~William Shakespeare

Via Yogacityny

This week I’m going to change things up a bit and write about the “Yoga: The Art of Transformation” exhibit down in DC. If you haven’t heard yet, the Freer | Sackler Museum at the Smithsonian put together a “leitmotif” of two thousand years of yoga art.

The exhibit is amazingly great, with weathered sculpture from ancient temples to miniature paintings from the medieval era to post-structuralist reinterpretations of the colonial-era photos of costumed-up ascetics. If you’re a yogi with a bent for art or history, be sure to catch it.

For me personally one of the key insights of the exhibition and its supporting scholarship was how instrumental photography and film have been in the development of “modern yoga”. Few of us probably know that the modern, postural yoga we practice today was developed only in the 1930 – 50s, by Krishnamacharya and his successors. Fewer still probably know the extent to which these pioneers relied on photography and film not just to popularize their redefined yoga but also to develop it.

Prior to the 1930s, there were some seated postures and austerities described in ancient texts and performed by ascetics, but nothing like the aerobic sequences taught by Krishnamacharya and Jois. When pre-modern artists weren’t depicting deities, they would draw the body conceptually, as a map of the universe or subtle energy channels, like the Chakras and Nadis.

Read more here — YOGA

Over-worked, under-slept, and feeling the pressure like whoa? There are plenty of ways to find calm — without investing in a four-hand spa massage. Turns out, all we need is a pair of healthy(ish) lungs, our breath, and 10 minutes or less. Here are six expert-approved ways to relax using breathing techniques borrowed from yoga, meditation, and even the therapist’s chair.

Sama Vritti or “Equal Breathing”

How it’s done: Balance can do a body good, beginning with the breath [3]. To start, inhale for a count of four, then exhale for a count of four (all through the nose, which adds a natural resistance to the breath). Got the basic pranayama down? More advanced yogis can aim for six to eight counts per breath with the same goal in mind: Calm the nervous system, increase focus, and reduce stress, Pacheco says.
When it works best: Anytime, anyplace — but this is one technique that’s especially effective before bed. “Similar to counting sheep,” Pacheco says, “if you’re having trouble falling asleep, this breath can help take your mind off the racing thoughts, or whatever might be distracting you from sleep.”
Level of difficulty: Beginner

Abdominal Breathing Technique

How it’s done: With one hand on the chest and the other on the belly, take a deep breath in through the nose, ensuring the diaphragm (not the chest) inflates with enough air to create a stretch in the lungs. The goal: Six to 10 deep, slow breaths per minute for 10 minutes each day to experience immediate reductions to heart rate and blood pressure, McConnell says. Keep at it for six to eight weeks, and those benefits might stick around even longer.
When it works best: Before an exam, or any stressful event. But keep in mind, “Those who operate in a stressed state all the time might be a little shocked how hard it is to control the breath,” Pacheco says. To help train the breath, consider biofeedback tools such as McConnell’s Breathe Strong app, which can help users pace their breathing wherever they are.
Level of difficulty: Beginner

Click to read four more excercies on Altering Perspectives — Pranayama 

Via Greatist and Altering Perspectives 

Image via AP

Pharrell has made a 24-hour music video of people dancing and lip-syncing that’s a cross between Christian Marclay’s The Clock and Girl Walk // All Day.

Via Kottke