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Aesop's Foibles. YES.
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
Back when I had money, I took a yoga class at the Y. It was kinda beginner/intermediate/advanced mashup because some in the class were noobs (like me) and some had been going for a while already. I didn't do too many classes, usually only once or twice per week. I loved it though. Our instructor was a very normal lady with an elementary school teaching job and kids and all and I think she taught yoga because she just really liked it. I found it very relaxing and it really did help me to be more aware of my breathing. Also I always slept really well on the nights I'd been to class. There's a studio in my town and I'd love to take classes there, but I checked out their website and it is fucking essspensssive. So now I just do it at home once in a blue.
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CollegeCamel
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
I once queefed during yoga...

so glad to finally have an appropriate venue for that particular anecdote!!
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@CollegeCamel: heh

50% of the effort in yoga is avoiding farting

25% of the effort is avoiding laughing when someone else farts.

did I mention that mentally I am a 12 yo boy?
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GreenEyedMedusa
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
I'm glad I quit Advertising to be a yogi. Less stress and a kick ass sex life, yes please!
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@GreenEyedMedusa: good luck to you - I've been outta work and so forced to be a full time yogini.

Too bad yoga is one of the first things to go for people in bad times - it's not a recession proof business
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GreenEyedMedusa
12/31/08

@arodriguez.romero: I have actually seen a boost in people joining our studio, but then again I am in New York so the market might be different elsewhere.
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@GreenEyedMedusa: pm me the name of your studio - is it your business? I'm in suburban NY
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fulanita
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
That's it. My New Year's resolution is now to be able to do whatever it is that the chick in the picture is doing.
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la.donna.pietra
12/31/08

@fulanita: [www.yogajournal.com] Tada!
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morninggloria
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
I've found that the perfect amount of alcohol also treats premature ejaculation.
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Annabellie
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
I love yoga! I work part-time at a yoga studio and get to take free classes. I don't know about improving my sex life in particular, but it makes me feel pretty rad in general. Also, it makes my arms all nice and toned, which is novel to me, non-sports-playing, non-gym-going person that I am.
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
this makes 100% sense to me.

If you catch your mind wandering during sex, do you think to yourself "what am I thinking about that's better?"

Also, that's a beautiful pose (scorpion) that is not really so far out of reach for many people with a daily yoga practice
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hetaira
12/31/08

@arodriguez.romero: Scorpion pose is my goal for 2009. It always takes my breath away.
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@hetaira: I've been working on it. I need the wall still.

I don't think scorpion is about upper body strength, since I have string for arms. For me it's about 70% balance 30% fear, and the 30% is what's holding me back.
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la.donna.pietra
12/31/08

@arodriguez.romero: Actually, that's Peacock (or Feathered Peacock, or Pincha Mayurasana): [www.yogajournal.com]

It's one stage of Scorpion, but Scorpion is a lot harder: [www.santosha.com]

Yes, I am a yoga nerd.
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@la.donna.pietra: you are right - not the nerd part, the name part.

I don't use the sanskrit names ever.

I try to avoid sanskrit translations into English too.

I'm in the minority about the names. I don't think it's helpful to use fanciful names. I think it's better to use really direct names.

Somebody once told me that I should start a reform yoga movement.
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GreenEyedMedusa
12/31/08

@arodriguez.romero: That's actually a forearm stand love. It's the base for Scorpion

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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@GreenEyedMedusa: great - forearm stand is a name that I can use tnx
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la.donna.pietra
12/31/08

@arodriguez.romero: I tend to agree with you in the sense that learning a dead language while upside down is not always that productive. However, the Sanskrit names have 1) been used for a long time, and 2) denote something really specific, as opposed to some of the foofy-ass English names that get made up by modern American movements (YogaFit, I'm looking at you, with your Sunflowers and Moonflowers bullshit).
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la.donna.pietra
12/31/08

@arodriguez.romero: The problem there is that there are a number of forearm stands. Peacock is just one of 'em.
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@la.donna.pietra: sun flower and moon flower = no thanks. Similarly folks who replace sun salutation with "son" salutation - so that it's acceptable for Christians = I'm not interested.

About the sanskrit names being used for a long time - did you see that article in yoga journal about how old some of this stuff is?

[www.yogajournal.com]

The thesis of the article is that the poses don't date back as far as may seem, although the breathing and the mindfulness techniques may be far older.

