so i've been practicing yoga for about 8 years now. but it's only been in the last 2-3 years that it has taken a multidimensional role in my life. and it's only been in the last 12-18 months that i've noticed dramatic leaps in the advancement of my practice. i can do some crazy ass shit with my body now. just last night i did this. i can also go from that posture (called crow pose) right into a headstand. i also can do scorpion pose, though i've never done it with a partner like it's pictured. for a year i needed a wall to catch myself from falling over, but recently i can do it without a wall. yoga has become one of the most important things in my life. balance, strength, agility, flexibility, meditation, breathing - everything about it can be applied to every aspect of life. nobody else here ever talks about yoga though. do any of you do it?

that's awesome. I've been thinking seriously about taking up yoga...actually the paragraph on your site about it was what made me start thinking about it again. I forgot to mention that. my father took yoga for years and would bring me every now and then. I bet I looked cute trying to imitate all the adults. If the past three years (and especially the six months) are any indication about what the rest of my gradschool career is going to be like (which is another 4 years at least), I need to figure out a way to deal with the the extremes that my mood, self-perception, and bodily functions go through.

I did it for a few months but had to quit. I am thinking about starting it up again. I am just and out of shape, inflexible beginner, though and couldn't begin to do those poses. They look like fun, though. Maybe I could make it a goal, though I don't know how long it would take me.

the sex people. the sex. "I need to figure out a way to deal with the extremes that my...... and bodily functions go through." yeah kazoo....farting up a shitstorm in yoga class would suck big time. sorry dear you left that door wide open, or perhaps you meant to.

no I didn't mean to. but nevertheless, it's well taken. funny. and I don't fart that much thank you...just as much as some men I know do, and more than many women will admit. I am talking about my inability to eat and sleep on a regular basis.

When I was doing yoga regularly I found it significantly reduced my stress level and I got to sleep SOOOO much easier and I slept better, too.

i did it for a few weeks and farted in class. the rest of theclass was all middle aged women. It was pretty embarassing. If i could afford it, i would probably consider doing it again. I may be able to take it through my YMCA member ship though, but i am not sure.

farting in yoga class is quite common. some of the poses the whole point is to twist up your organs and detox them. it's bound to happen. i don't remember ever breaking wind in class, but the other night the guy next to me did. doesn't even phase me anymore.

The scorpion pose - holy crap! I did yoga consistently during college and for the first year after graduation, but after that, nothing. I used to be able to do this and this, no sweat. Now, forget it.

I used to be pretty flexible. I can lie on my back and put both feet behind my neck and link my ankles together. And if you've got any cracks about that Patrick, be my guest, but there isn't anything I haven't heard.

Actually, I first started doing yoga (though not seriously) in 8th grade. I found a book called "Yoga for Women" at a booksale and tried to emulate the poses in the pictures.

i can do that too. it's not all that sexual whatsoever. lately i've been really getting into inverted postures. all variations of headstands (there are a lot), handstands, scorpion, shoulder stands. i can do from shoulder stand into full bridge. for me it's not really so much about being able to do a particular post, but rather about the process of moving seamlessly from one pose to another. the *transitions* are the tricky part, requires the most concentration and strength and focus and balance.

I can do the feet behind the head thing, too, even in my stiff state. And what's more, I knew a girl in college who had been a ballet dancer since childhood, and she couldn't do it. If she sat on the floor with her legs stretched out in front of her but bent at the knees, she couldn't spread her knees and make them touch the floor. She was otherwise very flexible -- I wonder if it's just a physiological advantage that some women have and others don't.

I used to be able to do all of those things (though not the scorpion pose or the other one first put up there) but can't do ANY of them anymore. I once dated this guy who refused to have sex with a woman unless she had her ankles behind her neck. Needless to day we didn't date long.

yeah, i think it's a hip flexor thing. even when i was 230+ pounds i could sit on the floor with my legs almost straight apart in splits and bend over so i was lying totally flat against the floor.

commendable kazoo. no cracks. much respect. i wish j would post that pic of her in a similar pose

i wonder if they let meat-eating tequila-drinking yogis into nirvana?

