savasana, awareness to mind body connection. Notice how lowback feels (arching, pulling, nothing), how neck feels (compressed, length, easy or hard to breathe).
breath work. Inhaling and exhaling for 5, 6, and 7 counts. (Set intention. Pay attention to what your body is saying throughout practice.)
knees in chest
keep R knee hugging in, extend L out. Repeat other side.
Repeat. Pause, place R foot down. Inhale, Exhale down spine out toes. This time, bring knee in as slow as you can and focus staying completely relaxed. Focus on relaxing deep within the hip joint, the hip flexor, the hip socket. Repeat other side.
Bend knees. Move hips to R. Knees into center, lower knees to L. Easy Twist. Repeat other side
Bridge Pose x 3 held for 5-7 breaths. Either reg or hands interlaced. (Breathe into the heart, the chest.)
Hug knees into chest.
Sit up.
Inhale arms up, exhale fold over. Switch crossing of legs and repeat.
Hands and knees to plank to AMS
1/2 SSA x2
SSA x2
SSA with lunges
SSB Warrior 1
SSB Warrior 1, Warrior 3 (held, asked them to focus on a point on the floor), bring foot to calve, inhale arms up, exhale twist. Lower foot down. Fold over. Half way up, fold, vinyasa. Repeat other leg. x2
Last chair pose: hold, twist to L and hold, back to center, twist to R and hold, center, fold over. (Unless there is pain, work through the heat.)
Grab onto big toes or opposite elbows.
Halfway up, fold, vinyasa, AMS, childs pose. – remember the intention you set at the beginning of class.
Bridge Pose hold for 5 breaths.
Thread the needle, hug knees into chest, low back twist, hug knees, happy baby, savasana.
(Concept of staying present.)
With the birth of the iPhone, it’s become difficult to stay present. To focus. While I’m driving, I want to check my phone. In class and right after class, I want to check my phone. And there usually isn’t anything interesting on it when I do check it so constantly. No new texts, no missed phone calls. Nothing crazy on instagram. It’s just habit. It’s easiest to not focus, to not listen.
I didn’t show many of the poses today, and haven’t been recently, to challenge your focus. So that you have to listen to everything I’m saying, understand, and do. I also held poses that build up heat, that are confrontational, to practice focusing and working through discomfort. To practice staying present during uncomfortable situations. Lastly, we increased our breath in the beginning of class and by holding bridge pose for an extended period of time.
When you come to a yoga class, it is expected to try and focus, listen, have respect for those in the room, and be present for the whole class. It’s a lot harder in the real world. Try and be a little more present in your everyday life. Focus on the words your teachers say in class, on the road, on what your loved one is saying. As humans, we are meant to focus, listen and understand. Because if we didn’t, there would be no love.