An Incognito Intro to Yoga

Learn how yoga was concealed behind something I enjoyed many years ago and how to practice legs up the wall at home!

Photo by Gustavo Juliette from Pexels

When were you introduced to yoga? My first experience was during my undergraduate studies between 2002 or 2003. Now that I think about it, my first yoga instructor was not in a studio but it was my theatre professor, Kristine Holtvedt.

During class, we would go through Sun Salutations. It was as if Kristine used this flow and breath control (pranayama) to create a clean mental and physical slate for acting. After the practice, we would layer on the various traits to embody the characters we created.

Imagine trying to personify a shy 40-year-old over the shell of a stressed and anxious college student.

It would not work!

Now consider how much different (and believable) that would be from a relaxed state. Exactly!

Years later, I would learn a pose in yoga teacher training that was very nostalgic and made me realize I had been practicing yoga since college. It was Viparita Karani (“Legs Up the Wall”). In college, it was one of my favorite poses because it relieved my lower back pain from carrying my backpack across campus. Today, I enjoy the pose because it helps me to reset before tackling the rest of the day!

It is very simple and can be held for the length of your favorite calming song (any Sade song works for me) or up to 20 minutes!

Try it for yourself and comment below to let me know which song you listened to as you practiced Viparita Karani at hOMe.

Namaste