I can do the feet behind the head thing too and Czarina,we had a picture of it posted here once.

I'm still pretty flexible. My daughter and I take karate. Mostly I'm just bruised up. Pain is an efficent teacher. I worry about unexpected flatulence. I think thats why you're supossed to "KIAH!" as loud as you can when you attack, to cover the noise of any misfires.

Hello Sarah, check your link at the start again . i would be careful if you did this standing on your head. Sorry i could not resist .... well they are my yoga graphics after all. Yoga is a fun disipline and should be taken lightly, our site www.yogawelt.com is open for all bye and let me know how the new yoga cleansing goes. Pretty hot stuff

crap. i hate it when they find you. fuckin referer logs. i need to remember to be careful, this place is so sacred. it's my last digital haven.

got an email from that guy: ******** ----- Original Message ----- From: "Your Name" <youhavebeenframed@yogawelt.com> To: <syrup@syrup.org> Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 11:41 AM Subject: Yoga -- recent crap Hello --- can you really do this and this ...... check your website http://www.syrup.org/ again, you have been framed. regards:- "a Yogi from Switzerland" www.yogawelt.com ps. thanks for using my graphics - linking to pictures can seriously damage your street creds. though . Hope no offence is taken - Yogis are a strong breed............. ********* street cred? what a load of crap. of course i can do those things, and more. whatever. i thought yogis were supposed to be supportive. gag.

Obviously this guy is just a really flexible dick.

What does "you have been framed" mean?

beats me. you know, of all the various teachers and yogis i've practiced with, not one of them seemed to be doing what they are doing out of ego or recognition. none of them ever got weird if i could do some asana they couldn't, or vice versa. it's just not about that. besides, i brag about my yoga to y'all, but only because you know how far i've come from what i used to be. lately in my practice i've been focusing not on the strength of the body but on the fragility of the body. i think i might have posted that somewhere else on here. in any case, i recently injured my right ankle doing flying crow pose and have been having trouble with standing balancing postures ever since. but the injury actually is making me see how i have been overextending my ankle joint and tendons in many postures, instead of using the leg muscles to support the postures. well, i'm sure few of you really care about any of this, unless you're really into the philosophy of yoga. but to me it's totally fascinating. yoga brings you into the core of your body and being in a miraculous way. did you know that at the end of it all, the whole point of all 8 "arms" of yoga, the whole purpose of it is so that you can sit quietly and meditate deeply without any physical or mental distractions? the most advanced practice of yoga is meditation.

I have noticed that correllation, with yoga and meditation. I need to work on it more myself. I am still doing the basic postures and poses. My stamina has greatly improved. You wouldn't know it cuz I am always so sick lately. I am still struggling with the sideways lean pose. My knees are weak. My back has gotten so much better, though. Not necessarily flexible but at least stronger. It doesn't hurt like it used to. I plan to keep on working with this. See where it all goes. Maybe some day I will be able to do half of the poses you are capable of Sarah :)

Greetings all - Just for your info (Sarah) the graphics have been re-instated (correct and polished – once again (sorry) and you have my word that I will not change them again). The comments that followed my entry invoked a few ripples, so I wish to join your forum on a more serious level ………………… Flexibility Theme……….. Yoga is my life , I practice and teach Yoga everyday, for me being flexible means the ability to change and react in the moment without involving the ego. When you make a mistake - change and adjust, be flexible, hold no grudges. It is true that the more diligent (aware) you are with your asana practice the more flexible you become, when your body becomes flexible then the mind also follows, it is a cycle that grows in a positive spiral. Parting comment :- Every good or bad experience brings emotions (anger, love, hate, sorrow, fear, joy etc ), when you can experience them with “awareness”, then the body and mind will accelerate. Without awareness the body and mind will stagnate. The body needs total awareness of emotions otherwise it would not function. Sure - emotions bring pain, when we are unable to deal with emotional pains then it is automatically stored in the body as a physical pain which causes weakness, disease, inflexibility, etc. Yoga is the reverse process and the tool to un-tangle these stresses……………. bye