what we write about when we write about yoga...

I think about yoga a lot.  I practice almost every day. I share a bit about it on social media and talk about it to friends and family when they're open to listening... but the majority of my yoga thoughts remain in my head... until now.

I have been in a period of flux/evolution in my practice lately and I want a place to write about it. So naturally, I created a blog.

I titled the blog on one of my favorite lines from the Bikram yoga dialogue, which goes something like: "Use your Bengal Tiger Strength and your English Bulldog Determination."  Anyone who knows me, knows that I love tigers... so that idea of "Bengal Tiger Strength" has resonated with me since the first time I heard it uttered during standing bow in class about 10 years ago.

A few years later, in an Anusara class, a teacher was trying to use the theme of animals to describe rooting through the hands and feet in downward dog.  She started trying to use an elephant metaphor, but then switched to tiger paws clawing the mat. It was sort of a disjointed metaphor, but it instantly painted a vivid picture in my mind. I have had the rare opportunity to actually see tigers up close and I was astounded at how large their paws are. When I think of being grounded or rooted in yoga asana, I often think of tiger paws.

The phrase 'Bengal Tiger Strength' also conjures up notions of Durga imagery and power for me. As a fierce mother goddess in the Hindu pantheon whos vehicle is a lion or a tiger, She resonates as a protector to me and evokes my own fierce maternal protective instincts - to protect both my own self and my loved ones.

Durga and her tiger are so important to me that I have chosen to inscribe them on my body as a magical act of protection and devotion.

My Bengal Tiger Strength is more than my skill or prowess in a yoga posture... it is something deep within me - power, magick, ferocity.