om body
C
hicago may be better known as America’s Windy
City, but this photo was taken on Coney Island,
New York. It shows photographer, Francesca Magnani
(francescamagnani.com) – who has supplied many
yoga images for OM through the years – on a
blustery day on the Atlantic coast making a rare appearance in
front of the camera.
The photograph was taken by her friend, Alberto Garavello
(albertogaravello.it), and shows Magnani in reverse prayer pose
(pashchimanamaskarasana) with the big city in the background. She
says when the temperature drops and the wind is blowing, the light in
New York City can be magniicent, ideal for some great photography.Reverse prayer pose in the ‘windy city’ of Coney Island
“We stopped on the pier, in front of the parachute jump,” she says,
“and a white cloud created a Magritte-like efect. It was only natural
then to give my camera to Alberto and let him work his magic. He
was visiting Brooklyn for the irst time, so for once I allowed myself
to be in front of the lens.”
Magnani herself has lived in the Big Apple for more than two
decades and is a dedicated student of yoga, as well as the visual
arts. This month (April 11) she celebrates her birthday too.
And reverse prayer is a special pose for her, one that opens
the abdomen allowing for deeper breath, stretching the pectoral
muscles, shoulder joints and deltoids. “This asana is deeply
symbolic,” she adds, “a bit like a hidden prayer.”Hidden
prayer
Photo: Alberto Garavello (albertogaravello.it)