Author Archives: thinkfirst

Dandasana – Staff pose

Posted on August 28, 2012 by thinkfirst

Danda means staff or stick in Sanskrit. A staff has the meaning of support. The musical staff supports and identifies the notes in a piece of music. The staff in an office or school are the people that support the … Continue reading →

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Matsyasana – Fish pose

Posted on July 25, 2012 by thinkfirst

We have seen this fish before in our study of the myths behind the yoga postures. Its the same fish that pulled the ark and saved the few sages from the great deluge.

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Shalabhasana – Locust

Posted on July 9, 2012 by thinkfirst

Shalabha is locust in Sanskrit. There isn’t a Hindu mythological story about the locust but there is a Biblical story about a plague of locust. The only useful thing I could find about the locust is that some cultures eat … Continue reading →

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Shiva, the Cosmic Dancer

Posted on June 25, 2012 by thinkfirst

Dancing is not necessary for life. Because life is dancing. Ataturk Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made. — Ted Shawn Dancing is the first and last word in life. … Continue reading →

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Your Brain on Yoga

Posted on June 14, 2012 by thinkfirst

Welcome to the online version of our 2012 yoga retreat: Your Brain on Yoga.

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Vasisthasana – pose dedicated to Sage Vasistha

Posted on June 12, 2012 by thinkfirst

The featured pose for this week is a challenging arm balance, the side plank. All of the postures that are named after sages are very difficult. Just like the path to become a wise teacher or sage is rigorous and … Continue reading →

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Hindu Ark story

Posted on May 23, 2012 by thinkfirst

Navasana or boat pose is the featured pose today. Nav in Sanskrit is a ship or sailor. The most famous ship worldwide in history is that ship that saved mankind from the flood. This deluge story can be found in … Continue reading →

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Bakasana – Crane Pose

Posted on May 22, 2012 by thinkfirst

The Baka in Hindu mythology comes from a story in the epic Mahabharata. Baka or crane is the disguise for a forest ogre inhabiting the forest where 5 brothers are exiled.

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Makarasana: Dolphin carries us safely

Posted on April 23, 2012 by thinkfirst

This myth is not found in our regular text Myths of the Asanas, but there is a story about the dolphin in Hindu mythology, so I will tell you about it. I discovered it after finding a picture of the … Continue reading →

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Vishnu, Brahma, Shiva in yoga mythology

Posted on April 12, 2012 by thinkfirst

Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva come into play often in our yoga stories so in this post I will give a little detail about these three characters. I do not consider myself an expert in Hindu culture, literature, or philosophy, so … Continue reading →

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