Iberian yoga

n. jocularly, the siesta or afternoon nap. Subjects: English, Spain, Health

Etymological Note: Usually credited as being coined in Castillian Spanish as “yoga ibérico” by Camilo José Cela.

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Citations: 1979 Camilo José Cela Los Sueños Vanos, Los Angeles Curiosos p. 76: Después de comer, mejor dicho, después de haberme echado lo que los patriotas decimos el yoga ibérico y los pro yanquis siesta, me voy a una tertulia. 2000 Seattle Times (Washington) (Mar. 31) “Spaniards have perfected the siesta ritual” (in Madrid, Spain) p. A20: The long break has been traditional in many countries with stifling midday heat, but Spaniards claim to have done the most to perfect the ritual, which Camilo Jose Cela, the Nobel Prize-winning novelist, calls “our Iberian yoga.” 2007 Elizabeth Nash @ Madrid, Spain Sunday Herald (Glasgow, Scotland) (July 14) “Waking up to the fact that the siesta won’t lie down”: Spaniards persist in enjoying an afternoon snooze whenever they get the chance, in defiance of efforts to shorten Spain’s working day and match its idiosyncratic hours with the rest of Europe. Now, rather than dismiss the lunchtime nap as a lazy throwback that subverts the working day, enterprising companies are bowing to the inevitable and accepting it. The siesta is being re-invented as “Iberian yoga”—a cool adjunct to modern life that promotes wellbeing and alertness in today’s stressful world.

Posted 18 Jul 07 | Permalink | Tell a Friend