Hey Youthful Yogis!     
I hope everyone is relaxed and happy after practicing the Pranayama techniques we looked at last week. One of my Youthful Yogis friends told me she even used belly breathing to help get back to sleep the other night... it was 4 in the morning and her body was tired but her brain was going loopy. She said belly breathing was even better than counting sheep...can you believe it?!

"All these sheep are driving me nuts...I think I'll try belly breathing instead!"

But let's shift gears...today we'll take a look at some yoga poses that many Youthful Yogis know and love. It just so happens that theses asanas (poses) are named after animals, which is pretty cool!  I'll show you a picture of each pose next to a picture of the animal it's named after. When we're done....I'll give you a pop quiz! Remember that everyone always gets an A+ on Youthful Yogis pop quizzes, just for showing up and having fun!

                                                                 Yoga Poses:       

Downward Facing Dog Pose

Eagle Pose

                               

Tortoise Pose

Firefly Pose

....have you been paying attention?! I hope so because now it's time for a Youthful Yogis "Pop Quiz"!!  Have fun answering the following questions and, when you are done, check your responses with the answer key at the bottom of the page. Good Luck!!!

                                                    Questions

1) Cobra Pose is:  A) a balancing pose  B) a back bend  C) a good pose to do right after dinner

2)  Tortoise Pose: A) quiets the mind and stills the senses  B) is the very first pose you should do when you get out of bed in the morning   C) takes a lot of practice and may not be for everyone  D) A and C  E) none of the above

3) True or False:  very few people like Downward Facing Dog Pose

4) Firefly Pose is:   A) the easiest pose ever and good for beginners  B) one of a number of poses known as "arm balances"  C) a pose you have to wear a snazzy outfit and a headband in order to do

5)  True or False: the dude in the blue pants doing Eagle Pose needs a haircut


                                                                Answers

1) B  Cobra Pose is a back bend: it energizes the spine, opens the heart and lungs, stretches the chest and massages the belly. Please do not do this pose right after a meal, Youthful Yogis! You may end up feeling like this...

"I knew I shoulda eaten that pizza after I did Cobra Pose!"

2)  D Tortoise Pose can help us to feel as cozy and peaceful as a tortoise in her shell! In yoga we describe this as "quieting the mind and stilling the senses".

"My favorite yoga pose? Tortoise Pose, of course. It's the only one I ever do!"

                           
 Tortoise pose is not exactly easy; it's a super deep stretch for the backs of your upper legs (known as the hamstrings), as well as for your hips and shoulders. It's true, that it may not be for everyone. Please do not do tortoise pose right when you get out of bed in the morning! Stretch, warm up, and do a few other gentle yoga poses first!

"Does it look like I'm ready for Tortoise Pose? I don't think so...!"

                     

3) Are you kidding me? False, of course! People love, love, and I mean love, Downward Facing Dog Pose!      

best pose, ever!

4) B  Firefly Pose is in the category of poses known as arm balances. But guess what? It's also a really tricky pose and definitely not for beginners. Oh, and you do not have to wear pink, poofy pantaloons in order to do this pose. And the headband is optional also!

not necessary

            

not necessary

totally ridiculous

5) This question might actually cause some controversy in Youthful Yogis Blogland. I'm gonna go with False...the dude in the blue pants does not need a haircut. Some of you might think otherwise, but my feeling is that his hair looks OK. More importantly, I'm pretty sure the dude can see from behind those red locks. Youthful Yogis know that in order to stay balanced, a person needs to keep their eyes open; in fact, focusing the gaze on a point that's not moving is an important part of any balancing exercise.

"My eyes are open...and that's a good thing!"

But getting back to the dude's hair...Bottom line? The Youthful Yogis Blog does not specialize in hairstyling advice or fashion tips of any kind. So question # 5 should probably be deleted from this quiz!

"Everything we know about hair styling, we learned on the Youthful Yogis Blog!"

That's all the time we have for now, Youthful Yogis. I hope you've had fun taking the Youthful Yogis Pop Quiz!  How'd you do?

We'll look at more yoga poses soon...until then, stay relaxed, have fun, and try making up some yoga poses of your own if you feel inspired...!

Namaste