you get the ySTRAP, you may find sometimes that the oldie-but-goodie yoga strap is actually better for some functions. Finally, I haven’t used the ySTRAP long enough to say anything about its durability, but from the looks of it, it will last quite a while and can probably withstand some serious use.
Filed under: Yoga News
A study at UCLA confirms that mindfulness and meditation are good for a person’s well-being. What a surprise!
