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Yoga Poems

MUSINGS on the FLORA and FAUNA of YOGA

©2021 Joyce Borenstein

I love the sound of the Sanskrit names for the yoga poses. They are like poems or tongue-twisters that roll off the tongue. For example, Ekapadarajakapothasana is 11 syllables! It translates into English as One-legged King Pigeon Pose.

I also love that many of the names for the poses refer to animals and plants, and as I do these poses, I connect to all living creatures. Yoga presents me with the opportunity to be a cat, dog, cow, dolphin, butterfly, a tree and lotus. Yoga is saying that we originate from the same stardust, breathe the same air, we are subject to the same cyclical ebb and flow of the solar system.