Welcome to Zen Monkey’s Āsana Dictionary! This department came to be as a result of the Zen Monkey Āsana Challenge in June of 2015, and we’re constantly adding to and improving it! Please click on the pose titles below to see details about each of the poses listed, and check back regularly to see new poses as we add […]
Headstand is one of my favourite poses. A headstand demands much. It requires strength AND flexibility, but that is not all. Turning upside-down and balancing on your head takes courage. And self-belief. A headstand is a mental and physical challenge that, once mastered, continues to be a highlight of time spent on the mat. Though
The maha bandha is also known as ‘the great bandha’, and that’s no understatement! This is an advanced yoga practice, so if you’re new to bandhas it might be an idea to familiarise yourself with our earlier articles on the bandhas, start here. As we have previously said, bandhas are a crucial part of the
Stressed? Busy? Juggling too many balls? Trying to tick off an endless ‘to-do’ list? This seems to be most of us, especially if we’re lucky enough to live in the buzzing capital city of London. What with work, family, a social life, and the mental load that comes with that trio, it’s easy to let
This Easter break we took our kids down to north Cornwall, to a place that I had holidayed at as a child. We went down to a bay near Bedruthan Steps and spent a happy half an hour boulder-hopping. I say ‘we’, but it was mainly the children that were springing merrily from rock to
Meditation and Tai Chi don’t just calm the mind – they seem to affect our DNA too. Evidence has emerged that these ‘mind-body practices’ reduce the activity of genes associated with inflammation – essentially reversing molecular damage caused by stress. It has been found that genes related to inflammation become less active in people practising
The yoga of finding joy in the midst of suffering. The capacity to feel joy is a gift we all possess. You only need hear a baby laugh to know that the ability to be joyful is a natural and innate thing. But, life being life, we all inevitably go through periods where we can
Sex: an intimate moment shared between two people. How can yoga benefit and increase your experience with your partner? Yoga can connect you to your inner self to help you better open up. Not only can it work on an emotional level, it can work your muscles, making sex even more pleasurable. This practice will
I am an Iyengar yoga teacher, so props are part of my practice, day in, day out. In Iyengar yoga, they are used as an extension of the body, a guide for alignment and a support to hold a pose for longer – and countless other things. They are not cool accessories to make yoga
New Year’s Resolutions, remember those? By the end of January, we’re a month into the year already, approaching the point where good intentions might be starting to ebb. So here’s how the yogic practice of tapas, the yogic ethos of ‘fiery cleansing’, can re-energise your efforts to bring your aspirations to fruition, and invigorate you,
