Awkward Pose | Utkatasana on Tip Toes Yoga Illustration

Awkward pose on tip toes demands enhanced balance, stability and strength. We build these qualities in the Bikram or Hot Yoga studio in order show up mightily for our fellow mortals off of the mat. Utkatasana Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Mighty Utkatasana (Awkward Pose) on Tip Toes | Yoga Illustration 

We are here to serve, not to be served. 

Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose | Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana Yoga Illustration

HOT YOGA is your FACIAL 😊. Sweat for beauty in Bikram Yoga. Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana, Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose, illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum .

Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana (Standing Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose) | Yoga Illustration 

The Post-Yoga Glow is not a myth 😉.

Shoulder Stand | Sarvangasana Yoga Illustration

Yoga for hair health! Increase blood flow and refresh blood quality to the scalp with inversions. Shoulderstand illustration by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) | Yoga Illustration 
‘Mother of All Asanas’ by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum 

Yoga takes care of it all - even your tresses. For an enviable mane - head to your yoga studio to recalibrate your hormones, lower your stress, invert your blood flow (stretch your heart muscles), massage your head (rejuvenate your brain) and your ‘coat’ will surely show it. Also, the yogis know all of the natural tricks long before they become mainstream (Castor Oil, Scalp Massagers…) hang out at the Shala long enough and you’ll be sure to pick them up. 

Waterfall Pose with Block | Viparita Karani Yoga Illustration

Yoga is your facelift. Viparita Karani (Waterfall) or any pose where your heart is higher than your head will induce blood flow for a beautiful glow. Illustration by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Viparita Karani (Waterfall Pose with a Block) | Yoga Illustration 
Place a block under your sacrum and let the facial magic happen. ✨ 

Inversions lift the spirits and your face; reverse gravity and turn back time with Yoga. 

Wheel Pose | Chakrasana Yoga Illustration

In Yoga we aren’t working with principals and ideals, but physical experiences and tangible results. One-Legged Upward Facing Bow Pose (Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana) illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Chakrasana or Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana (Wheel Pose, One Legged Upward Facing Bow Pose) | Yoga Illustration 
Satya, Truth and Ahimsa, Non-harming: two of the five Yamas, Ethical Rules.

Yoga: action and results, not just theory. 

Goddess Pose on Tip Toes | Utkata Konasana Yoga Illustration

Slender, lean, and light is a mindset; yoga gives you that mindset. Goddess Pose has infinite arm variations, illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Utkata Konasana (Goddess Pose) | Yoga Illustration 
Lift the heels, dance the arms.

Yoga resets your original settings, which include healthy, active, carefree and open. 

Eight Angle Pose | Astavakrasana Yoga Illustration

Compose complex yoga poses (such as Eight Angle Pose), not a complex life. Astavakrasana Illustration by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Astavakrasana (Eight Angle Pose) | Yoga Illustration 

So many Labor Day sales - Hesitating? Purchase nothing. Newness is not the answer. More is not better. 

Revolved Low Lunge Hands to Heart Center Dancer | Anjaneyasana Namaste Yoga Illustration

Always a new and interesting experience each and every yoga class; as below where a low lunge becomes a twist, backs up into a hamstring dance, and finally a multiple angled geometric shape… Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Anjaneyasana Twist (Revolved Low Lunge) Namaste | Yoga Illustration
Ears and eyes open; curiosity is the key. 

There would be no yoga happening for me without the studios. I can say this with certainty as I took the Summer off from classes and nary an intentional asana occurred for three months. 

I also missed the camaraderie - whence I attempted to return to Pilates the studio had moved over the break and now I’m surprising myself by deliberating driving the extra miles (in the pre-sunrise hours) to the new spot. 

Surfer Lunge | Skandasana Yoga Illustration

Movement stretches you from the outside in, while breath stretches you from the inside out. Sultry Skandasana, or Surfer’s Low Lunge, illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Skandasana (Surfer Lunge) | Yoga Illustration 

Breakable | Yoga Ballerina Illustration

Shatter your self-image and worldly perceptions in yoga: be breakable. Illustration by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Elegant, soft, fluid | Dance Your Yoga | Ballet Style | Ballerina Illustration

“Unbreakable” read the woman’s shirt next to me in my weight lifting class this AM, which made me ponder: what adjectives do I aspire to through my yoga? Graceful, poised, fluid, flexible, versatile, supple, compassionate, soft, warm, glowing, radiant… quite dissimilar from unbreakable. 

