Happy Saturday everyone!!
Ok, first let's talk about how funny this picture is: the monster head mural, our coordinated (but super cool I'd say) chinstands and finally, yoga mats on the streets...what?!?
Back in 2014 when I used to live in Singapore, I worked full time as a yoga teacher for a big yoga studio. I was teaching 14-17 classes a week. It was so draining but I loved my colleagues and I would rather die from exhaustion from doing what I love than from doing tax returns (which was my previous job). However, there was a slight problem: our studio manager was a bit crazy. At this point in time, yoga studios were popping up left and right all around the city (Singaporeans are extremely active people and they have taken yoga very seriously and devotedly), so it was no surprise that with competition increasing, business had started to suffer. Of course, in theory yoga is not (or rather should not) be about business, but this is today's reality and that's where we are right now. So our manager, who wanted our studio to really stand out, would come up every week with crazy ideas, such as dragging our yoga mats to one of the busiest, dirtiest, party streets of Singapore (called Haji Lane, a must visit), and take pictures of us in fierce poses with silly murals silently laughing at us...The studio eventually closed its doors, unfortunately not because it was bankrupt, but because of fraud, but let's talk about that some other time. And, that's the story behind this ridiculous photo.
The pose is called chinstand (ganda bherudasana) and with correct preparation and modifications (such as using blocks underneath the hands to prop them up) it is actually quite achievable and enjoyable. The pose really opens and strengthens the back, wrists and upper arms. The final variation of the pose is with the chin hovering right above the floor. One of the things I love about yoga is how many options there are to every pose, from an easy looking pose to a more complicated one. The key is patience and dedication, just like everything else in life.
Ciao from Milan!