Jaime Epstein, this week’s writer of the On Language column for the New York Times (who also happens to be a certified instructor at Jivamukti in Manhattan), wrote a very fun and funny article on the language of yoga-Namaste– published in the New York Times Magazine this weekend.
“‘At the beginning of class, we stood at the front of our mats and let out a long, dirgelike moan,” the first-time yoga student recollected. “Then the teacher yelled, ‘Chili-pepper pasta,’ and everyone hit the floor.” Sanskrit, the language of yoga, is said to unite sound and meaning; that is, saying the word gives the experience of its meaning. But for the novice yogi (the word for male as well as female practitioners), whose ears need to be tuned to a new frequency, that experience can be as elusive as an overnight parking spot in Manhattan. Thus, chaturanga dandasana (four-legged staff pose, which looks like the bottom of a pushup, your body hovering inches above the floor) might become “chili-pepper pasta” if you’ve got dinner reservations at the latest outpost of the latest fusion craze. And the ear-twisters don’t end there.”
Very much worth a quick read!
Namaste!
-Eliza
Om La La Yoga Blog 