Thunderbolt Pose | Vajrasana Yoga Illustration

Sitting in Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose) with your sits bones on your heels, your knees together or comfortably aligned, and big toes touching or slightly crossed should be natural and casual when the body performs as it was originally created to function. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose) | Yoga Illustration 

Yoga will re-gift to you the freedom and ease in your body that you were born to enjoy. 

Easy Pose | Sukhasana Yoga Illustration

Sukhasana, also known as Easy Pose or Seated Meditation with Kubera, Manifestation, Mudra, is truly life’s best practice. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Sukhasana (Easy Pose) with Kubera Mudra for wealth, goal setting and supreme confidence. | Yoga Illustration

Take it EASY and you sincerely can have it all, maybe just not all at once.

Hand to Big Toe Pose with a Yoga Strap | Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana Yoga Illustration

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana, also known as Hand To Big Toe Pose, is a rigorous standing balance using a yoga strap for support, alignment and precision. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana (Hand to Big Toe Pose) with Yoga Strap | Yoga Illustration 

Every school year it’s a bit of a starting over - even at our smaller Waldorf where the pedagogy is consistent, we keep the same teacher through many grades, the classrooms are very similar, and families are often on campus - for the children, the teachers and the parents. 

It’s also a new beginning in the yoga studio after the Summer away; and it’s both a pleasure and a challenge reacquainting with my own body again and again…

Upward Facing Dog Pose | Urdhva Mukha Svanasana Yoga Illustration

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana, also known as Upward Facing Dog Pose, will reduce fatigue, lift the mood, and upgrade your posture. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Urdhva Mukha Svanasana (Upward Facing Dog Pose with a Playful Backbend: Foot-to-Head) | Yoga Illustration 

We never know what’s possible unless we keep showing up.

Downward Facing Dog Pose | Adho Mukha Svanasana Yoga Illustration

In Adho Mukha Svanasana, also known as Down Dog Pose, prioritize a straight, long spine and draw your navel up and in - can your navel kiss your spine? Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog Pose) | Yoga Illustration.

🎒 Pack your bags, pick your outfit - ready or not, school is in session. 🍎 

Standing Forward Fold Pose | Uttanasana Yoga Illustration

In Uttanasana, also known as Standing Forward Fold Pose, lift through the arches of your feet. Your drishti should be between the shins or - for more yin - eyes closed. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Uttanasana (Standing Forward Fold) | Yoga Illustration 

🌈  Rainbows of gray; Grays in nature reflect infinite colors. 🦄 

Ragdoll Pose | Baddha Hasta Uttanasana Yoga Illustration

In Baddha Hasta Uttanasana, also known as Ragdoll Pose, hook your hands in the crooks of your bent elbows and nod your head yes and no. This Dangling Variation will increase your energy later in the day. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Baddha Hasta Uttanasana (Dangling Forward Fold or Ragdoll Pose) | Yoga Illustration.

With a teenager, a toddler, two ‘graders’ in-between, and - of course - a husband… I must forward fold (block out the world for a few hours!) during inevitable bouts of burnout. 

Low Plank Yogi Push-Up | Chaturanga Dandasana Vinyasa Yoga Illustration

Modify Chaturanga Dandasana Vinyasa, also known as Low Plank or Yogi Push-Up flow, your particular way. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Chaturanga Dandasana Vinyasa (Low Plank or Yoga Push-Up Flow) | Yoga Illustration 

Get out into the world and collaborate with your fellow humans to realize and exercise your talents; skills shine in nearly any context. 🏴‍☠️

Four Limbed Staff Pose | Chaturanga Dandasana Yoga Illustration

Engage your core in Chaturanga Dandasana, also known as Four Limbed Staff Pose, Low Plank or Yogi Push-Up, to fortify your shoulders while building upper arm and forearm length and strength. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Chaturanga Dandasana (Four Limbed Staff Pose, Low Plank, Yogi Push-Up) | Yoga Illustration 

Big, long exhilarating days are best executed with a bouncy hairstyle, tanned skin, and a fancy, functional uniform. 

Eka Pada Dhanurasana | One Legged Bow Pose Yoga Illustration

Backbend, twist, stretch, and strengthen in Eka Pada Dhanurasana, also known as One Legged Bow Pose, with an opposite foot hold variation. Illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Eka Pada Dhanurasana (One Legged Bow Pose) | Yoga Illustration 

 Back-to-school requires backbending, twisting, stretching and strengthening!