"Barbisms"
By Barbara Schuette on January 7, 2022
What’s a Barbism? Good question! I didn’t know either until I received a very awesome tank top for my birthday from some of our yoga Kula and on the back it read, “Let that shit go!”
Wow, they’re actually listening to me! I say LOTS of goofy things in class—mostly metaphors! These expressions of words or “isms” help to paint a picture for the particular pose we may be in or benefit we should be getting from the pose. For instance, our floor series in the Hot 26 classes are designed to flush toxins out the the spine and internal organs with all of the twisting and compressing—“wringing them out like a dishcloth!”
Here are a few of the poses (off the top of my head and in no particular order) that I have some pretty standard “isms” for:
Awkward Pose Part 1: “Sit your hips down like you’re trying to put a butt print on the back wall!”
Awkward Pose part 2:
“Come up high onto your tippy toes maximum like a ballerina or MANerina!” OR
“Come up high onto your tippy toes like we’ve all strapped on a pair of stiletto heels!”
Tree Pose in Half Lotus:
“Bring your foot up into your bikini or speedo line.” OR “Bring both hands to heart center namaskar, but if you stick your booty out like a duck don’t do that!”
Hands-to-feet pose or Padahastasana:
“Give your shins a kiss 💋!” OR “Scoop up your heels like 2 tiny steam shovels!” Mini Warm-up: “ Let your head hang heavy like a bowling ball that weights 10-12 pounds and shake what your momma gave you!”
Awkward Pose Part 3: “Zip up your legs all the way from your knees up to your WOOHOO!!!” Everyone in class makes the 'woohoo' sound on that one 🙌
Full Locust Pose: “Tap the floor and give your neighbor some good Juju because we’re all in this sh** together!”
Also, “you’re soaring like a 747 like our friend, Colleen ❤️"
Shavasana after Camel Pose: “Camel can make you feel kinda WONKY! If you feel that way then congratulations, you did it right!” OR it’s “bliss or barf🤮” in that pose! I promise it will become more bliss.
Fixed Firm Pose: “Look down the center line of you as give yourself a beautiful double chin forming a perfect human bridge!” For a while some of our yogis thought I was saying “Fixed Sperm!”…omg!!
Standing Separate Leg Forehead to Knee Pose: “Tuck your chin to your chest as you go down—not very attractive!”
Floor Bow Pose: “We are doing a backward bend on our bellies!”
Balancing Stick: “From the side your body looks like the capital letter T as in Teresa, Talitha, or Tuladandasana!”
Cobra Pose: “From the side your arms look like the upside down letter L as in Lisa or Lissa or Linda!”
Eagle Pose:
“We’re twisting like wet ropes one at the wrists and one at the elbows!” OR “Sling some sweat at your neighbor!”
Standing Bow-Pulling Pose:
“Your back leg is like the runner on a boat—it steers the whole posture!" OR "The harder you kick you can hold forever!” OR “Keep your ears on straight! (no tilted eyebrows!)”
Shavasana:
“Concentrate on 3 things: your breathing, your stillness + your relaxation and I’ll call you back in a few moments.”
OR “This is the most difficult pose—try not to think, scratch, wipe, move, or pop!”
Rabbit Pose:
“Tuck your chin in to your chest and roll down like you’re rolling up your yoga mat.” Also, “ You’re pulling so hard on your heels that if you let go you’ll do a forward somersault!”
Camel Pose:
“Hips are forward and the grip is nice + tight on the heels: if you let go you will sling forward like a slingshot!”
Half Locust Pose:
“Your palms are face down, like you’re returning a volleyball!”
Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose:
“Swan dive down as you give your neighbor (sister, husband, wife or friend) a VIEW!” AND “This one is kryptonite for all of those crinkled up sciatic nerves!”
Half Tortoise Pose🐢:
“Stretch your arms to the top of your mat and feel the scapula coming out of the sides of your body.”
Super Sit Up or Hot Yogi Sit Up:
“Engage your core. MAKE IT COUNT!”
Last set of any pose: “Last one best one!”
Creating these visuals as we have our moving meditation is so enlightening and truly does get one “out of your head" as we yoga teachers like to say!
Drop me a DM and let me know how many I forgot! And always remember, “The best thing you can do after a hot yoga class is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!”