Caterpillar Pose at the Farm | Yoga Illustration

As the Autumn Season unfolds we ought to begin to YIN: decelerate, adapt, nurture, yield, contemplate, soften, stabilize, rest, process, listen… Practice Yin Yoga - Paschimottanasana or Seated Forward Bend with a Bolster (Caterpillar Pose) illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend with a Yoga Bolster aka Caterpillar Pose) | Yin Yoga Illustration 
Support yourself with a yoga bolster, support your local farm with your patronage.
Solve every mystery.

The secrets to the universe and, hence, the answers to all of your problems can only be found inside of you, but sometimes a change of scenery is what draws those hidden solutions out. During the Autumn Equinox and Fall Harvest, I find myself spending increasing amounts of time on our Boulder County Farms gathering produce and product, attending events, or volunteering. Local Farms provide us commune with Mother Earth, synchrony with the lifecycles of nature, community with each-other and a remembrance of what it means to be human. 

Crossing the Midline - Vertical Plane | Revolved High Lunge | Yoga Illustration

Integrate your hemispheres by crossing the imaginary line that divides the left and right side of your body in poses such as this Lunge Twist illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Parivrtta Ashta Chandrasana Namaste (Revolved High Lunge Pose with Hands to Heart Center) | Yoga Illustration
Midline crossing (the vertical plane, here) is a regular occurrence in Yoga Practice.

Just as my 1st grader’s teacher is examining and strengthening the class’s ability to cross the midline, I, too, am continuously crossing the vertical plane each AM in yoga in order to fire on all cylinders (rehabilitate my mind), and restore wholeness (reunite my two sides). 

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. 🐜 

Bound Extended Side Angle Pose | Baddha Utthita Parsvakonasana Yoga Illustration

You may not enjoy the pose, but you can own the pose. Bound extended side angle pose illustrated by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum.

Baddha Utthita Parsvakonasana (Bound Extended Side Angle Pose) Yoga Illustration 

Stop tolerating, start owning: holding an uncomfortable yoga position longer than desired is how we practice our gritty life skills in the smooth yoga studio. 

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.) 🎁

Cow Face Pose | Gomukhasana | Brahmacharya Yoga Illustration

Brahmacharya: self-restraint, moderation, and the wise use of your vital energy - away from external desires and compulsive habits! - to move closer to the divine. Gomukhasana, Cow Face Pose, by Astrid Parker Kirschenbaum. 

Gomukhasana (Cow Face Pose) | Brahmacharya Yoga Illustration 

My Brahmacharya: a Shopping Fast*. A Shopping Fast’s greatest attribute is not the financial savings, but reclamation of one’s most precious resource - time. In order to reap this benefit: no browsing (in-person and, especially, online)! 

Cease the useless waste of physical and emotional energy by seriously considering and practicing Brahmacharya, the yogic Yama of restraint. 

*Attempted Shopping Fast; a shopping fast is a personal, ongoing, ambitious objective. 

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.