yoga in kathmandu

“you cannot do yoga.  yoga is your natural state.  what you can do are yoga exercises, which may reveal to you where you are resisting your natural state.” 

– sharon gannon

{i love crazy sharon gannon and her crazy spin on yoga in the states. i have only ever tried jivamukti twice, but i did love how thorough and thoughtful it was}

. . .

yoga in kathmandu was brilliant.

the rooftop pictured here was the place i practiced most frequently while abroad. almost every morning i would wake up, climb the stairs and practice for a while. after my yoga, i would read, and my friend ram would bring me a steaming glass mug of chai {nepali chai, of course}. i think that ending my 5 poses from my time abroad series with kathmandu is appropriate . . . all things considered.

the hotel red planet in wonderful, wild thamel, kathmandu was my home away from home for so long. not a day goes by where i don’t think about it and miss it.

. . .

1.) bakasana, crane pose {i will never forget the first time i saw this pose. i was convinced it was impossible. now it is a favorite of mine. best pose for a confidence boost. *shakti = the word for power in nepali. also my favorite nepali word}

2.) utkatasana, chair pose {my pose. during yoga training, all the teachers were assigned a pose for the entirety of our training. mine was utkatasana. it was a pose i had to do every day for 9 months. i still am learning, but i have come to love the way it makes my legs burn. great for toning up the thighs and butt as well as strengthening the core}

3.) salamba sarvangasana, shoulder stand {most yogi’s “desert island” pose. you know, the pose you’d bring with you if you only could bring one. . . for good reasons too. one of the greatest inversions of all time. if you cannot, or don’t feel comfortable in shoulder stand, at least practice legs up the wall regularly.}

4.) dhanurasana, bow pose {happy, bendy back here! your spine will thank you. start off trying to just grab one leg and then try both at the same time. if you cannot touch, try using a strap or even a tie}

5.) supta pandagustansana, a variation of big toe pose {a fabulous restorative posture! stretches out the hamstrings as well as hips. hold for several long breaths. be comfortable but active}

. . .

+ no. 1 thing people shouldn’t do on the subway: yoga {thx abby for sharing this. it made me laugh. i love where americans have taken yoga and this idea of yoga}

. . .

as i said, this is the last yoga post from my time abroad, but i will continue to post some about my practice in the future.

i am no expert, but i do know some things.

is there anything you would like to see my try and do? answer any questions? share any thoughts on specific topics?

i would love to know!

. . .

“yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.”

– sri krishna pattabhi jois

. . .

get out there and start practicing! {* currently sitting outside on my travel mat in the quad [the very same mat i was on in these photos!]}

. . . namaste friends have a beautiful day.

remember, you are unstoppable.