jpg My Third Eye Itches - A Yoga Guide: January 2008

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Yoga News - Iyengar to Buy Ashtanga for $16.5B

Mark Jones
For Yoga Economic News

In a move that is hoped to finally bring peace and healing to the fractured Yoga world, Iyengar Yoga has agreed to buy Ashtanga Yoga in a $16.5 billion deal that will create the world's largest Yoga School. This historic merging of the two styles will close the schism that was created many decades ago when the founders drifted in separate directions. Though both claimed to be doing the "True Yoga" (both had been taught by the same Yoga master), it had led to much strife, name calling, back stabbing, grand standing and show boating among the teachers and students of each style.

The new Yoga School, which will be called Iyentanga (trading symbol IYGA), will be the world's largest Yoga School with $16.6 trillion in assets mainly from Yoga props. BKS Iyengar, founder and chief executive of Iyengar Yoga, will serve as executive chairman of Iyentanga, with overall responsibility for the integration of the two Yoga Schools. Madonna was given the nod to serve as chief executive officer of the new combined School. Mr. Iyengar acknowledged her brilliant 'acting' of Yoga in her films and what nots. Geeta Iyengar will be in charge of getting the Ashtangis to stop their loud Ujjayi breathing during class and quit all that jumping around from pose to pose that they are known for.

When asked if Iyengar was going to acquire any other Yoga Schools, Mr. Iyengar mentioned that both the Jivamukti and Anusara schools looked tempting.

In the meantime, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, head of the Ashtanga School of Yoga, when asked about his current plans, said "Sharath and I are going to relax on the beach at Goa and watch the babes for awhile. We are kind of tired from all those jump throughs and jump backs after all these years." It has been reported that Mr. Jois is contemplating his next venture. "We are looking at Pilates very closely."

Monday, January 28, 2008

Yoga News - Clinton Proposes new Department of Yoga

Julie Spank
For Yoga Political Review

MANCHESTER, New Hampshire -- Democratic presidential hopefuls traded barbs over the war in Iraq, health care, taxes and even Yoga Sunday night in New Hampshire. The stunner of the evening came when Hillary Clinton announced her intention of establishing a new governmental department once elected President which would be named the Department of Omland Yoga.

John Edwards responded by saying that he would ban incense in Yoga studios due to health issues explaining that this would be the centerpiece of his health care reform package (Edwards apparently took a cue from Michael Bloomberg’s ban on incense in yoga studios in New York City). Dennis Kucinich, who is known by many as "The Peace Candidate" and who is a Yoga practitioner, chanted Om three times while he did one complete Sun Salutation. Meanwhile, some in the audience claim they heard Barack Obama exclaim under his breath, “What the fuck?”

This is not the first time that Hillary Clinton has stunned critics and opponents with her unorthodox method of calling attention to herself while going after a segment of the population for their vote. From her blatant attempt to woo the southern male voter by showing up at a speech wearing an outfit that showed “cleavage” to the calculated cackling she has been spewing to gain support from the “hysterical Right”, this appears to be a move to get the “Yoga moms” behind her in her bid for president. Though creating a department of Omland Yoga is not a new idea for the Democrats (See Establishment of Department of Yoga on Pelosi's Agenda), this is the first time it has showed up as a proposal by a major presidential candidate.

When Clinton was asked how she was going to reach out to the approximately 27 women left in American that don’t practice Yoga, Clinton replied, “I’m sure Bill will come up with something.”

On the Republicrat side of the issue, Lynn Chaney was reported as saying,” Dick, put down the damn shotgun and get me my Yoga mat.” Ann Coulter meanwhile, when asked her thoughts about the proposal from Hillary Clinton, replied, “That bitch is such a skank, though is Bill kind of hot!”

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Yoga News - Chi to Chai – Buddha Cries

Nothair Not-There
For Yoga Siddhi Today

A small Yoga studio in Seattle was shaken when during a Saturday morning Yoga class, a Yoga teacher her students at the studio discovered that a bronze Buddha statue looked as if it had been crying. The statue, bought from Pier 1 Imports and placed on a window sill of the Yoga studio, sheds drops of moisture from its eyes that puddles in a pool of liquid at the base of the statue.

"At first, I thought there was a hole in the roof and rain was dripping on the statue”, explained Jenny Satcrest, "but the more I looked, the more it appeared like the Buddha was truly crying. What’s really crazy about this is that it only happens during Yoga classes!" Confirmed by several Yoga students at the studio, the statue "cries" faster or slower depending on what postures the class is doing. "The harder the pose, the more it seems to weep and it stops completely when either we sit in silence or are in Corpse pose", explained Ms. Satcreat "I’ve experimented with that statue and can really get it weeping if I announce to the class that we are going to do partner poses or do some chanting. Then I notice that there is a torrent of tears coming from the statue. It’s almost as if the statue has taken on a personality of likes and dislikes of certain poses and wonder if it is channeling the chi of my students."

This story gets even stranger as to the explanation of what the tears are made of. Ms. Satcreat swears it is the sweetened green chai that’s sold in Starbucks. When asked how she came to conclude that the tears were composed of this, she said, "Well, after mopping up time after time, I finally had the nerve to dip my finger in the liquid, smell and taste it. It blew my mind what it turned out to be!" When asked how she could be so sure that it is green chai, Ms. Satcreat said she stops by the local Starbucks everyday for her green tea fix and said she can identify the taste anywhere.

