Silence is Bliss: Daily Nap | Savasana Yoga Illustration

I Savasana (in the Surya, sun when available) for one hour midday after lunch, as I am in the glorious habit of awaking at 5am for sunrise yoga. Sweet, long Corpse Pose illustration by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Savasana (Corpse Pose) | Yoga Illustration
In my household I am first to rise and last to bed, so I relish a long nap nearly daily!

Turn off the podcast (shut the book, cap the ice tea), lower your eyelids and TUNE IN.

Plow Pose | Halasana Yoga Illustration

In Plow Pose the peaceful magic begins after two minutes of sustaining the position. Long hold Halasana illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Halasana (Plow Pose) | Yoga Illustration 
A serene mind will result if you can stay tranquil in this pose for an extended period.

Yoga is a conversation with yourself. 

Seated Straddle Pose | Upavistha Konasana Yoga Illustration

Tilt the pelvis to neutralize the spine; for this pose to be remotely possible, I sit on the edge of a cushion or folded blanket and tip my tailbone up before hinging forward. Seated Wide Angle Forward Bend Illustration by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Upavistha Konasana (Seated Wide Angle Forward Bend) | Yoga Illustration 

At ages 40 to 50 we are at the peak and in the refinement process of the Grihastha, Householder stage of life (25 years to 50 years) where career, marriage, home and society is the ultimate testing ground for the soul! Enter KarmaYoga - selfless action. We cannot pause life for spirituality, so we treat our duties as sacred and labor passionately without attachment to the fruits. Under the crushing weight of responsibility we set ourselves free. 🐜 

Seated Meditation | Dhyana Mudra Asana | Yoga Illustration

Solve all of your problems with yoga! Dhyana Mudra Asana (Seated Meditation with the triangular, inner-peace, hand gesture) by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Dhyana Mudra Asana | Seated Meditation | Yoga Illustration 
Hands make a triangle.

FYI: The unlimited yoga benefits are equally enjoyed by yogis with a limited pose repertoire. 

Side Stretch | Ballet Barre Illustration

Come and get your humility at the yoga studio! Side stretch at the ballet barre illustration by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Side stretch at the ballet barre illustration.

By practicing yoga regularly we aim to accept ourselves exactly as we are, in order to accept others exactly as they are (and the world exactly as it is.) 🎁

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. 

True ~ Tadasana Namaste

Tadasana Namaste 🙏 

Stay true to you. 💜

Unperturbed ~ Janu Sirsasana

 

Janu Sirsasana - Head to Knee Pose

Unperturbed (by the trendy societal madness!) by having cultivated your inner (garden) life. 🙉

No FOMO ~ Warrior 2 Pose

 

Virabhadrasana II - Warrior 2 Pose
FOMO free 🌞 

In the Summertime activities are optional. 

Striving ~ Triangle Pose

Trikonasana - Triangle Pose with blocks

Surprisingly (because of the affluence) or not (because of the nature) spending time in extra, extra Aspen, Colorado is teaching me non-striving.

Deprogrammed ~ Half Pigeon

Ardha Kapotasana - Half Pigeon Pose

Deprogram - unlearn, reset  - the programming - indoctrination, conditioning - with yoga. 

Consideration - Yin Pigeon 🐦

Kapotasana - Pigeon Pose with bolster 🐦 

Am I ‘taking others into consideration’ or am I consumed with what they think… 🤔 

DUH ~ Padangusthasana

Padangusthasana - Toe Stand Pose

APARIGRAHA - LET GO of wanting anyone to be anything other than who they are. DUH!!!

Baddha Hasta ~ Bound Hands

Sukhasana Baddha Hasta - Easy Pose Bound Hands

Unite with the divine daily by: taking care of and committing to what (who) is right in front of you. 

Everyday Anew ~ Three-Legged Down Dog

Tri Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana - Three-Legged Downward Facing Dog
Both its own active stretch and a transition.

After an entire school year of commitments that seemingly filled every waking (and often sleeping) moment of my time, I welcome these big, wide, vacant days and the extravagant option to leave them void.

Lavender Fields ~ Headstand Variation

Sirsasana ~ Headstand variation 
To safeguard my neck, I typically headstand with tripod arms.

When I was growing up, the day school ended my family and I flew (fled?) to the French Riviera and returned to the USA only after the school supplies had - much to my dismay - run out at the American stores. Summer was not filled with planned activities or camps or playdates but with open-ended European road trips and unhurried, unstructured, seemingly endless days chez nous en Provence. 🪻🪻🪻

With my four petites being ages 3-13, it is likely not prudent to emulate this relaxed, improvisational, détendue, and highly unAmerican protocol, but I am going to give it a shot. I will let you know how it goes...

Yoga Habit

For a behavioral habit - do it even though you don’t want to.

A clothing ‘habit’ is often long and loose.

Habit - a distinctive garment worn to signify a person’s affiliation with a specific group, profession or purpose. 

It is time I return to an all black (+ dark grey) habit for yoga… the stunning woman beside me this morning looked flawless and serene in her entirely ebony, austere uniform (and always does.) 🖤🖤🖤

Enoughness ~ Triangle Pose

Utthita Trikonasana - Triangle Pose

What is your Enough? Dis-cover Un-conditional enoughness through daily yoga. 

Tool Box ~ Supta Padangusthasana

 

Supta Padangusthasana - Reclined Hand-To-Big-toe Pose 

There is always more to learn. 

Soft-Test ~ Vakrasana

 

Vakrasana - Twisted Pose
Soft, relaxed version.

Accomplish difficult tasks with a light touch.