6th Entry

Seriously! I know I've said this over and over again, but Yoga saved the day : )  Monday was the busiest, frantic, cluster f@#$#, of a day at work. We were short handed, I was tired and cranky, and the only thing I could think of was getting on my mat.  But when 7pm rolled around, the rest of the day went flying out of the yoga studio door like a summer breeze.  My favorite day is Monday nights at Beluminous Yoga near South Lake Union, because the instructor plays the best mix of music of anyone and has the best energy that is absolutely contagious.  I'm finally going to put in a plug for the studio, so definitely go check it out. http://www.beluminousyoga.com/

I've only been practicing yoga for a little over 8 months now, but I think my favorite pose is a "Chaturanga Dandasana", which means Four-Limbed Staff pose in sanskrit.  I've attached a photo of the pose, but its the half way point between the start of a push up and your chest down the ground.  Basically your arms are at a right angle holding your upper body in place as your back stays flat with your legs.  I also love the breathing technique they encourage which is called "Ujjayi Pranayama".  Ujjayi is a breathing technique which tends to use your nose only and produces a Darth Vader like sound from the walls of your throat. This technique is suppose to allow you to keep a steady breath and move through different poses with the rhythm of your breath.  The breathing technique also really allows you to remove any negative thoughts out of your mind with every deep exhale.  Seriously, I can't get over how much I love this stuff!