Wild Asana
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| Infos : | Page Count: 256 |
Animals, Yoga, and Connecting Our Practice to the Natural World
TARGET CONSUMER: PRIMARY: Yoga students/teachers who wish to connect their practice to the natural world; animal-loving yogis; self-help, self-care, wellness, and ecology readers
SECONDARY: Mid- to high-income women into wellness, animals, or environmental books
TERTIARY: Readers of books by ecological writers like Aimee Nezhukumatathil and Sy Montgomery; gift- buyers for friends/family who love animals and/or yoga; readers of Yoga Journal, Orion, Tricycle, and Mindful
Ever wonder about the dog in Downward Dog or the pigeon in Kapota? Rewild your yoga practice by connecting to the animals behind the asanas.
For nature-loving yogis and readers of World of Wonders and Yoga Mythology
From Downward Dog to Cobra, Wild Asana invites you into an embodied exploration of the animals that inspire familiar yoga poses Drawing on wildlife science, anthropology, Hindu mythology, Eastern philosophy, and personal stories, this insightful guide by environmental educator and yoga instructor Alison Zak explores the connections among our bodies, our minds, and the animals that inspire our practice
In illustrated chapters on asanas like Tittibhasana (Firefly), Garudasana (Eagle), Bidalasana (Cat), and Ustrasana (Camel), Zak invites you to bring the deep nature of animals into breath and movement
You’ll learn to:
• Respect the monkey in “monkey mind” to honor—not tame—your own wildness • Fly like an eagle to move from imprisonment to liberation
• Embody a pigeon’s stillness and nonattachment
• Imbue your practice with the agility, flexibility, and fierce commitment of a cat
• Incorporate asana variations, mudras, and meditations inspired by animal nature • Practice lovingkindness meditations that include the more-than-human world
With an encompassing ecological compassion, gorgeous original illustrations, profound insight into animal wisdom, and the humor and perspective of lived experience, Zak offers a path to deepen and enliven your practice Whether you’re an animal lover, a first-time yoga student, or an experienced practitioner, Wild Asana is a practical and accessible guide to becoming animal on your yoga mat
FOR YOGA PRACTITIONERS WHO LOVE ANIMALS & THE NATURAL WORLD: Connects yoga poses to the animals they’re named after, encouraging readers to infuse their practice with animal wisdom; for fans of World of Wonders
MARKET POTENTIAL: Mid- to high-income women who are interested in wellness, animals, or environmental books; readers who buy gifty books on animals; readers of publications like Yoga Journal, Tricycle, Orion, and Mindful
GREAT GIFT BOOK, ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS: Accessible, funny, and light in tone, this makes a good gift for people who love animals or are interested in starting a yoga practice It features black and white linework illustrations of each animal-inspired pose
TIMELY: Very relevant in the face of climate crisis, wildlife destruction, and biodiversity collapse: nature writing has been finding a larger audience
INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH: Zak has a master’s in anthropology and is a National Geographic certified educator, an RYT 200 Yoga Alliance teacher, and Executive Director at Human-Beaver Coexistence Fund In addition to yoga, the book incorporates wildlife science, anthropology, Hindu mythology, memoir, and Eastern philosophy
EASY-TO-DO: With clear and accessible asana variations, mudras, and meditations.
CONTENTS
Introduction This chapter will introduce the concept of the book, define key terms such as ‘anthropomorphism’ and ‘species’ and answer the following questions:
Who are animals? What is yoga? And what do these two things have to do with each other?
Chapter 1: Matsyasana—Fish Can we let the gilled and finned into our hearts as gracefully as we open our chests in fish pose? In this chapter, the author applies her experience studying animal behavior to forge more meaningful and intimate connections with the resident of a freshwater aquarium in her own home
Chapter 2: Garudasana—Eagle This chapter is a multi-species exploration of fertility of the body and the spirit Comparing the author’s own experience of on-going ‘unexplained infertility’ with the effect of DDT and other pesticides on raptor reproduction, it inspires the reader to surrender to life’s uncertainty’s with strength and grace
Chapter 3: Kapotasana—Pigeon A seemingly simple encounter with a suburban mourning dove demonstrates how easy it can be to connect with another being Animal encounters, like yoga poses, are for everyone when we open our minds to understanding these concepts in more accessible and diverse ways
Chapter 4: Marjaryasana/Bitilasana—Cat/Cow This chapter will discuss the role of animals as vehicles of the gods, using Durga and her tiger vahana as an example What can we, as humans, learn from the ways that deities, buddhas, and bodhisattvas encounter animals? This chapter also discusses an experience of potong sapi, or cow sacrifice, on Eid al-Adha in Indonesia as an invitation to thinking differently about ahimsa (non-harming) and our connection to animals through direct consumption
Chapter 5: Tittibhasana—Firefly People cherish whimsical memories involving fireflies and warm July dusks, but what realities do these glowing beetles experience?While beautiful to the human eye, their lives are fraught with cannibalism, fatal trickery, and the struggles of an evolutionary arms race The yoga pose is no summer picnic either!
Chapter 6: Bhujangasana—Serpent Venomous snakes are associated with gods and demons, simultaneously representing the best and worst of our human relationships with wildlife and nature Meanwhile, the deceptively simple cobra pose can be as misunderstood by yoga students as snakes are by people across the world
Chapter 7: Hanumanasana—Monkey Monkeys have a poor reputation in the mindfulness community; but, years of studying primatology and the lore and asana associated with Hanuman the Hindu monkey god have illuminated the positive ways in which we are not so different from our ‘wild’ fellow primates This chapter urges readers to consider how ‘monkey mind’ might actually be a good thing
Chapter 8: Vrschikasana—Scorpion This challenging pose and the sighting of a live scorpion elude the author, but she did wake up a room away from a squashed one in an Iban longhouse in Borneo In the same way that the sting does not define the life of a scorpion, the ability to practice vrischikasana does not define a yogi
Chapter 9: Makarasana—Crocodile This chapter asks the questions: Where is home? What does it feel like in the body? It does so by considering the reptilian behaviors and bodies of the crocodilian family and the adaptations they use to survive in their own complex and swampy homes
Chapter 10: Utrasana—Camel
Chapter 11: Adho Mukha Svanasana—Dog What is the difference between downward facing dog and downward facing coyote? This chapter will examine our often taken-for-granted relationships with companion canines and the complete attitude shift that occurs when dogs decide to live on the edges of human existence instead of pampered inside our homes
Chapter 12: Kurmasana—Turtle Turtles are about so much more than withdrawing into their shells This chapter is an exploration of pratyahara (one of the eight limbs of yoga, defined as the withdrawal of the senses), and an ode to animals who literally are their own homes What can we discover about these critters beyond their stereotypical portrayals in our society?
Chapter 13: Savasana—Corpse
Chapter 14: Conclusion—Mountain Pose Chapter 15: Wild Asana Pose Sequence
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