Welcome to Yogi Sticks!

Do you know your Gomukasana from your Adho Mukha Svanasana? Is your Vrksasana all it can be? And how do you feel about Supta Baddha Konasana? Do you know what I'm even talking about?

Sometimes the Sanskrit - however beautiful it sounds - is not very helpful. So, to encourage my students to expand their yoga practice into their home, I sketch the poses we practice during class on a chart and add the Sanskrit and common name. Hopefully, this is a useful tool to help them along in their yogic journey. I also troll the internet, books, and journals to find interesting articles about yoga and the yogic lifestyle.

Kirtan Kriya

Inspired by today's article on the link between memory and meditation (www.tampabay.com/news/aging/lifetimes/article1090402.ece), I wanted to post a bit more regarding the Kirtan Kriya. In Sanskrit, "kriya" means action or effort and "Kirtan" refers to the call-and-response chanting of mantras. According the newspaper article, simply chanting "Sa Ta Na Ma" while touching fingertips for only 12 minutes per day increased blood flow to areas of the brain crucial to memory, and improved scores in verbal fluency and logical memory.

I've come across a great video on YouTube with a very thorough explanation of the chant's meanings, power, and use in daily life. Here's the link (the man is adorable - so happy!): www.youtube.com/watch?v+n1Oq4vOcD9w. If the link doesn't take you directly to his video, just do a search on YouTube for "kirtan kriya meditation" and he is usually the first listed (a man with a long beard dressed in white robes and turban - with the website sikhnet.com).
If you interested in more links between yoga and the brain, be sure to check out Lisa's popular workshops (also called "Yoga For the Brain") held at the studio: http://www.yoga4all.com/
Namaste.

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