5 of the Scariest Yoga Poses and Practices (eeek!)
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re altogether ooky — not the Addams family, but a few choice chilling yoga poses and practices. This isn’t yoga’s doing. We are particularly practiced at getting ourselves worked up when we meet with shadows, dark corners, creepety sounds, and goosebumpy, hair-raising films. Somewhere beneath the surface, we know it’s all in our trickery-treaty minds. The mind is mighty powerful, beyond that of witches’ brews and love potions.
Make certain you peer over your shoulder before you read on. Just in case.
- Kurmasana (Tortoise Pose) Not unlike a mummy, this pose sets off feelings of suffocation and triggers trappedness. The last time I took Kurmasana, I got stuck and am pretty certain my brain exploded. Something to work on. Have a Turtle Untangler nearby and breathe through it. Slow and steady wins the race.
- Neti Pot This is an Ayurvedic practice often employed by yogis and yoginis to ease allergies and cleanse the nasal passages of primordial ooze. Many people cringe at the thought of pouring water into their noses (“But I’ll drown!”). Imagine you are a crusty old pirate (fierce, feisty, and desperately needing a neti session). Yaaarrr! A little saline drizzle is nothing you can’t sail through. Relax and float off into the horizon.
- Chanting Putting your voice out there, even if it will commingle with many others, can be as scary as the shrill cries of goblins or a well-timed ghostly “BOO!” Know this: your voice has the power to turn darkness into light, regardless of its tonality. Come in to the light.
- Inversions Handstand, Headstand, and the rest of the crew often strike fear into the hearts of many a yoga practitioner. Fear of falling, fear of getting hurt, fear of looking strange. You have a friend in the wall. Not like someone’s IN the wall (goblins and such), but the actual wall. Begin there. The goblins, the wall, and I all believe in you. You can do it.
- Meditation This may very well be the spookiest of all. Sitting alone. In the dark. In complete and utter silence. With. Your. THOUGHTS. Aaaaaccccckkkkkk!!!! They just keep coming, like the vampire or boogeyman who won’t die! I won’t lie, this one takes an inordinate amount of time and practice. I run into a lot of cobwebs and get tangled up regularly. But those few moments of peace, which will eventually grow into periods of peace, are worth it. So when the mind tells you to turn back, that it’s just too terrifying in there — forge ahead, flashlight of calm in hand.
Sending you only the best scares — the kind that move you forward on your path!
artwork credit: blogs.roanoke.com
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soothsayer. illusion slayer. intj/mastermind. writer + artist + strategist + innovator. california born, city of angels bred. gypset world traveler. la face with an oakland booty. queen of the jungle who doesn't lose sleep over the opinions of sheep.
what about Savasana? Corpse pose? i know students who leave right before it just to avoid having to lie in stillness. terrifying indeed. great list my dear
And all of these things, funny enough, are some of the most empowering and liberating once you conquer the fear.
I love my neti pot! I love headstand! Meditation can feel like a mid-day vacation at work!
Funny how that works, huh? :)
Sheepishly raises hasta..in recent years I haven’t been a huge fan of the old corpse pose. At first I liked it, a little R&R after a nice practice. Then I started taking classes at a vinyasa studio where they do the old savansa massage awaking me out of my blissful release. So I stopped lying down and sat in meditation instead. However, now I’m taking Kundalini and they let sleeping corpses lie – so I’m beginning to melt my fear again. Aaaaahhhhhhh
But…but… I love chanting! haha awesome list! Inversions is definitely at the top of my list!
Great list… I once was afraid of the neti pot, but have since moved on from that. Now… to work on the meditation. :)
nancy + mere — i hear you on savasana. i can’t say that it’s a scary pose for me, but i’m not very “good” at it. i wiggle and jiggle too much. can’t stay still. but you know that. ;)
leah — precisely! spot-on, mama.
dyamond — i have grown to adore chanting, as well. so empowering, but calms me, too. LOVE.
crystal — great leaps and bounds. ;) you rock!
Ha! Love these! I was just at Yoga Day LA and when Andrea Brooks told everyone to get into headstand so I said what the hey, got my form as best as possible, slowly brought my legs up…and crashed. But SO HAPPY I pushed through the scary! Because the child’s pose I went into right after felt that much more deserving ;)
Spooky Yoga Poses? I love it. It’s very creative which makes it fun all around.
Thanks
-Matt