Yoga Funnies

Yoga Sissies

Last week, on my 40th birthday, we got together and celebrated. Check out my sisters (normally, non-yoginis!) posing with me!

Cathie: Dancer w/strap

Dawn (in back): Tree

Tasha (sitting): Full Lotus 

Me: Eagle

Good job, sissies!

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To a Place Where the Sun Doesn't Shine, I Salute You

We're talking feet here, people! So the other day, I wanted to find out how many Sun Salutations I could physically do before collapsing. I figured if I'm to be a great yogini, this is something I need to know, right? Now, there are many different variations of Sun Salutes-here's the one I used:

Mountain Pose, raise hands over head into slight back bend, swan dive into Standing Forward Bend, Jump into Plank, lower yourself to floor, up into Cobra, push back into Down Dog-stay for 5 breaths, jump to squat, lift rear into Forward Bend, Mountain Pose raising hands over head, hands down to prayer.

Sun Salutes are just a feel good sequence of postures. There's no other way to describe them. With each salute, the body becomes warm, flexible and totally energized. So to end the suspense, you were in suspense, right? I could only do 30 sun salutes. Actually, halfway into number 31, when the sun went down into Plank, it never rose into Cobra! I collapsed onto the floor, pushed back into Child's Pose and stayed there nearly falling asleep.

Okay, here's where the real funny came in. I guess it was a day or two later, I noticed five small calluses on the ball of my right foot forming. They became hard and painful within five days. Embarrassed to tell anyone, I ignored them. Note to self: Don't ignore the feet! I started googling calluses and found out that four of them had become corns, deep, painful calluses with many layers.

I ran to the store and bought an over the counter corn/callus remover, which is basically wart remover, well at least it reeks of wart remover. Obviously, it's an acid, because boy did it burn! making my foot extremely painful. The simple act of walking was unbearable.

Now, you ask yourself, why is this funny? Well, because anyone who makes themselves do Sun Salutes until their feet are cracked into blisters should be laughed at. Note to self: Limit of Sun Salutes 10-15.

To end this funny story, I googled natural remedies for corns & calluses. After soaking my foot in Epsom salts and brewed Chamomile tea once daily, gently washing them with a mild soap w/ a pumice stone and moisturizing them three times daily, the corns are finally beginning to feel better.

Ending this on a happy note, Sun Salutes are one of the most invigorating posture sequences in yoga. Just be careful to take care of the places on your body where the sun doesn't shine!

Namaste'

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Glen Ellen a.k.a. the Canine Yogini

That's not my girl, but isn't he cute! I found his pic online for a calendar featuring dogs doing yoga.


One of these days, I'm going to capture my German Shepherd girl, Glen Ellen, doing Upward Facing Dog and  Downward Facing Dog on camera. She's a pro! I'm always too late with the camera. Well, it could be because as soon as she goes into the postures, I clap and say something like, "Good girl, Glennie! Updog!" The moment she hears my voice, she pops out of posture and leaps up at me, excited that she's a "good girl".

I know. I should just stay silent and have my camera around my neck, with the power on at all times, right? But, it's hard for a yoga girl not to get excited when her dog performs yoga postures. I realize yoga borrowed the names "Up Dog" and "Down Dog" from a dog's natural way of stretching, but it's still cute.