Art Asana



These crazy beautiful images come your way from Eliza Tobin, creator of Art Asana. I have mixed feelings about being a studio owner (my parents were business owners for almost thirty years, so I've seen the good and the ugly of it), but her art made me wish very much I had some walls of my own to hang this art on. Isn't it extraordinary?

For the sake of letting the art and the artist speak for itself, check out Eliza's blog. If any yogi or yogini in your life has a birthday coming up, or you feel like giving a gift for the sake of giving, here is a link to her very, very fairly priced Etsy site.

Art and yoga have so many connections as is, and I often think of yoga as painting pictures with my body, so this makes perfect and glorious sense. Thank you, Eliza, for letting me share a few of your pieces!

Art Asana

To go back to the idea of painting pictures with your body, here is a flowing practice. Imagine, as you flow, that your body is a paintbrush, and that with every motion you are trailing a color. What colors are you creating? What images?

  1. Samasthiti (Equal Standing)
  2. Exhale turning to your left, stepping into Kaliasana (Goddess Stance)
  3. Inhale, turning to the back of the mat, returning to Samasthiti
  4. Exhale, again turning to left, stepping into Kaliasana
  5. Inhale, turning to the front of the mat, returning to Samasthiti
  6. Repeat this cycle, moving to the right
  7. Repeat this cycle four more times, twice in each direction
  8. Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog). Use this pose as a warm-up, pedalling heels, turning hips, etc
  9. Adho Mukha Svanasana
  10. Turning feet slightly outward (pigeon-toed), bend knees, trying to bring your sitting bones to your heels
  11. Exhale, move forward into Plank with "Ha!" breath
  12. Inhale, return to step 10
  13. Move between steps 10 and 11 until warm
  14. Adho Mukha Svanasana
  15. Low lunge
  16. Skandasana (Side Lunge) Note: in some variations, Skandasana is a very different pose, a standing forward fold, wherein one leg somehow makes it behind the head
  17. Try to stretch both arms towards or touching straight leg (only one will actually make it) for a side stretch
  18. Low lunge
  19. Either walk to switch forward foot in lunge, or jump step
  20. Repeat steps 16-18 on other side
  21. Adho Mukha Svanasana
  22. Repeat steps 10 and 11
  23. Marjaryasana (Cat pose)
  24. Move between cat and cow in table
  25. Uddiyana Kriya in Marjaryasana. Engage the Uddiyana Bandha while holding exhale, inhale to release core
  26. Repeat 3x
  27. Adho Mukha Svanasana
  28. Virabhadrasana II (Warrior II)
  29. "Flying Warrior Arms:" Inhale arms outstretched, exhale hands in prayer position in front of heart center, repeat for 5-10 breaths
  30. Vinyasa to Adho Mukha Svanasana
  31. Repeat steps 28 and 29 on other side
  32. Vinyasa to seated
  33. Ardha Padma Paschimottanasana (Half Lotus Seated Forward Fold)
  34. Vinyasa to repeat on other side
  35. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Fold)
  36. Optional Vinyasa
  37. Purvottanasana (Reverse Plank Pose)
  38. Optional Vinyasa
  39. Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Pose)
  40. Taking hands behind sitting bones, opening chest in Bound Angle
  41. Seated twists in Bound Angle, to both directions
  42. Savasana
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