Aloha Friends!
I cannot believe how incredibly sore I am from yoga on Monday. Sheesh! During my warm up, I though Chaturanga was going to kill me! I could hardly hold myself up. After revising my sequence yesterday, I decided to completely scrap it and start all over. I really want to focus on arms right now because I feel it is where I am the weakest. So many poses depend on the strength of our arms. I would like to pursue many of the poses requiring arm support like inversions so I really want to place an emphasis on strengthening these weak limbs. I did employ the help of one of my books I picked up while I was in Yoga Teacher Training. It is called "Yoga Sequencing" by Mark Stephens. If you want a more in depth understanding about the art of yoga sequencing, I would highly suggest this book. As promised, here is the sequence I put together and will be following for the rest of the week. Honestly, this is a sequence I will be putting into my saved file. I may tweak it here and there as I go along, but I really enjoyed this flow.
Warm Up - (15 min.)
Corpse Pose - Ujjayi breathing (2-3 mins.)
Happy Baby (Ananda Balasana)
Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Jaratha Parivartanasana)(Left/Right)
Rock to sitting, massaging along the spine
Table Top (Bharmanasana)
Cat/Cow (Marjaryasana/Bitilasana)
Gate Pose (Parighasana)(Left/Right)
Urdhva Mukha Pasasana A (Right/Left)
Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Classical Surya Namaskara (2x)
Surya Namaskara A (2x)
Surya Namaskara B (2x)
Healthy Wrist Sequence: Tadasana Wrist Therapy, Uttanasana wrist
pratikriyasana, Wrist pumps, Anjali Mudra & Hand Dance.)
Flow - (10 min)
Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana 2)
Extended Side Angle (Utthita Parsvakonasana)
Extended Triangle (Utthita Trikonasana)
Warrior 2 (Virabhadrasana 2)
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Eagle Pose Prep (Garudasana Prep)
Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
Mountain Pose (Tadasana)
Wide Legged Forward Bend C (Prasarita Padottanasana C)
Tree Pose - Vriksasana
Surya Namaskara A
(Repeat Left Side)
(Repeat 2x)
Child's Pose (Balasana)
Peak Pose - (12 min)
Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana)
Wrist Therapy: Tadasana Wrist Therapy, Anjali Mudra & Hand Dance.
Down Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
Plank (Phalakasana)
Side Plank (Vasisthasana Prep) (If you have wrist problems, use your forearms)
Advanced Side Plank (Vasisthasana)
Four-Limbed staff pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)
Upward-facing dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana)
Downdog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)
(Repeat Left side)
(Repeat 2x)
Child's Pose (Balasana)
Counter Pose - (7 min)
Locust Pose (Salabhasana A) (3x)
Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana) (2x)
Bow Pose (Dhanurasana) (2x)
Child's Pose (Balasana)
Prone Posture - (7 min)
Urdhva Mukha Pasasana (Right/Left)
Seated Eagle (Upavishta Garudasana) (Right/Left)
Bharadvaja's Twist (Bharadvajrasana 1) (Right/Left)
Half Spinal Twist Pose (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
Gate Pose (Parighasana)
Seated Forward Bend (Paschimottanasana)
Plow Pose (Halasana)
Shoulder stand (Salamba Sarvangasana)
Fish Pose (Matsyasana)
Cool Down - (4 min)
Supine Spinal Twist (Supta Jaratha Parivartanasana) (Right/Left)
Happy Baby
Savasana (5 min) (Corpse Pose)
Caution/Tips:
Never go beyond your limits.
There are variations to most poses for beginners or those with wrist/knee pain.
If you do not know a pose, look it up and read about the easier variations.
When in doubt, don't do the pose.
The Best tip I have is to take a beginning Vinyasa class. These classes will instruct you in a safe environment how to flow through various poses, going in depth on how to do each pose safely.
Side Note: Yoga is such a great exercise to loosen tight muscles, build strength & burn fat. Through the Ujjayi breathing, you are actually preparing your body to warm up your muscles by filling your body with oxygen. It is also a great way to clear your mind and get into the flow. It is a gentle way to work through any injuries you may have. (I would advise doing this under an experienced yoga instructor with a strong working knowledge of anatomy & injuries.)
If you are interested in my playlist, I have included the link here.
Namaste!
Brittany Bowman