Others aren’t so taken with the crying Buddha though. When a rival Yoga studio was asked about this, the owner replied, "Well, I won’t be impressed until that Buddha starts dispensing Frozen Orange Crème, Triple Shot Espresso, soy blended Frappuccinos with whipped cream on the top."

Meanwhile, Starbucks is losing no time with a new marketing campaign incorporating Buddha with the slogans, "Forget non-attachment. I want my Starbuck Chai!" and "What would Buddha drink?"



Friday, January 25, 2008

Yoga List - What's In/What's Out for Yoga in 2008



Click here for the complete YogaDawg Yoga list for 2008

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Yoga List - What is a YogaDawg?

A Cock and bull story

Fools gold

A Pig in a poke

Mumbo Jumbo

A Shot in the dark

Pie in the Sky

A blind alley

Three sheets to the wind

A Blabbermouth

Makes a mountain out of a mole hill

A sorry sight

Can't make heads or tails of

A fool's paradise

Full of piss and vinegar

A Fate worse than death

Hell in a handbasket

A Whack job

Absent Without Leave

For the Birds

Monday, January 21, 2008

Yoga List - What you can expect to hear in a Yoga class if Yogi Berra is teaching

90% of the game is mental, the other half is physical.

There are some people who, if they don't already know, you can't tell 'em.

In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.

It ain't over 'til it's over.

When you come to a fork in the road....Take it!

I didn't really say everything I said.

You can observe a lot by watching.

The future ain't what it used to be.

It gets late early out here.

It's deja vu all over again.

If the world were perfect, it wouldn't be.

You've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going, because you might not get there.

I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early.

If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.

You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours.

I wish I had an answer to that because I'm tired of answering that question.

I'm not going to buy my kids an encyclopedia. Let them walk to school like I did.

Nobody goes there anymore. It's too crowded.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Yoga Links - Things a Yoga studio will not allow

Lame ducks

Foregone conclusions

Non-edifying behavior

Nuclear proliferation

Being badgered to death

Binge drinking

Hissy fits

Magic realism

Walking the plank

Montezuma's Revenge

Moving the goalposts

Flying off the handle

Beating a hasty retreat

Nautical phrases

Mickey Finns

Channel surfing

Glass ceilings

Crocodile tears

Jaws of death

Pots calling the kettle black

Technicolor yawns

Teflon presidents

The third degree

Raising Cain

Urban myths

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Yoga List - Type of student you will find in a Yoga class

Wet Blanket

Doubting Thomas

Back Seat Driver

Fashion Victim

Dead Ringer

Devil's Advocate

Diamond in the Rough

A Dope

Loose Cannon

Mad Hatter

Bag Man

Scapegoat

Son of a Gun

Yes Man

One-hit Wonder

Peeping Tom

Wolf In Sheep's Clothing

Shit for Brains

Stool Pigeon

Sick Puppy

Whipping Boy

Straw Man

Bad Egg

Basket Case

Blonde Bombshell

Blue Blood

Clod-Hopper

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Yoga List - What a Yoga teacher will expect from you during a Yoga class

Let sleeping dogs lie

Live and let live

Pay the piper

Schmooze

Shoot the breeze

Zilch

A sea change

A shot in the arm

Baptism by fire

Bated breath

Blow your mind

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Yoga List - Additional services you can expect to find at a Yoga studio

Water divining

Molybdomancy

Aura balancing

Aeromancy

Tarot reading

Trepanation

Sanskrit translation services

Myomancy

Crop circle interpretation

Anthropomancy

Alien abductees counseling

Causimomancy

Ear candling

Speleotherapy

Renal/rectal philology

Empyromancy

Dowsing

Colonic cleansing

Scatoscopy

Craniosacral therapy

Extispicium

Reading Tea Leaves

Tring-ba

Vedic Astrology

Uromancy

Clairvoyance

Geloscopy

Snake handling

Monday, January 07, 2008

Yoga List - What the Teacher is doing while you are in Savasana

Mexican Wave

Pulling the Wool Over Their Eyes

Pushing the Envelope

Quality Time

Running out of Steam

Safe Sex

Shaking a Leg

Zigger Zigger

Being all Ears

Beats Me

Calls it a Day

Going with the Flow

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Yoga List - What not to say to a Yoga teacher during class

Woe is me

The blind leading the blind

Break A leg

You can lead a whore to culture but you can't make her think

Yada yada

What's up Doc?

Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things

Throw in the towel

That's all folks!

Talk to the hand

You've got to be kidding!

Yucky

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing

Tell it to the marines

Abandon all hope ye who enter here

Hasta la vista, baby

Et tu, Brute

Elvis has left the building

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Yoga List - Yoga poses we hope we never see

Chew the Cud

Flip The Bird

Fly on the Wall

Foam at the Mouth

Balls to the Wall

Chicken with its Head Cut Off

Red Herring

Fly in the Ointment

Three Dog Night

Charley Horse

Drop like Flies

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Eye of Newt and Toe of Frog, Wool of Bat and Tongue of Dog

Dirty Rat

Kick the Bucket

Not Have a Leg to Stand On

An Eye for an Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth

Cold Turkey

Cold Duck