Sanskrit Friday: Cobra (भुजङ्ग)

Namaste, friends!



Today's word is भुजङ्ग. It's pronounced bhu-juhn-guh in English and means cobra! You see this word used in combination with असन (asana, or pose) to make भुजङ्गासन, or cobra pose. Say it with me now — bhu-juhn-ga-suhn-uh. Bhu-juhn-ga-suhn-uh!
I prefer this pose to upward dog because it keeps your lumbar spine supple and supported. Cobra pose has your pelvic bones in contact with the mat, feet touching the mat behind you, either supported 20% through the arms or without. The erector spinae muscles are hard at work and this pose is great for those with forward-leaning shoulders and a closed chest. It's sister pose (to me) is snake pose, which I'll come to in a later post.

You've got another Sanskrit word under your belt! For tips on learning how to read and write in Sanskrit in its native script, read my post here.

Thank you! Until next week.

नमस्ते,

Tyler

Sanskrit Friday: Crane (बक)

Namaste, friends!

Today's word is बक. It's pronounced like the word "buck" in English and means crane! You see this word used in combination with असन (asana, or pose) to make बकासन, or crane pose. You'll often hear this pose called crow pose as well, which can also be correct (though the Sanskrit would be  काकासन (kahk-ahsun)). Some schools of yoga make a difference between having your arms bent (crow) and straight (crane) in this arm balance pose.

A nice tip for beginners is to place a block a few feet in front of you before coming into the pose. This will allow you to gently place the crown of your head on the block to help make crane/crow pose easier.

You've got another Sanskrit word under your belt! For tips on learning how to read and write in Sanskrit in its native script, read my post here.

Thank you! Until next week.

नमस्ते,

Tyler

Sanskrit Friday: Tiger (व्याघ्र)

Namaste, friends!

I've moved to Tulsa, OK and teach yoga very regularly here now, so now that I'm kinda established I wanted to bring you my new weekly feature: Sanskrit Friday!

Today's word is व्याघ्र. It's pronounced vyāghra (vyah-ghruh) and means tiger! You see this word used in combination with असन (asana, or pose) to make व्याघ्रासन, or tiger pose. Total Yoga has a nice explanation of Tiger Pose, although I would recommend keeping your toes pulled back instead of pointing but either is fine.

You've got one Sanskrit word under your belt! For tips on learning how to read and write in Sanskrit in its native script, read my post here.

Thank you! Until next week.


Tyler