Yoga is touted as providing all sorts of health and wellness benefits. Lately, I’ve noticed yoga being included as part of the ever popular “anti-aging” movement, with people making all sorts of amazing claims about yoga’s ability to slow or even reverse the process of aging. The funny thing, though, is that the underlying premise of “anti-aging” …
The other day, I experienced one of those “ah-ha” moments when you realize that something fundamental has shifted in your yoga practice. I was chatting with another student (let’s call him “Bob”) in the men’s locker room, and I asked him about a teacher who had recently been subbing for a class that we both …
Last weekend, I lost one of my contact lenses. This is a serious problem for me, because I am functionally blind without contacts or glasses. The only pair of glasses I own has a very old prescription, so wearing them for more than thirty minutes or so gives me a raging headache. As I wait …
Since moving to Chicago last fall, I’ve taken a lot of yoga classes at a lot of different studios. As you might expect, these classes have varied wildly in terms of the quality of instruction. Some have been wonderful, most have been pretty average, and a few have been, well, just plain bad. The other …
As part of my attempt to “go beyond asana” this year, I’ve been trying to practice and learn more about pranayama (yogic breathing exercises). Luckily for me, one of my teachers is also into pranayama and he’s been incorporating about five minutes of breathwork into most of his classes lately. Of course, if you practice …
Over the past several months, I’ve reviewed some popular yoga books here on Om Shanti. These reviews were fairly conventional in their style and format — i.e., I provided a basic overview of the book, without revealing too much, and mentioned a few things about each book that I liked. The next book on my reading list, …
Body is the bow, asana is the arrow, and the soul is the target. B.K.S. Iyengar Continue reading
The other day, I showed up to yoga without any pants. Well, I was wearing pants at the time — Dickies to be exact — but I forgot to bring my yoga pants so I had nothing to change into. With only five minutes ’til class, I decided to purchase some yoga shorts from the retail … Continue reading
I recently completed one of the most grueling and time-intensive projects of my entire life. For most of 2013, I was in pre-production on an experimental film, a process that included months of rehearsals with an ensemble cast, the construction of an elaborate set, and then several weeks of filming in January. This project was … Continue reading
My yoga teacher here in Chicago has a unique way of expressing himself, especially when it comes to imparting bits of insight and wisdom. To the casual observer, he might sound like Yoda, the sagacious character from Star Wars who counsels Luke Sykwalker. But with my yoga teacher, as with Yoda, there’s much more to … Continue reading
Here’s a great article and video from Yahoo! Finance on Lululemon’s “Man Problem”. Lululemon’s brand is so tied up with yoga, and yoga is so strongly associated with women, that any yoga-centric brand is going to have a really difficult time connecting with men. So this is not really Lululemon’s problem, per se, but a … Continue reading
In my life outside of yoga, I’m a filmmaker and producer. I’m currently in the middle of casting my next project, and as I go through all the headshots and resumes, I’m noticing that quite a few actors list yoga as one of their “skills”. Here’s an excerpt from one actor’s resume: Special Skills and … Continue reading
Yoga can be exhilarating, uplifting, even magical at times. But if you practice long enough, eventually you’re going to find yourself in a yoga rut. What does this look/feel like? Well, one clear indication that you’re in a yoga rut is that you find your practice plateauing or even regressing. Every time you step on … Continue reading
Congrats – you’ve had your epiphany and you’ve figured it out! You struggled, anticipated and deliberated. But you have now found it. It is your dharma. It is your absolute calling. You wonder why the universe waited so long to tell you, but you feel at peace that it has happened now. YOU will open … Continue reading
This month on Om Shanti, we’re giving away the Manduka PRO Black Mod. This is a limited edition mat featuring a unique two-tone design, as well as a few other improvements to the classic Black Mat that we all know and love. I like to think of the Black Mat as the Cadillac of yoga mats. Manduka … Continue reading
I just learned of a new exhibit coming to the Smithsonian this fall: Yoga: The Art of Transformation. It looks like this is going to be an amazing, first-of-its-kind exhibition covering the vast history and art of yoga. They’re currently trying to raise some additional funds to support all the various programs and displays, so please consider … Continue reading
Om Shanti: A Yoga Blog 