Although I really want one. I should have one. And teaching is helping me develop one.
Is having a home yoga practice necessary? It depends on who you talk to. I am of the opinion that as long as I get on my mat on a regular basis that I feel better, calmer, and for some strange reason, my ankles won't swell.
If you aren't able to come to my classes and practice regularly, I have decided to post the content of my classes here on this blog so that you can see what you missed, and maybe practice at home. So here is what you missed last Sunday....
The theme of our class was transitions. We have lots of new beginnings in our lives and we tend to focus on those beginnings rather than the importance of the transition from the old to the new. After introducing ourselves and the philosophy of Curvy Yoga, I asked the class to close their eyes and think of a transition currently happening in their lives. Imagine the best outcome of that transition, visualize it and then encapsulate that feeling or outcome with one word. That one word will be your mantra for the rest of this practice.
You will need a bolster and a strap for this practice, all poses are designed to support the lower back...a part of our body which is often injured in many of the transition events of our lives.
Warm Up:
- Neck openers- rotate your head from side to side drawing a crescent line as your chin moves from shoulder to shoulder
- Hunch shoulders up to your ears, release, repeat
- Roll shoulders forward 3x
- Roll shoulders backwards 3x
- Shoulder isolation: roll left shoulder forward and hold, roll right shoulder backward and hold. Then roll right shoulder to neutral, followed by rolling the left shoulder to neutral. Repeat on the opposite sides.
- Seated half crescent moon
- Seated twist
- Baby pigeon- this version is done by starting with your legs in butterfly pose. The right leg stays in the pose while the left leg is extended straight and the bent so that the leg is point behind you. A stretch can be felt here in the inner thigh and in the outside hip flexor. I'll have to take a photo of this one eventually. Repeat for the other side.
- Ankle rolls with arch massage on the feet
- Toes pose
- transition to standing with the mindful standing technique
Standing Poses:
- Tadasana --- Urdhva Hastasana ----forward fold-- roll up to standing, repeat 3x
- Step backwards into Warrior 1, transition to Warrior 2, move to 5-pointed Star, and then into Goddess poses (2x), then return to 5-pointed Star, Warrior 2, and Warrior 1. Include a slight backbend into warrior 1 before repeating on the opposite side.
- Reverse mindful standing down to knees
Floor Flow:
- kneeling cat/cow, child's pose, roll hips forward, roll hips backward to child's pose, dolphin, child's pose, kneeling cat/cow. Repeat 5-6 times
Supine Poses:
- Bridge pose
- Reclining Big Toes pose with strap, leg also taken out to the side, and then across the body for a twist, repeat for each side
- Legs on the Wall, using a strap instead of the wall
- Supine butterfly, with strap
- Knees to chest
- Savasana with a bolster under the knees
