When I first saw someone do a shoulder stand in yoga class, I immediately knew I had to work my way towards it. In time, I got my legs in the air–supported by the yoga teacher and flailing awkwardly. Finally, when I finally managed to hoist my way up, toes towards the sky, I was…
fandom yoga
We are Groot: Tree Pose
Being a tree isn’t exactly second nature to us. As humans, we are more into pruning… or picking… or chopping, when it comes to plants in general. In fact, telling nature what to do has always been one of our species’ favorite hobbies. And that makes sense: anyone itching from a mosquito bite will agree…
Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations: The Logic of Mountain Pose
If I write the word “Fascinating,” how did you hear it in your head? Did you hear Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor, full of vim, vigor and sass? Or did you picture a cocked eyebrow and the detached intellectual bemusement of Spock? Although I totally grok Spock, I have to admit, I’m the type of person who…
May She Prove Her Worth: Half Moon Pose and the Hero’s Journey
Luke leaves his farm to become a Jedi. Katniss volunteers as tribute to save her sister. Sisko takes control of Deep Space Nine, moving on from the grief over losing his wife. Harry Potter flies away from his awful aunt and uncle to go with Hagrid to Hogwarts. We’ve all been there, right? Actually, we…
Eggs-terminate: Savasana the Corpse/Dalek Pose
Savasana, for many, is the delightful chocolate mousse at the end of a substantial, nutritious meal of yoga. You lie on your back, listen to music or maybe even silence, and completely zone out in a state of delicious relaxation. Or, if you are like me, you contemplate some serious mortality. Let’s do that one,…
Child’s Pose: It’s Bigger on the Inside
Have you ever craved your own personal TARDIS? As in, the Doctor’s Time and Relative Dimension in Space, his traveling blue box that is much bigger than it seems, strangely complicated and full of expanding potential? As it turns out, you can find your own in this pose. Child’s Pose is simple, a place of…
I am Doctor Strange: Keeping an Open Mind in an Closed World
Poor Doctor Strange. Of all the superheroes, Doctor Stephen Strange is much maligned as silly, insubstantial, and way too reliant on a ridiculous sling ring. Whooshing your hand around to make a glowing circle is one of the zanier things an Avenger might do, which is saying something (considering Thor’s big boomeranging hammer). He can…
Do androids malfunction after electric stress?
Stress saturates our lives: its omnipresent messy little tendrils so much a part of our life that we can hardly remember a time without it. It’s a bit of a bragging point these days, actually, we sigh but we believe it’s the price paid for a life lived to the fullest. And, we note with…
Being your own Bendu: getting off your butt after it’s been handed to you
Shoot for the moon, you may land among the stars. But in yoga, if you shoot for the moon, you may end up on your butt on the ground. Recently I was charged with ambition after seeing others in class accomplish the “crow” pose, in which you balance your knees on your elbows in a…
Breaking out of Barclay’s holodeck: the ensign yogis, the bridge yogis, & you
In yoga, you let go… of tension, of pride, and definitely of comparison with your fellow yoga students. Focusing deeply on your breath and the feel of each muscle should leave you with a serene contemplation of your own navel. That said…. you remember the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where Lieutenant Barclay has…