‘Baby’ Backbends
SANSKRIT ANSWERS
NOTE: I’ve removed “ASANA” from each name, so you can see the root word.
Please see last week’s DISCLAIMER about sanksrit, transliteration, diacritical marks, etc.
YOGA HOMEWORK:
1. Practice saying each word with “asana” at the end.
2. Visualize the pose as you say it.
3. What is your tailbone doing, where is it move towards in each of these asanas.
4. What are your shoulder blades doing, in each of these asanas.
swastik - auspicious cross symbol
sukha – sweet, easy, comfortable
tada - mountain
sama – upright straight, unmoved stithihi – standing still, steadiness
adho - downward mukha – face svana – dog
chatur – four anga – limb danda – staff, stick
bhujanga – snake, cobra
makara – crocodile
vasishtha – the name of a great sage in Hindu lore
utthita – extended parsva – side kona – angle
virabhadra – a name of Lord Shiva in his wrathful form
prasarita – spread out, expanded pada – foot uttan – extended, stretched
sirsa – head
chatus – four pada – foot
ustrasa – camel
urdhva – upward mukha - face vrksa – tree
salamba – supported sarva – all anga – limbs, parts
hala – plow
setubhanda – bridge sarva – all anga – limbs, parts
urdhva – upward dhanur – bow
shava – corpse
Your “PRIZE” for doing the homework. A picture of where we’re going:
SETU BANDHA SARVANGASANA by the man himself, from the Harvard Demonstration, 1987. By the way he’s 69 years old in this video. (VIDEO IS CRASHING THIS PAGE… I WILL TRY AND FIX IT SOON- SORRY! bb)