In my last post I talked about the Chinese New Year Parade and the 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac. I thought it would be fun to see how much overlap there is with yoga – how many of these animals can be found in yoga in some way:
Let’s see:
There is – of course – “Dog”. This is one of the most powerful and effective yoga poses for all sorts of ailments. Somebody once called it the “garlic of Yoga” meaning that it has the potential to cure lots of different things.
As every pose – it has to be done correctly. It is a strong pose and at the beginning it is uncomfortable for many of my students. In some styles of yoga it actually becomes the resting and restorative pose in between other, more demanding poses.
The next animal I can see is the “Snake”, the famous cobra pose in yoga. It is a strong back bend and people seem to either love it or hate it. Done correctly, cobra is a great counterpose for all the forward slumping work we do on the computer. It is also quite invigorating and stimulating, like all backbends.
The rabbit, or hare. There is a ”hare” pose in yoga, it is not as well known as some of the other poses. It helps with headaches and general tension around the head area. I think it is great for mental overload as well. It starts from cat pose, the top of the head gets put gently onto the floor and “massaged” by gently rolling it backwards and forwards on the floor. Make sure there is carpet and don’t put any pressure on your neck!
The horse pose or horse stance looks quite simple – but once you are in it for a while, you will feel your legs starting to shake. Certainly a pose to build strength in your legs. It is similar to a squat but much safer for your knees.
The dragon pose is an extended version of a strong lunge – it is a passive pose held for a long time.
For the ox (or bull) I think we can add the “cowshead” pose, which is one where the hips get a good workout and the arms go into a bit of a twist as well. This one is not very popular with my yoga students.
There is a tiger pose which is a challenging variation of the cat pose. It is called tiger pose because it depicts the mannerisms of a tiger.
The monkey pose or “hanumanasana” has different variations – the advanced version gets you into a full forward split, arms raised up high and slightly back, carrying the world in your hands! There are gentler versions but they still require expert tuition.
The mind is also often referred to as a monkey – being restless, swinging from tree to tree, constantly chattering away and moving. Meditation and relaxation help to tame the monkey!
The rooster pose is an advanced pose which the student gets into from the headstand position. It strengthens wrists, arms and abdomen and is not for the faint hearted and is definitely not a beginners’ pose! I haven’t mastered it…
The only reference I could find referring to yoga pig poses were little porcelain pig ornaments doing various yoga poses. Also, there is come children’s yoga which has farm animals as the basis of the class and of course a pig is one of them. Sorry to disappoint you, but there seems to be no classic pig pose.
That leaves me with the sheep and the rat. Well, Savasana (the classic relaxation pose) incorporates both of these. Savasana will soon stop you from “counting sheep” and it certainly gets you out of the “rat race” – how about that?
Guess what my class will be doing this week? Yoga according to the Chinese Zodiac – how about that?
Till next time,
Connie
Your Yoga Partner
from
http://www.yogainahurry.com
