蟒蛇缠身练瑜伽

　　We must connect with your fear, the yoga teacher advises: ‘What are you afraid of?’Personally, at this precise moment, I’m afraid I’ll be left holding this uncomfortable position forever. I’m crouched over my yoga mat in a squatting position, with my arms out in front of me, parallel to the floor. It’s an excruciating stance to hold, and we’ve been in it for several minutes. Unusual keep-fit fad: Snake yoga,, is a new twist on the popular exercise class

　　瑜伽是现代白领生活中寻求的一种“平静情绪”的方式，怎样才能让瑜伽平复我们的紧张情绪呢？，瑜伽老师经常问：“你害怕的是什么呢？”就个人而言，在这个时刻，我害怕的是我将要带着这样一个极不舒服的姿势离开。我以一种蹲的姿态俯身坐在我的瑜伽垫上，我的手臂搭在我前面，和地板恰好平行。这是一个极其难以保持的姿态，但我们已经保持了有几分钟了。而与众不同的健康时尚--“蛇瑜伽”在流行的健身课程上是一种新的瑜伽形式。

　　But there’s another reason to feel a little uncomfortable: in front of us, just a few feet away, is a basket full of snakes. Yes, you read that right. Very real boa constrictors, pythons and corn snakes are laying curled up together under a blanket, waiting for their cue to join in the class. Forget Bikram or power yoga. If you want to be ahead of the crowd, snake yoga is the newest — and most unusual — class in town. Officially called Kumara Serpent Healing, it’s an offshoot of Kundalini Yoga — a branch of the form which mixes adopting physical positions with a focus on breathing, meditating and chanting。

　　普通的瑜伽姿势会让我们不舒服，除了“姿势”的因素以外，那就是就在我们前方几英尺远的地方，有一个装满了蛇的篮子。是的，你没有看错，就是一个装满了蛇的篮子。成群结队的红尾蚺蟒、美洲巨蟒以及玉米锦蛇都蜷缩着躺在一张毛毯下面，等待着让它们加入到课程中来的信号，这就是当今推崇的“蛇瑜伽”健身课程。忘了高温瑜伽或者力量瑜伽吧，如果你想要走在人群的前面的话，蛇瑜伽是城里最新潮也是最与众不同的课程了。蛇瑜伽的官方说法是库马拉蛇治疗，它是昆达利尼瑜伽的一个分支，它的形式是将采用物理位置和在呼吸、沉思以及交谈中的专注度结合来达到的。

　　It was devised by self-confessed ‘mad snake lady’ Kwali Kumara, who sits at the front of the class today dressed in flowing white robes and a spiky Medusa-inspired piece of headgear. The aim of the class is, according to Kwali, to ‘deepen our connection to the spirit and natural world,’ using her ‘friendly, healing snakes’ as our guides. Overcoming your natural aversion to the snakes will help ‘unblock your chakras’, allowing energy to flow freely throughout the body — which can apparently improve every area of your life. Well, so the story goes, anyway。

　　蛇瑜伽是被一个自认为“疯狂的蛇女”的名叫克瓦力'库马拉的女士发明的。她现在都穿着飘逸的白色长袍以及戴着一个穗状花序排列如美杜莎的头一般的头饰坐在学徒的面前授课。对于克瓦力来说，这门课程的宗旨就在于用她的“友好的治疗蛇”来作为我们的向导，引导我们加深与心灵以及自然世界的联系，从而达到身灵合一。若你克服了自己与生俱来的对于蛇的厌恶，这将有助于你“开启你的查克拉(瑜伽中的穴位)”，这样能量将会自由的在你的身体里穿梭，结果就是会显著地改善你生活中的方方面面。总之，据说它就是这么的神奇。

　　The lights in the room are dimmed and the students sit in a crescent shape around Kwali. I notice she says nothing about a fear of snakes. Many in the room are terrified of them — I know because I saw them freaking out in the changing rooms. Even the tall Teutonic blond fellow who gave me an unsteady smile as I took the mat next to him is frightened — once I’d sat down, I could see he was shaking. So, why are these people here? ‘If people are scared of snakes, they are scared of their own spirituality,’ explains Kwali later. ‘Having the snakes involved connects people to what is going on inside.’

　　房间里的灯光变暗了，学徒们在克瓦力周围坐成了一条蜈蚣的形状。我注意到她对关于蛇的恐惧只字不提。我知道房间里面的很多学徒都对这些蛇很恐惧，因为我看到他们在更衣室里几近崩溃。甚至那个当我要拿起他旁边的一个坐垫时对我颤抖着微笑的高大的日耳曼的金发家伙也很害怕。有一次我要坐下，就看到他正在发抖着。因此，他们为什么还要在这里受折磨呢？“如果人们害怕蛇，那是因为他们害怕他们自己的灵性。”之后克瓦力向我解释道。“让蛇加入可以将他们与他们的心灵走向紧密的联系在一起。”