You make a good point about the specificness (or lack of) of peacock/scorpion/forearm balance. I think that we haven't got good names that are specific. I wish we did. It would help to talk about it all, instead of going round about what to call the stuff.
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la.donna.pietra
12/31/08

@arodriguez.romero: Yep, I read that article--I meant long in the sense of "seventy to fifty years," not "centuries upon centuries." For me, the Sanskrit names work well to define what it is that I'm supposed to be doing, but I can certainly see why it turns people off or confuses them.
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SmallbutMighty
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
don't they often say the same thing about exercise in general? i practice yoga, but sometimes I think all the things people claim it helps out with have more to do with the benefits of any kind of exercise.
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@SmallbutMighty: I suspect that the sexual benefits come from the mindfulness. Just focusing on the sex and noticing it in detail is bound to make it better.
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SmallbutMighty
12/31/08

@arodriguez.romero: heh, or worse -- depending on your partner
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arodriguez.romero
12/31/08

@SmallbutMighty: heh so true
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winchesterwolcott
12/31/08

@SmallbutMighty: I actually think it has less to do with mindfulness as it does with strengthening your pelvic floor and lower body. It also helps loosen up your hips and builds stamina. You could get similar results through dance most likely. I doubt you could get those effects through jogging unless you do some major stretching afterwards.
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Jack_Burton
12/31/08

@winchesterwolcott: I follow ya - I used to do a bit o' yoga back when I was framing houses and rock-climbing. My GF was a pro (climber) so I had to work to keep up (and as a bonus, keep things fun in bed).
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YourScreenplaySucks
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
Yoga leads to increased mental health, better sex, improved physical health & appearance, spiritual enlightenment, and may in fact be shown to cure strep vagina. And still I can only work up a "meh" - I can't get into it at all. I'll continuing destroying my knees jogging.
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justcallmespartacus
12/31/08

@Your Screenplay Sucks: Yoga is a great accompaniment to jogging/running. It really helps improve your running by improving your breathing and stretching the muscles that are most negatively affected by the impact of running. Just an FYI from a runner/yoga-er.
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I_can_still_pitch
12/31/08

@justcallmespartacus: My kids are baseball players, who also pitch (big surprise) and I have had them doing the shoulder-stretching poses for years. Other kids used to make fun of them, but when my kids had 10+ miles more of velocity on their fastball, all the other kids that pitch wanted to learn them too. I can't say enough about the benefits of yoga for any athlete, it's much more focused and effective then regular stretching.
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JessicaLovejoy: Laughing, riding, cornholing!
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
Plow your Cockerel into the Lotus, much?
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I_can_still_pitch
12/31/08

@Jessica Hussein Lovejoy loves Decapitatey Wayne Peterson: Yeah, but it kept resulting in Happy Babies.
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badmutha
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
I totally believe this. Yoga helps you focus on how your body feels, and it also helped me to not be so critical of my body. When you accept that you have this cool, strong, body that can do so many things, you have more confidence. And my breathing improved.
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DangerMouse
12/31/08

@badmutha: and posture!
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ucelluccia
12/31/08

@badmutha: Truth! I may loathe my thighs, but they hold me up straight during the Warrior poses. Yay vinyasa yoga! And body, too, of course.
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Sophie needs to study...damn
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
You can get thighs like that from yoga?

Sold.
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DangerMouse
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
Strangely, I've only gotten laid once since starting yoga... maybe because I started right after a break-up... hmm.

I need to get laid some more so that I can test this, even though I was never unsatisfied, maybe it gets better still?
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sarah.of.a.lesser.god (aka Mrs. BrutallyHonestHobbit)
12/31/08

@DangerMouse: I just realized my stepmother does yoga. A lot. I have very bad mental pictures now.
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Jack_Burton
12/31/08

@DangerMouse: Great thing about yoga is that it stresses graceful, controlled movements - and it gives you crazy-mad hip turnout flexibility. ;)
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sarah.of.a.lesser.god (aka Mrs. BrutallyHonestHobbit)
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
And all these years I thought it was Yoda that would make my sex life better. After all, he did teach me that "size matters not".
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BabyJane
12/31/08

@sarah.of.a.lesser.god (2009: a space ovumlord): Hahahahaha!
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Kivrin
12/31/08

@sarah.of.a.lesser.god (and the ovumlord of the rings): Not to mention, "Do me or do me not -- there is no 'try.'"
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sarah.of.a.lesser.god (aka Mrs. BrutallyHonestHobbit)
12/31/08

@Kivrin: He was too vanilla for me in the end. I tried bringing Luke in for a threeway and he just muttered "Always two there are, no more, no less: a master and an apprentice." Jerk.
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Kivrin
12/31/08

@sarah.of.a.lesser.god (and the ovumlord of the rings): He was probably always trying to Force himself on you, too -- pesky little bastard.
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sarah.of.a.lesser.god (aka Mrs. BrutallyHonestHobbit)
12/31/08

@Kivrin: Yeah, in the end I figured out how to pleasure myself by going it (Han) Solo.
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Jack_Burton
12/31/08

@sarah.of.a.lesser.god (2009: a space ovumlord): "Do or do not. There is no 'try'."
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I_can_still_pitch
12/31/08

In reply to Downward Doggy-Style
I think they meant that thinking about baseball helps premature ejaculation: specifically, thinking about Yogi Berra.
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