A small, friendly yoga studio in the Upper Monroe neighborhood,

beneath the wooded slopes of Pinnacle Hill

pinnacleyoga@hotmail.com      www.pinnacle-yoga.com      (585) 747-2718

99 Crosman Terrace   Rochester NY 14620

 

 

Weasels (Commonly known as sandbags.)  Sandbags are a useful prop, especially in relaxation poses, either supporting (elevating) body parts or providing a slight pressure, which can be surprisingly pleasant and effective.  They can also be used as weights in asanas.

              Sandbags remind one of my students of weasels and I like the name so much I often forget everyone doesn’t call them that.

              There are weasels in the Himalayas but I have been unable to determine the Sanskrit word for weasel.  Some on-line glossaries suggest nakula, but that actually means mongoose, and mongooses are not members of the weasel family.  I have found out that the yellow-bellied weasel is called kathiya nyal in Nepalese.

The mandala  This mandala was on the porch of a dzong in Bhutan.  In quasi-theocratic Bhutan, a dzong is a combination temple, monastery, school, and administrative center.  The temple walls, inside and (as you can see here) sometimes outside as well, are covered with lively, colorful paintings of Buddha’s life and other things.

              I have no idea what this mandala specifically means.  The wooden knob at the bottom (which has been edited out in some versions) is the top of a post on a railing.

Kathiya nyal